F EDITORIAL EDITORIAL Phone 020 7738 5454 Email music.teacher@markallengroup.com Editor Phil Croydon Assistant Editor Maggie Hamilton Resources Editor David Kettle Design Daniela Di Padova ADVERTISING Head of Sales Amy Driscoll 020 7333 1719 amy.driscoll@markallengroup.com Production Controller Daniela Di Padova daniela.dipadova@markallengroup.com SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BACK ISSUES Phone UK 0800 137 201 Overseas +44(0)1722 716997 Email subscriptions@markallengroup.com Subscriptions Manager Bethany Foy UK Subscription Rate £70 PUBLISHING Phone +44(0)20 7738 5454 Managing Director Ravi Chandiramani Publisher Amy Driscoll Marketing & Events Director Tony Hill Head of Marketing John Barnett Marketing Executive Max Crowland Marketing Graduate Yzanne Pepper Group Institutional Sales Manager Jas Atwal Production Director Richard Hamshere Circulation Director Sally Boettcher Chief Operating Officer Jon Benson Chief Executive Officer Ben Allen Executive Chairman Mark Allen Part of www.markallengroup.com Music Teacher, ISSN 0027-4461, is published monthly by MA Education & Music Ltd, St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road, London SE24 0PB, UK Subscription records are maintained at MA Education & Music Ltd, Unit A, Buildings 1-5 Dinton Business Park, Catherine Ford Road, Dinton, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP3 5HZ © MA Education & Music Ltd 2025. All rights reserved. No part of Music Teacher may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publishing director. The views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the editor. The presence of advertisements in Music Teacher implies no endorsement of the products or services offered. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of statements in this magazine but we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions, or for matters arising from clerical or printers’ errors, or an advertiser not completing their contract. We have made every effort to secure permission to use copyright material. Where material has been used inadvertently or we have been unable to trace the copyright owner, acknowledgment will be made in a future issue. Music Teacher is interested in articles on all aspects of music education; if you wish to submit one, please contact the editor. We reserve the right to edit material for publication. Please read our privacy policy by visiting http://privacypolicy.markallengroup.com This will explain how we process, use and safeguard your data. Printed in the UK by Pensord, Pontllanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA www.musicteachermagazine.co.uk Treading water Under review Large parts of UK music education, it seems, are in suspended animation, on account of a new government, funding reviews, curriculum reviews, and the effects of last year’s hub reorganisation. This made planning MT’s focus this month – ‘Assessment & Qualifications’ – a challenge, as these tend to rely on other things being in place first. The DfE’s Curriculum and Assessment Review (for England) is under way, with an interim report due soon (we’re not sure when) and the full report, later in 2025. The Review seeks ‘to deliver a broader curriculum’, which most interpret as meaning Music and other non-STEM subjects will come in from the cold, again valued for their creativity and contribution to wellbeing. This is welcome news, of course, but it would be nice to think DfE and others will act swiftly on any recommendations. According to the Cultural Learning Alliance, in May 2024, 42% of state-funded schools no longer offer GCSE Music; other sources, not least MT, reported that A Level Music entries decreased by 43% between 2010 and 2023, and it was even suggested A Level Music could vanish by 2033 based on current trends. So, while we wait and see what changes are ahead, the pipeline of pupils, students, trainee teachers and researchers is already taking the strain. Just ask the staff and students at Cardiff University (see News, p. 7). M A T T H E W C R O Y D O N Another ‘unknown’ around learning and qualifications – this time in instrumental music teaching – is the black hole in funding for hubs identified in a recent report from the think tank Demos (see News, p. 6). This confirms what most hub leaders already knew, namely that hidden costs and inflation were jeopardising the ambition of the NPME and, in particular, the provision of instrumental music teaching. According to Ofsted, half the schools it inspected in 2023 didn’t offer any instrumental lessons, suggesting that hubs were failing to reach all children and schools two years ago. The main barrier, according to school leaders (via Ofsted), was that parents couldn’t afford lessons, which suggests parental contribution was becoming the main way to fund these. This isn’t ideal for those planning budgets in current times, given the economic headwinds. Hub leaders, in addition, report not being able to plan because of delayed financial decisions in central government. This is not to say we haven’t gone full out to cover ‘Assessment & Qualifications’ in this issue! Colleagues from BMERG discuss progression at Key Stage 3, unpicking terminologies and explaining ‘washback’ (p. 18); Michael Davidson invites us to consider ways of diversifying progression pathways (p. 30); and MT meets an exam board that is perhaps better known overseas (p. 29). We also carry a review of ABRSM’s new teaching diplomas (p. 42). Finally, please don’t forget to complete the survey for our campaign ‘Growing Musicians, Shaping Lives’, available from our homepage (tinyurl.com/3wzt4ky8) – the deadline is 31 March. Phil Croydon, editor Music Teacher is the UK’s only magazine aimed at music educators from across the sector. It is a place where music is valued in and of itself, embracing all genres. We offer up new approaches to pedagogy through in-depth features, engaging opinions, lesson plans and schemes of work. We cast a critical eye over the latest research and products to help inform the conversations that shape musical teaching. This is a platform for raising awareness of the key issues affecting music teachers, and for championing existing efforts to ensure music education is accessible to all. @musicteachermag fb.com/musicteachermag @musicteachermag MUSIC TEACHER F April 2025 F 5