Hubs and CPD: Peripatetic teachers

In the six-page document outlining the core and extension roles of music education hubs, CPD is mentioned six times, all in connection to ‘school staff’.

One mention is related to a core role in providing CPD to support a singing strategy: CPD should cover vocal health, creative approaches to singing in classrooms, and choral leading in school choirs and assemblies.

The other five are as part of an ‘extension’ role for hubs: to offer CPD ‘to school staff, particularly in supporting schools to deliver music in the curriculum’. Of these, only one covers what might be considered the traditional peripatetic teacher (‘provide relevant CPD for instrumental and singing teachers working in the MEH area that includes, where possible, relevant accreditation, eg Certificate for Music Educators’). The fact that it's there suggests that the other five mentions are referring to school-employed classroom teachers, rather than peris.

In the past, investing in staff might have seemed as necessary for directly employed peripatetic teachers as for any other worker in the economy – part of an employer's responsibility, but also something that keeps the business itself ticking over. As a greater range of employment arrangements continues to develop, and with self-employment increasing, should hubs and music services feel that same professional obligation? And what is the range on offer across the sector?

Mixed picture

‘When we had our last meeting of music hub reps, that was one of the questions we asked them,’ says Diane Widdison, the Musicians’ Union's national organiser for education and training. ‘And it was a very mixed picture.

‘The best examples that we see are of hubs and music services scheduling CPD in at the start of the academic year: they give their teachers a lot of notice and encourage them to come, but they also pay them for coming.

‘They listen to the teachers as to what they want, and make sure it's very relevant to their workload- So even something safeguarding training, which is obligatory really, we encourage services to make it as relevant to the teachers’ work as possible.

‘The worst kind of CPD is when the teachers are not engaged with it because they can't relate it to their work.

‘Other bad examples include where CPD is put on but it's not made accessible to teachers – so it might be put on during the week, in term-time, where teachers can't cancel their teaching to attend. A lot of hubs and music services don't pay teachers for attending.

‘And we heard about some music services where they'd not been offered anything for years.’

Some employers – or not, as the case may be – worry that offering CPD might blur the lines between self-employment and employment, says Widdison. ‘There's an argument that teachers are self-employed or hourly based, and employers are worried that it might look like it's crossing the line. But the reality is that those teachers are working for the hub or music services somehow, and it's up to them to make sure that their teachers are up to date and engaged with CPD.’

What might lead to a poor level of CPD provision? ‘Sometimes it's a low priority for music services because they've got other things to be worried about. They don't think that investing in their teachers is a good use of their money and time. And, sometimes, it's a lack of imagination on behalf of the management.’

What does a good programme look like? ‘A good programme would be one that has perhaps surveyed its teachers, and asked them what they want. We helped set up Cornwall Music Trust, and they asked their teachers what would be useful: they did stuff on health and wellbeing because that turned up to be useful for the teachers.

‘It's not only a case of encouraging them just to be better teachers, but also holistically, looking after them as musicians. It's been resourced and scheduled in properly, taking into account good and bad times, and giving a lot of notice.

‘It's not just the same old, same old: it's about actually thinking about it, and doing stuff that's relevant for the teachers.’

Keeping up to date

‘It's really important that teachers keep up to date with ideas about what's happening in education, policy changes, what is and is not acceptable behaviour, and you're only ever going to do that if you do keep up with your CPD. All teachers would admit that using the same resources year after year, and not using any new ideas, is challenging. But it's also about investing in yourself as a musician and as a teacher. Whatever CPD you do is giving back to yourself as an individual, not just giving out, which is what a lot of teachers do all the time.’

www.musiciansunion.org.uk

The MU's CPD Weekend 2018 will be on 27 and 28 October at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.