VOL. 104 NO. 3 CONTENTS
J A M E S
K E A T E S
E D W A R D
L E A K E R /
W E L L S
C A T H E D R A L
S C H O O L
REGULARS 5 Editorial 6 News 11 Diary 29 Column: health and wellbeing
Chris Nicholson describes the inspirational effect of music to counter the experience of conflict in the DRC 30 Online teaching materials
A preview of March’s resources 34 Column: tech
Nico Bentley shares some basic skills required before young people can live the dream of being a DJ 37 Column: Music Mark
Baffl ed by the vast array of digital technology on offer? Music Mark gives a few pointers to what could help in the classroom
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: RWCMD
IMAGE
COVER
MCTERNAN
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: K
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FEATURES 15 Piano pedagogy and graded exams
Murray McLachlan warns against slavishly chasing certificates at the expense of developing musicality 23 Student autonomy
Cello teacher Ariane Zandi stresses the www.musicteachermagazine.co.uk
39 New products: tech
Jonathan Savage takes his pick of new releases on the market 41 Reviews
MT’s specialist reviewers critique Roland’s T-8 beat machine, ABRSM’s drum kit syllabus, and Rockschool’s bass guitar books 47 Quick tips
Frances Jones has bitesize advice for teaching singing at KS1, with tips on backing-tracks, modelling and more 48 Q&A
MT meets Simon Purcell, researcher and co-chair of Jazz in Education UK, to discuss conservatoire studies, teacher training and mentoring importance of letting instrumentalists find their own voice and develop critical instincts 24 Interpreting ‘youth voice’
Researcher Anna Bull shares findings from The Music Lab, Lewisham, and challenges
POP, ROCK & JAZZ 12 Gospel music in schools
Anu Omideyi goes myth-busting and explains the benefits of leading and singing gospel songs 20 Jazz improvisation
In teaching improv to beginners, jazz pianist/educator Andrea Vicari always starts with rhythm 26 Songwriting
Edward Leaker shares ways of nurturing students’ interest in writing songs, both in and out of the classroom 27 Four-chord pop songs
Karen Marshall demonstrates how technology can help KS2 students learn the basics of composition the accepted wisdom around genre 32 Whole-class ensemble teaching
Deirdre Waller-Box finds that starting with sound rather than notation helps students develop a better ear and memory – and make sense of the written note
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