Tri-borough Music Hub (TBMH) and a group of dedicated partner organisations have been awarded £105,000 by Youth Music to support music education in the Early Years (EY) via the Tri-Music Together (TMT) project.
The new three-year project forms Phase 2 of TMT, following a previous successful project during 2016-18 which saw the launch of new national guidance, Musical Development Matters, written to support those who work with young children in early childhood and complementing Development Matters, a non-statutory guidance document used by practitioners in EY settings across the UK.
About the TMT project
The TMT project will run from Jan 2019 to Dec 2021 and, as well as working with local educators, will have a remit to support music education hubs (MEHs) in developing EY music provision.
The project will continue to centre the majority of its workforce development across the three London Boroughs TBMH serves – Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and City of Westminster. However, it will also work further afield with other MEHs which are looking to develop their own EY strategies and link progression from Reception to Key Stage 1 and beyond.
TBMH is actively seeking interested MEHs to begin discussions and senior MEH leaders are asked to contact Stuart Whatmore, Head of TBMH, by mid-January 2019 for more information here.
TMT will work with settings of all kinds – maintained schools and nurseries, children’s centres and private, voluntary and independent settings. Staff from settings will be able to benefit from the professional development on offer. The project will also work with musicians linked to the consortium partners and other freelance musicians.
One innovative aspect of the project is the focus on how school-based music teachers working across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and/or Key Stage 1 can improve their understanding of the Characteristics of Effective Learning. This is an important pedagogical link to childhood development and will begin to address the progression in musical learning from five years old and upwards.
Consortium partners
Partners in the Tri-borough Early Years Music Consortium are:
- Chickenshed Kensington & Chelsea
- Creative Futures
- Inspire-works
- Music House for Children
- Royal Albert Hall
- Royal College of Music
- Sound Connections
- The Voices Foundation
- Tri-borough Music Hub
- Wigmore Hall
- Bi-borough School Standards, Children’s Services
- Westminster Children’s Centres
- Hammersmith and Fulham Children’s Centres
- Kensington and Chelsea Children’s Centres
Consortium partners will continue to work with TBMH’s EYFS Strategic Lead, Nicola Burke – with the entire project and its outcomes evaluated by Dr Jessica Pitt.
The TMT project is supported by core funding from Youth Music, using public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and each consortium partner also contributes its own funding to the overall project.
‘Bringing together EY professionals and musicians’
Nicola Burke said:
‘I am delighted that we can continue the innovative work of the consortium. It is incredibly exciting to lead the TMT project and to support such a diverse workforce on so many levels.
‘We hope to work with and support other MEHs to develop their EY work. Most importantly, we want to continue to develop our community of practice by bringing together EY professionals and musicians.’
‘Developing EY music provision across the country’
Richard Stanley, Deputy Director, Bi-borough School Standards team for Children’s Services, said:
‘We are really pleased to hear that the music hub and partners have been awarded this funding and that the successful music education work with EY settings over the past two years will be continuing.
‘It is particularly exciting to see that the high quality of this work has been recognised in the new project remit for developing EY music provision across the country and that further opportunities will now be available for Early Years practitioners and music services to strengthen the access that all local children have to music education.’
‘The sooner young children get to make music the better’
Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music, said:
‘Early Years is a priority for us at Youth Music and the Tri-borough Music Hub are leading the way in this important area. That’s why we’re delighted to award them a further grant to help the workforce develop their practice, understanding of early childhood and how music-making can achieve the greatest impact.
‘We’re keen to see how this great work can inspire other music education hubs to follow suit as the sooner young children get to make music the better.’
To read Stuart Whatmore’s article on Tri-borough Music Hub, please click here.
To read Nicola Burke’s article on Phase 1 of Tri-Music Together, please click here.
