Now or Never? The Level 4 Certificate for Music Educators
Funny how things come around…
Middlesbrough 1991. The second Sound Sense National Community Music Conference.. Key issues? ‘Qualifications and Training’ Fast forward 20 years to 2011, and the Henley Review of Music Education: ‘A new qualification should be developed for music educators which would professionalise and acknowledge their role in and out of school’ (recommendation 24)
And in those years the debate had been going on and on. ‘Yes we need a qualification’. ‘No we don’t.’ ‘Why do I need a piece of paper to prove I can do what I’ve been doing for years?’ ‘How do I get people to recognise my professional skills?’
Isn’t this what we’ve been looking for?
The difference is that we now we have an answer: The Level 4 Certificate for Music Educators, created by the sector skills council, Creative and Cultural skills, in direct response to recommendations in the National Plan.
Trinity Guildhall is the awarding body, and the CME covers key areas that we would all recognise:
- Understanding children and young people’s musical learning
- Planning, facilitating and evaluating their musical learning
- Reflective practice and professional development
- Promoting children and young people’s positive behaviour
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Safeguarding
As a Level 4 it’s a good next step for someone with a Level 3 qualification (eg BTEC, A2, NVQ), and still provides challenge and interest for a graduate.
It’s come a long way. I was involved in the consultation when the draft assessment criteria referred to ‘pupils’. Now they refer to children and young people. There are no specific entry requirements, candidates must have ‘a level of musical competence appropriate to their working environment’ and ‘musical, communication and interpersonal skills that enable them to inspire confidence in and elicit musical responses from children and young people’ The intention is that this qualification will work across all aspects of music education – community music, classroom teaching, instrumental tuition – and, d’you know, I think it just might.
It’ll be as good as we make it!
So here at musinc we've decided to give it a whirl. Six brave souls have volunteered to undertake the Certificate in Music Education with musinc this year. They’re a mixed bunch, doing a combination of private instrumental teaching, community music workshops and classroom teaching. For them there will be no sitting in classrooms or writing assignments. The Trinity CME is competency based – candidates have to show that they meet the assessment criteria by reflecting on their practice, and building a portfolio of evidence. (Think Arts Award – it’s about recognising and evidencing what you already do) They’re doing it as an on line learning programme with Music Education Solutions, supplemented by face to face mentoring.
Make no mistake, this is a substantial qualification and takes quite a bit of commitment. But the comment from everyone after their first mentoring session was that they were already doing virtually everything that the qualification requires. They just(!) need to evidence it.
Is it worth it? At £750 per head this is a big investment in individuals on our part, and a big investment of time and energy on their part. Will employers recognise it? Will it help these music leaders get work? Will partner agencies and funders think more of us because our musicians have the CME?
You can’t dance on your own….
It’s a bit like a party. It’s new. We’re at the start. And if everyone hangs back and never gets on the dance floor, the party will never get going, and everyone goes home disappointed
So let’s get the party started. We need music leaders prepared to put in the time and hard work. We need agencies who are prepared to stand the cost. Employers need to start to recognise it, build it into ‘required’ or ‘desirables’ in job specs and briefs. Funders need to recognise and require it as an indicator of quality. Otherwise in another 20 years I’ll be looking at another document that says ‘we need a recognised qualification in community music/music education’ and we’ll be starting all over again!
You’ll find all you need to know here:
http://www.trinitycollege.com/site/?id=2988
http://musiceducationsolutions.co.uk/cme/
And our intrepid CME ers will be blogging about their experiences over the next few months Look out for their posts on the Network. We’d be glad to here from anyone else undertaking the CME, and get in touch if you’re thinking about it and want to know more. We’ll be glad to share our experience.