My Music Classroom

We may have a recruitment problem in music education that begins before anyone applies for a job. I regularly encounter people who are interested in teaching music but don’t believe they are good enough musicians to do so. Often, the reason can be surprisingly specific: they don’t play the piano well enough. Or they don’t have grade 5 theory. Maybe they don’t understand music technology, or maybe they have a music production background. The list goes on.

I find this troubling. Not because musical skill doesn’t matter, of course it does. but because I wonder whether we have created an unnecessarily narrow definition of musical competence, and whether that definition is preventing perfectly capable musicians from entering the profession. At a time when music teacher recruitment is a significant concern across the sector. This is not just a secondary issue, of course. The musical confidence and competence of primary teachers, many of whom are expected to deliver music without specialist training, is equally important. The questions we ask about how we develop musicianship need to extend across the whole profession.

So some thoughts from me.

Are we expecting too much before people even start?

Do we really expect prospective teachers to arrive as finished musicians, when teaching itself is one of the most powerful contexts in which their musicianship will develop? I will testify to the fact that becoming a secondary music teacher has transformed me as a musician, way beyond my starting point when I was starting my PGCE. Something I am clear on: we shouldn’t confuse the expectations of an experienced music teacher as the entry requirements for becoming one.

What does teacher training actually need to achieve?

We need to identify the musical knowledge and skills that are essential at entry, distinguish them from those that can be developed, and make sure training provides the foundations for that development. With so many providers is there a need to align these main principles within our sector?

What are the non-negotiables upon entry to training?

This opens a huge can of worms. I have been in discussions where the suggestion of a secondary music teacher who can only read basic notation has filled the conversation with horror. But I’d argue the following principles as a starting point at entry to the profession: Musical curiosity, a foundation in music theory, willingness and ability to make music, aural aptitude including singing and professional self-awareness.

CPD as musical development

We often talk about professional development in terms of pedagogy, leadership and curriculum. But how much do we invest in teachers continuing to develop as musicians? Should musical development remain an explicit part of a teacher’s career? I’d argue that this is a vital part of any music teacher’s development. Especially when there are so many single teacher music departments with less access to paid CPD than I have witnessed in my professional lifetime.

In summary

We need high expectations of music teachers, but we shouldn’t confuse high expectations with expecting people to arrive fully formed as subject specialists. There is a responsibility shared between initial teacher training, schools, employers and the wider profession to develop musicians as well as teachers.

I feel there is a potential contradiction worth exploring. We want an ambitious, musically rich education for young people. But do we provide the same ambition and opportunity for the musical development of their teachers? We need to stop treating musical expertise as an entry requirement that is either present or absent, and start thinking much more seriously about how we develop it throughout a teacher’s career.

We should be ambitious about the musicianship of our music teachers, but we also need to recognise that musicianship is something that can be developed, extended and transformed through a teaching career. It is not simply a qualification that someone either possesses or lacks before they enter the profession.