Onwards and upwards: January 2024 Editorial

Well, that's it. Carols for Choirs back on the shelves for another year, costumes for the nativity returned to their rightful owners, and clips of Christmas or winter concerts lovingly edited then posted for longevity. For music teachers, the comedown from the festive period and the adrenaline involved can be difficult, however much you wanted ‘The Snowman’ or ‘Carol of the Bells’ to disappear (from TV as well as school). On top of this, there's a sense of the unknown with the new year ahead – and do we dare review last year's resolutions in case of a shortfall? Two things spring to mind: first, a director I once worked for who described targets as ‘aspirational’ (we got on well); and second, these are all relative and priorities change – ‘It's the journey that matters’, said a good teacher friend of mine. In addition, if the last few years are anything to go by, we can count on a healthy resilience seeing us through the toughest of challenges. So, bring it on.

The focus of MT this month is recording, which includes looking at acoustics and soundproofing, handheld recording devices, building a studio, and even a day in the life of a young studio assistant. We look, too, at composing and learning using MIDI, courtesy of James Manwaring, and at the musical potential of artificial intelligence in the second of Tim Hallas' mini-series on AI in the classroom. There are so many dimensions to music tech, and we have a great pool of experts on hand.

Arts Council England also joins us this month, and I'm pleased to welcome Hannah Fouracre, director of music education, who updates us on ACE's 2020–30 strategy, Let's Create, and its initiatives for bringing inclusive and joined-up music-making to all corners. Ahead of the government's awaited Cultural Education Plan, and the rollout of new and larger hub partnerships in September 2024, now is a good time to take stock. At a local level, meanwhile, we hear from a leader of a county music service preparing to become part of a larger hub, juggling different priorities and addressing the ‘how’ for these plans. 2024 is shaping up to be a transformational year.

Elsewhere we have a guide to achieving a more inclusive classroom for neurodivergent learners, courtesy of Elizabeth Hetherington (back by popular demand following her presentation at MT's Curriculum Music conference), and an account of how Cornwall Youth Choirs are following their passion for the environment and helping others. If singing's your thing, we also have the popular and highly accomplished choir leader Don Gillthorpe giving helpful tips for establishing a singing culture in secondary schools (following Ofsted's recent subject report).

Plus, Dr James Ingham shares advice for ECT's entering Term 2, Youth Music's CEO Matt Griffiths outlines the funding crisis threatening grassroots music, and our latest mental health and wellbeing column discusses the challenges of equitable of music education, courtesy of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's Dr Lio Moscardini.

This being the start of a new year and the time of housekeeping, if you'd like to send us any feedback in the form of a letter to the editor, you can contact me or my colleagues at music.teacher@markallengroup.com.

A happy (and musical) new year to all!

– Phil Croydon, editor