Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose: part 2

I used this epigram by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in connection with some SEND work in a recent blog. (Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose: Part 1).

In Part 2 I want to mention transition.

When my colleague spoke about SEND I was reminded that I was also clearing out some files whilst still working in Oxfordshire as Music Adviser and Head of their Music Service in the late 1990s. I came across the minutes of a meeting dating back to 1979 about transition, which affected first, middle and upper schools. Children had two points of transfer, including one at the end of year 8. This resulted in Year 9 tutors writing a Key Stage 3 report (covering 11 to 14 year olds) after only teaching the young people for one year in Year 9. We were debating those issues then and nearly 20 years later, we were still debating the same issues and coming up with similar action points!

In these situations we have two choices:

1 Give up and stop trying; or 2 Address the problem with renewed energy.

Musical Bridges is one way of looking at transition. Music Education Hubs also provide a structure in which these issues can be addressed. Now more than ever we have a structure and a plan that can, if we work together, improve things.

No system is perfect. We can always complain about what is not working. One size does not fit all. But we can learn from each other’s successes and failures, identifying what will and will not work in our own particular context.

As I prepare to take on my 3 year post as Chair of the Music Education Council from July I hope to move forward on issues relating to transition and other matters of interest and concern to the music education world. Let’s identify where things have improved and what we need to do to ensure the power of music really can make a difference to everyone’s lives. We can’t do everything at once, but, if each year we aim to make sure we leave things better than they were before then, over time, significant improvements will appear!

Do get in touch if you have a view – halla@globalnet.co.uk  What do you think the issues are that we should be focussing on as we approach the next General Election and funding review?