Inspiration not perspiration: tips for embedding Arts Award in your music project
It is recommended (or required, in some cases) that all Youth Music projects offer Arts Award. We know that organisations have varying levels of experience and expertise in delivering the qualification. We also know that the issues that might young people in challenging circumstances (transience, educational disengagement, low levels of literacy, to name but a few) can pose additional difficulties to delivering the award. In the following interview Tim Coyte, Hartlepool Youth Services’ Exchanging Notes Project Coordinator, talks about his experiences in delivering Arts Award, and why (nine years later), he’s still committed to it.
The context
Hartlepool’s Exchanging Notes project is delivered in a number of school and community settings (including some PRUs and exclusion units). The project works with young people at risk of low attainment, disengagement or educational exclusion and aims to build partnerships between schools and music education providers to improve young people’s educational and wider developmental outcomes. As the Project Coordinator, Tim is responsible for coordinating all of the music provision, Arts Award, and providing information, advice and guidance to young people on the programme. He is a trained Youth Worker and experienced music leader, and has been delivering Arts Award for nine years.
Can you tell us how you structure Arts Award across your programme?
Most of the music provision on our project is co-delivered between staff from Tees Valley Music Service (the Music Education Hub lead organisation) and Apollo Arts (a local community arts organisation). The majority of the delivery team are trained Arts Award Advisors, along with some of the school staff – so they have a decent understanding of the qualification requirements. However, I am the named Advisor and coordinate the Arts Award programme, including embedding the the different parts of the award into the overall programme, and submitting portfolios for moderation.
We try and allow 10-15 minutes in each session to do the Arts Award activity, completing the Bronze Arts Award logbooks (which are suitable for young people between the ages of 11 and 14). We find these logbooks work well for the group of young people we are working with, as it keeps them focussed on responding in the right way in order to meet the requirements. Using the Bronze Arts Award Evidence Checklist alongside guidance from the Advisor Toolkit really helps you pinpoint what is required for a pass; this gives the advisor confidence in their marking. It’s crucial that:
- you know what the moderators will be looking for when the portfolios are submitted; and
- there is not reams and reams of writing required for the young people.
What if you don’t manage to get your 10-15 minutes of ‘Arts Award time’ within the session?
This often happens. In such instances I would try and provide information to the teacher so they can follow up with the young person and complete the requirements before the next session.
Young people don’t always enjoy completing the log-books so I’ve found that regular, little amounts of Arts Award activity work well.
What elements of the award have posed you specific challenges, and how have these been overcome?
Whilst visits (for Part B – being the audience) can be inspirational, they can also be a logistical nightmare to organise (getting under 14s into venues; going to see gigs on schoolnights or at the weekend; getting the young people released from school etc. etc.). Where I’ve been unable to organise visits in the past, I have held a “You Tube concert”. Basically, each young person chooses a You Tube performance, and the rest of the group watch it. They then discuss it (whilst I take photos to evidence it) and write notes in their logbook. The group discussion element is really important, and actually this is where a You Tube concert can be far more relevant to the young people than attending an actual gig. Because it’s their personal choice of music, it’s more meaningful to them and this elicits different viewpoints more easily - as it is something they are more interested in. Hosting a You Tube concert means that you don’t have to attend a realtime arts event. Doing Part B in this way can then feed into the next part of the qualification, where the young people choose their arts inspiration.
And who are the most popular You Tube performers in your neck of the woods?
Tupac and Eminem are favourites on Teesside. On a previous project, Barbara Windsor was someone’s arts inspiration (they wanted to do Peggy Mitchell but had to opt with Barbara Windsor, since it had to be a real person!)
Have you had any successful visits?
We went to see Sean Kuti (Fela Kuti’s son) at the Sage Gateshead (which was chosen purely for logistical reasons, as the only appropriate thing that was taking place at the time). It was great for the young people to see a diverse performance (both culturally and musically). The young people picked up on the fact that the performers were celebrating their ethnicity and heritage, on their terms, and in their own (uncompromising) way.
NB1: the picture at the top of this blog was taken at the Sean Kuti gig.
NB2: the Youth Music Network has a dedicated resource to help plan trips and cultural visits.
How have you tackled the arts skill share element?
This needs to be pitched just right – it is usually the hardest section to do, but it works really well if it is structured correctly.
We usually work with young people to help them plan and co-deliver a small session. It is very important that this is broken down appropriately, into small and manageable tasks. In the Exchanging Notes project three young people taught the school staff how to play a tune on the guitar. The first person taught them some chords, the second young person how to strum, and the third how to put it all together. They then reviewed it collectively, gathering feedback from the teachers. This part of the qualification can be a fantastic way of young people gaining personal, social, transferable and organisational skills. In seeking feedback the young people referred to their session as ‘the course’ – it was great to hear them talking about themselves as professionals, as a result of the work they had delivered.
What advice would you give organisations who aren’t very experienced at delivering Arts Award?
Many Advisors have done the training a while ago and then haven’t practiced it – if this is the case you could book onto a free support surgery (advertised via the Arts Award Advisor Hub site).
When you’re planning how to embed Arts Award, look at the Advisor Toolkit so you can check the requirements, and cross reference this with the evidence checklist. Know what is required for a pass and ensure that’s what the young people give you.
The young people don’t always enjoy doing it – the more original way you can make it, the better. Make it as relevant as possible for them.
For young people who don’t like writing – you can try the video diaries etc. but be aware that this is more labour-intensive. When doing this, be clear about where the evidence sits when you submit portfolios to the moderator (e.g. evidence: film footage, 1min 22secs).
People often report lots of challenges in delivering Arts Award, but it’s clear that you’re committed to it. Besides meeting funding requirements, why do you do it?
What I really love about Arts Award is that it allows young people to express their creativity and to gain a qualification on their own terms. They can use their own language, and they don’t have to filter their personality into an exam context. In this day and age, with the way that school curricula are devised - and all of the pressure that young people have on them - it’s quite an outlet.
The young people do value the certificate when they achieve it. That piece of paper really means a lot to them. For vulnerable young people, getting a qualification can be really difficult because of their literacy and other usual barriers, and Arts Award gives them a chance to be recognised.
I’ve delivered Arts Award for groups of young people not in employment, education or training. For these young people, it can be like a talisman – they haven’t managed to get any other qualifications and so it actually gives them a foothold, a base to move forwards from.
Tim – thank you so much for sharing your experiences and top tips. I know that Arts Award can be a difficult logistical challenge to embed, but hope that your advice will be useful to other organisations.
Whilst this blog is mostly centred on Tim's experience of delivering Bronze Arts Award, Jenni Parkinson has recently posted a blog about Arts Award Explore.
Do any other Youth Music Network users have top tips or challenges to share? If so then please post below…..