This week, I've been mostly thinking about the links and conflicts between classroom music and extra-curricular music. Working in a 1.5-person music department (where I'm the 1), the extra-curricular workload is heavy. Fitting in rehearsals for bands, choirs and ensembles, organising concerts and visits is a tall order when there are only a couple of you in the department - and this size of department is by no means unusual.
This week, our music department ran a workshop with a visiting professional musician followed by a visit to a concert the next day, supported the school's musical theatre festival, and hosted a joint choir rehearsal with another local school in preparation for a performance at a local music festival - from which I've just returned (on a Sunday afternoon). And of course, our other 7 ensembles all had rehearsals for the Christmas concert and carol services that are not too far away. All in all, it was a great week for musicians! But definitely a less than outstanding week for the students in my lessons, which unsurprisingly were not top of the priority list.
Of course, on this particular occasion I felt that a few slightly back-of-an-envelope lessons was a small price to pay for a week of excellent musical opportunities. But then, when I'm the one running the majority of these opportunities (as the only full-time member of the department), this sort of week is not all too unusual. And there will be a lot more hastily planned lessons and even cover lessons coming up as the run-up to Christmas takes hold.
Don't get me wrong, I still spent time planning all of my lessons this week, created the necessary resources and completed the requisite marking (no time for a social life, of course, but that's another story) - and I'm fairly sure that all of the lessons that I taught would have been 'good' enough for Ofsted. But definitely not as good as they would be if I wasn't so busy with everything else. And, bearing in mind that these lessons are the mainstay of music in the school - and certainly the way that the majority of students access music - it leaves me wondering to what extent it is ok to spend less time on the many to benefit the few. Admittedly, when I look at the actual numbers, it's not quite so dire as that sentence suggests - 280 students that I taught (or set cover lessons for) this week, versus 100 or so involved in extra-curricular music. And of course, there is a huge amount of overlap in that. But still, my point stands.
Sadly, I don't think there's really a solution that doesn't involve money.There aren't enough hours in the week for me to simply spend longer on my lessons when there is so much extra-curricular work going on. And I don't feel that lightening the extra-curricular load - i.e. running fewer ensembles, taking part in fewer concerts etc. is an option - at least, not if we want to continue to be a successful Music department.
The only other options, then, involve more funding - and essentially more staff. Either more staff to assist with running the extra-curricular events (although this is something that my school already does - we have three peripatetic teachers running ensembles, and extra staff members are paid to accompany music trips when they're needed), or for the existing music teachers to be given lighter timetables (and therefore more staff hours in total) in lieu of extra-curricular activities. In an ideal world, this would be a perfect solution - 3.5 more hours of PPA per week to make up for the same amount of time currently spent running extra-curricular ensembles (not taking into account the additional hours that go into concerts and events, of course - this week totalling around 6 in department-run activities). However, for the vast majority of schools, budgets just won't run to this.
In fact, Music departments around the country are currently seeing a move in the opposite direction, as schools seek to make savings in light of funding cuts. Music teacher groups on social media websites suggest that A Level Music, in particular, is under threat across the country, as schools move to save on sixth form teaching by cutting subjects with smaller class sizes - and therefore reducing their staffing costs. A worrying prospect when one considers the knock-on effect this might have on the rest of the work of the department - and particularly on extra-curricular music.
So, I suppose the conclusion that I've reached this week is that there is no right answer as to whether extra-curricular music or classroom music should take priority. Both, I think, are incredibly important in introducing students to music and getting them more involved in it - and both will need to be the priority at different times of the year.
But, if the 'powers that be' - whether that be Ofsted, the local authority, the government or even just the school governors - want to see music departments that are truly outstanding in both their classroom work and their extra-curricular teaching, then schools need a lot more funding - or to move their funding in the direction of the music department - to make this happen. And in the mean time, all we can do is try our best. And hopefully find time for a social life sometimes too.
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