The State of Play In a rapidly changing environment, Robert Legg assesses the role of the school music teacher and the benefits of forging alliances with the broader community Like effective learning, effective teaching must combine time for doing with time for thinking. The last few years have been very active, with more taking place in music education than ever before. Now it's time to reflect on what we've achieved and on what's still to be done. A new wave of educational developments is on the horizon, offering more flexible curriculum structures and an increased focus on individual learning plans.

It is up to music educators to manage the process of change in order to ensure that existing good practice is preserved and that new ideas are embraced whilst the subject's position in the school curriculum is maintained. Many ideas are already being implemented. At the first three Key Stages (KS), government is increasingly focused on the core subjects, inevitably narrowing opportunities for good quality musical experiences. Conversely, at KS4 and KS5, the emphasis is increasingly on diversity and breadth.

Qualifications are set to change radically. The recent recommendation that GCSE, AS and A2 qualifications be subsumed into a school leavers' diploma has weighty implications for the subject. We can expect music to be assessed in ways using different criteria. Already, graded instrumental exams have taken on greater importance now that they have become a recognised part of the UCAS system of points for entry to university courses. Furthermore, as a direct result of the National Curriculum, an overall shift has been made from the academic discipline of studying the musical canon as a body of literature towards practical and creative music-making. Schemes of work and exam syllabuses have reflected this move by including considerably more free composition and performance work and less in-depth study of set pieces and stylistic composition.

This reflects the general move towards skill-based aspects of the discipline, which is set to continue. The implications for music education are clear. As qualifications evolve, more pupils will be able to include music in their learning paths, albeit in less depth. However, the ‘stage not age' approach to learning should allow those who wish to pursue music as a key part of their individual learning plans the scope to do so. A guiding principle in adapting to these changes and reconciling their contradictions must be that music is a fundamental part of every young person's learning. The life-long enrichment offered by the subject should never be treated as an optional extra. Vision and optimism on the part of music educators will be required if music is to retain its secure position as a key part of the National Curriculum. The major problem to be resolved is the way in which music education has become compartmentalised. Most schools offer three types of music tuition: classroom lessons, focusing on group work, performance and composition; individual instrumental lessons given by peripatetic staff; and a variety of extra-curricular activities geared towards school concerts. The nature and quality of pupils' experiences can vary greatly across the three areas.

Although there are practical reasons underlying this threefold division, most music teachers agree that it is essentially undesirable. There is little sense in preserving the idea that classroom activities operate outside the sphere of, say, violin lessons or choir. At present it is hard to imagine that the barriers between these compartments will be completely removed. However, we should work towards achieving musical outcomes that are in some way unified. Most teachers, for example, already encourage pupils to bring experiences from instrumental lessons into the classroom. But we need to go further. This could mean combining extra-curricular ensembles, class work and individual instrumentalists in school performances. Schemes of work should be matched with extra-curricular themes so that each informs the other. The possibilities for enrichment are almost limitless, but so too is the potential for worthless tokenism: this must be resisted if pupils are to gain anything meaningful from the exercise.

An important part of this reorganisation must be to put extra-curricular music, which at present receives curiously anachronistic treatment, on a sound footing. Relying on the good will and motivation of music teachers, most schools allow these activities to happen in less-than-ideal conditions in cramped corners of the timetable. Paradoxically, schools care a great deal about the success of their ensembles in concerts and other performances.

There is some merit in considering the American model, which recognises pupils’ participation in school band and choral programmes. Membership of instrumental ensembles in the US allows pupils to pick up academic credit, which contributes, usually favourably, towards a grade-point average. Similarly, bandleaders and choral directors are paid for their time rather than being expected to work for free as is currently the case in the UK.

Some such arrangement must be made in this country. It makes no sense for pupils’ musical achievement to go unrecognised or for many hours of teachers’ time to go unpaid. Curriculum changes at KS3, KS4 and KS5 may allow enough flexibility for musical ensembles to be brought under the auspices of the school timetable, or for them to be operated as official ‘twilight’ classes after school. This would increase the standing of music within the curriculum while encouraging more pupils to participate.