Fed up with your school’s music provision? So change it, says the Da Capo Foundation. Sabuhi Mir reports.
‘If a child was no good at maths,’ says Jane Cutler, ‘you wouldn’t just say “oh well at least he’s trying – no need to go into too much detail” would you? This is what’s happening with music in the curriculum and we simply had to do something about it.’ Michelle Groves agrees: ‘Training in schools is all too often neglected or done in an ad hoc way without any structure. We wanted to put a strong teacher training programme together.’
So, undeterred by curriculum constraints or bureaucratic procedures, in 1991 Groves and Cutler came up with the idea of the Da Capo Foundation. Both music education specialists, the women were at the time running a Saturday music school venture and realised that by combining their experience of working with children over 13 year period into one organisation, they could make some serious changes and broaden provisions.
Da Capo’s approach is simple. ‘We have a structure,’ says Cutler, ‘something which can be carried on by anyone and doesn’t require a charismatic individual to inspire the children.’ The sessions comprise quite technical and specific musicological training and including music theory and composition techniques. Says Cutler, ‘I don’t want to hear a badly sung piece or an out of tune choir. It’s not sweet. There’s no need for it. Children are actually quite competent and they’ve not been allowed to be.’
Taking place in schools and working closely with teachers usually over a one-year period, the training specialises in four stages of music teaching: Music Kindergarten and Early Years (ages two to six), Moving On (ages six to nine), Progressing (ages nine to 13) and Furthering (youth and adult).
The Music Kindergarten and Early Years sessions give the child and initial experience of music making in a relaxed environment. The child is given the chance to learn about pulse, rhythm, pitch, coordination, improvisation and composition, musical concepts and literacy.
In the Moving On sessions the child progresses to an instrument. The child is offered the violin, viola, cello, mini bass, C clarinet, fife (as an introduction to the flute) mini bassoon, guitar and piano as a first instrument. He or she can then participate in an instrumental lesson, singing circle or an instrumental group. Instrumental lessons are song based and focus on general musicianship skills. A singing circle introduces the child to basic musicianship using relative solfa, part singing, rhythm and pulse work.
Progressing sessions offer the child additional instruments to play such as the flute, oboe, trumpet, horn, trombone and saxophone. The instrumental lessons involve the child in longer playing and creative improvisations, the musicianship is more complex and the child can participate in an orchestra, band or chamber group.
The final stage offers a full programme for violin, viola, cello, double bass, clarinet, fife, flute, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, guitar, piano, trumpet, horn, and trombone. The musicianship develops into four part a capella singing, ensemble opportunities are increased and the child can participate in chamber groups on Saturday mornings and an intensive weekend playing with a local orchestra three times a year.
Lucy Gwynne-Evans is one music teacher who’s particularly impressed with Da Capo Foundation’s Music Kindergarten and Early Years programme. She teaches this programme to children aged three and above. ‘The programme has been very carefully worked out and because it is so well structured as a teacher you know where you’re going and how to achieve it,’ she says. ‘Even though the children are so young, I feel that they are picking up real skills that will be invaluable to them as they get older and may wish to learn an instrument.’
‘As an example, the method teaches how to accurately pitch inside your head and teaches the children how to read rhythms written down (without a stave),’ Gwynne-Evans adds. ‘It is done in a very gradual way with pictures representing the different note lengths. If young children can achieve this, it makes learning an instrument in the future so much easier. Completing a Da Capo Early Years course equips the child with so much knowledge and so many skills that this learning process is not longer so daunting or difficult.’
Andrew Phoenix, a teacher from Norfolk and Da Capo enthusiast, says, ‘After working with the programme for primary music teaching, I wouldn’t want to go back to anything else. Not only does it give children confidence, skills and enjoyment of music, it also gives them the tools they need for exploration, composition and expression from the earliest age.’
For more information about Da Capo visit www.dacapo.co.uk
Link magazine Issue 9 Spring 2006
First Steps: Back to basics