ISM Column: Reviewing the MMC

Despite the largely negative landscape for music education that is the result of government policy in recent years, the publication of the Model Music Curriculum (MMC) is an important contribution to the debate about the role of music education in schools, and in particular the role of curriculum music for all students.

The specific purpose of curriculum music is often misunderstood. The MMC endeavours to spell it out, as well as make clear the essential links to instrumental learning/ensemble participation, and the breadth of collaborative opportunities beyond the classroom that make music so important to a school's overall health and wellbeing.

There is clear intent in the MMC that curriculum music should be a regular part of every student's learning. Also welcome is the very clear message that curriculum music for all is a distinct but hugely important strand within a school's overall music education provision. The only way to ensure access for all pupils and levelling up of opportunities is through classroom music.