Co-curricular music – be it choir, group piano or 1:1 guitar tuition – has great potential impact on pupils’ academics, wellbeing and ambition. Scroll down to learn how.
You wait all week for it.
Though the official countdown begins about 10am on Sunday.
Everyone may claim to have their favourite bits – but in truth, you love it all.
And no one makes it quite like…dad, granny, Aunt Bessies, the pub down the road.
Yes. We’re talking Sunday lunch.
Well, if curricular music is the Sunday roast of what we teach, then co-curricular music – including 121 instrumental tuition, choirs, singing assemblies, and small group lessons – represents all the trimmings.
And without them, the main meal simply fails to impress.
Small Group & 1:1 Instrumental lessons are a key component of the music programme for many of our schools. Teaching usually runs 30 minutes in length and focuses on small group tuition with up to 5 students in attendance at any given time. There is also the potential to deliver 1:1 sessions in some academic settings. Lessons cover a variety of instrumental and musicianship skills and are designed to reinforce the understanding that what pupils learn in an instrumental lesson is linked to what they learn in their curriculum music lesson.
Extracurricular music is the opportunity for music to pour out of the classroom and into the wider life of the school. When built on a solid classroom music foundation, extracurricular music opportunities bring the vibrancy and joy of music-making to the heart of the school community. It’s an opportunity for children to make music and build relationships with children from other classes, year groups and peer groups and to nurture those friendships throughout the academic year.
And the impact is very real:
“[E]xtra-curricular activities – specifically music classes and playing a wide range of sports – are important in predicting intentions to remain in education after compulsory schooling. Youth who attend music classes regularly are almost 40% more likely to aspire to pursue further education.” SMC
Sing Education teaching specialists are music graduates from leading universities and conservatoires in the UK and worldwide. We regularly attract talent from top tier institutions such as the Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
In addition, our teachers are all passionate musicians with performance degrees – working, professional musicians in their own right. And in addition to their musical knowledge and expertise, our teachers often also come with a teaching credential or some form of teaching experience as well.
So why do teachers choose Sing Education?
Our values, training and support.
Every teacher that works with us understands that our goal is not only to transform how music education is “done” for young learners, but also to shape the development and career arc of working musicians who choose to teach in primary schools. To do so, we developed seven core values that underpin all that we do, including for example “Being bold and brave” and “Constantly honing our craft.”
To that end, we train our music staff specifically in the techniques needed to deliver our bespoke Schemes of Work and in how to work within nursery and primary school settings.
In this way not only can Sing Education specialists deliver first-class music lessons but they also have the classroom management, safeguarding, SEN and pastoral care skills required to make the learning experience a safe and enjoyable one for all.
And the Sing Education professional responsible for our outstanding co-curricular musical offerings? Bert Routledge.
As director of small group & 1:1 provision, Bert focuses on school outreach and engagement – communicating with schools across Greater London, the SouthEast and Yorkshire to form new strategic partnerships. His remit also encompasses internal project management and operations.
We asked Bert to sit for a few minutes and share a cup of tea with us while we asked a few questions…
Tell us about your role at Sing Education.
Day to day, you’ll find me reaching out to schools across Greater London to form new strategic partnerships. Since I coordinate the small group and 1:1 instrumental provision in all our schools, I focus on offering our services to new schools and signing up new children to our small group and 1:1 services.
I’m also responsible for Sing Education’s internal project management and marketing operations, including the development of multimedia content appearing across our website, social channels and company newsletter.
What’s the best part of your day?
Going through new registration sign ups, it gives me great satisfaction when we are able to enrol a new child into the schedule, knowing the benefit they will receive from learning a musical instrument.
It’s not just a slogan – I really believe music is transformational and that every child deserves music enrichment in their lives.
What do you think is the biggest challenge for educators right now?
Budgets. Everyone is feeling the squeeze right now. Parents have to be sure they are getting good value for their money when sending their children to learn with us. That puts us under enormous pressure to deliver the highest standard, to make sure they know that.
What did you want to be when you were growing up? And what advice would you give to your younger self?
You’ll never guess! A pop star. And here I am leading a music education company, gigging regularly with my funk and soul band, as well as managing a 70+ voice community choir. Not bad, eh?
What would I say to my younger self? I’d tell myself “Go for it, but have a back up. Life doesn’t always go your way, and you need options to cover all your bases.”
What’s an interesting fact about Sing Education?
At Sing Education we deliver what we call 360° wraparound service. This means we work closely with school partners to provide all the support they need to deliver first-class music programming.
And with our flexible model it means headteachers can opt in for as many – or as few – services as they need. That’s what makes working with us so straightforward.
Plus, did you know, small group & 1:1 tuition doesn’t cost our primary schools a penny? Our model is parent paid. We invoice, collect fees, communicate with parents and manage teachers, all the school has to do is provide a room! Wins all around – for schools, parents and pupils.
Founded in 2014 and serving more than 16,000 children each week, Sing Education is a first class provider of primary school music education. Focusing on high-quality, singing-led tuition, we deliver a complete solution for schools which includes teacher recruitment, training and management, bespoke curricular resources and educational consultancy services.
Through music lessons, singing assemblies, choirs, after school clubs and instrumental tuition, Sing Education works with students from Nursery right through to Year 6. Our core philosophy is that “Every Child Has A Voice,” and, as educators active in the classroom, our directors and teachers know firsthand how much young learners benefit from exciting, rewarding music education.
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An unequal playing field: extra-curricular activities, soft skills and social mobility SMC Social Mobility Commission
