Streamlining contact time: shifting classroom culture

The taught Music curriculum shouldn’t exist in isolation. It needs to work in partnership with the complex fabric of musical learning and enrichment that happens beyond the classroom.

Learning opportunities outside of the classroom play a vital role in creating well-rounded musicians, enabling students to develop their instrumental and vocal skills, meet and collaborate with like-minded people, and experience new and exciting repertoire first hand. What a difference it makes to students’ confidence and independence when they are trained and empowered to run rehearsals, performances and events.

I want to make the level of autonomy and drive that I see in students’ collaborative work beyond the curriculum a part of classroom culture. I’d also like to get students thinking about classroom contact time as the starting point for musical conversations and collaboration – rather than separate from everything else they do as musicians.