The curtain rises: September 2023 Editorial

A very warm welcome to our bumper September issue marking the start of a new academic year. And perhaps a calmer time of reflection after what has been a bruising period of industrial action. Strikes by teachers ended in July (for England and Wales at least). The NEU and others characterised the new pay offer (6.5%) and £900 million the UK Government found to fund this and protect support staff jobs as a significant ‘win’. It felt that way when the DfE gave further reassurance that SEND funding, maintained nursery and 16–19 provision would not be cut as a result.

This seems a good basis on which to move forward and address other issues such as workload, class sizes and accountability measures. It's tempting to feel there's momentum, particularly in the run-up to a general election when politicians are wary of damaging headlines or accusations of spin – timing is everything. But let's be thankful.

In other significant news, Ofsted are about to report on key findings from their review of what a ‘high-quality music curriculum’ should look like, and ACE will be considering applications for new Hub Lead Organisations after the deadline closes on 12 October.

At MT, meanwhile, we celebrate ‘Back to school’ with aplomb, with invaluable advice, resources and examples. Jimmy Rotheram discusses singing strategies for new primary cohorts; the MTA president, Catherine Barker, describes priorities for Music at a multi-academy trust (and how she, too, suffers from butterflies); Liz Dunbar has ‘Quick Tips’ for debutante music heads; Brad Smith investigates music tech on a budget; Kay Charlton explores ways to refresh your instrumental teaching practice; and, for those looking to start ensembles, Anne Templer looks under the hood of the concert band.

The other main theme to this edition is ‘Musicals’, for which Robert Legg walks us through choosing the right show; Edwin Pitt Mansfield, Association of Teachers of Singing chair, reviews LCME's Musical Theatre books and syllabus; and MT's Hattie Fisk looks at new stage works and trends among young audiences. We also meet rising stars Billie Bowman (from the musical Heathers) and Nicola T. Chang (composer and sound designer) to discuss training, careers, being versatile and opening nights.

Elsewhere, we hear inspiring stories of a conservatoire student balancing performing and Borderline Personality Disorder and of a trainee teacher with ADHD breaking new ground. On curriculum matters, in the first in a series of articles looking at music education abroad, David Guinane describes teaching the International Baccalaureate.

I’m very pleased, too, to welcome Youth Music and its CEO Matt Griffiths as a new partner for our association column (joining the ISM, MU and Music Mark in rotation). Matt has risen to the challenge by addressing, head on, the perceived threat of Artificial Intelligence, presenting an alternative viewpoint from Youth Music's NextGen.

On that upbeat note, best of luck for the new term. And don’t forget, if you’re available on 10 October, join us at the Curriculum Music: Leadership, Collaboration & Inclusivity conference in London at the Cavendish Conference Centre (for further details, visit: musicteacherconference.com/curriculummusic2023).

- Phil Croydon, editor