Music Education Islington Conference 2024: Harmonising Horizons

Two main observations have led to the theme of the Music Education Islington conference for 2024:

Firstly: Five years ago, 2019, an alarming report by the OECD suggested, that career ambitions are ‘already limited by age of seven’. Children of primary school age are already closing down their ambitions to aim for a wide variety of jobs, because they don’t know or see anyone working in a wide variety of jobs. 

Secondly: The Music Industry is still seen first and foremost as a career for a performer on stage or someone that records and releases music; if they a lucky, they will make a living from their skills. But the Music Industry is much bigger: the number of performers is dwarfed in comparison to the huge number of jobs and career opportunities that go far beyond the usual understanding that musicians are ‘just’ entertaining their audiences.

Our conference day will be an opportunity to get a wide understanding of the Music Industry and its vast amount of career opportunities as well as explore what teachers and other educators - working with our youngest cohort in primary schools up to an age group who are set to step into the real world of work – can do, need or wish to understand in order to support our young people the best. 

The day also includes hands-on activities that can be taken straight into the classroom the next day. 

Sign up for school teachers and educators: https://forms.office.com/e/Rf5NvnhjVK

Sign up for delivery and industry partners: https://forms.office.com/e/AsvB7Emb0t 

Programme of the day:

Arrive and networking with coffee

Prologue: Welcome & introduction to the day, Mirjam James

Session 1, Pathways into Music: the wider world of the Music Industry and how to get there

In this session Chris Cook (Pathways into Music) will give a comprehensive overview of the richness of the industry, jobs, skills & opportunities that most of us haven’t thought about. Wizdom Layne (SoundConnections) will introduce three young people who are taking their steps into the industry and reflecting on what has helped them as well as what help they would have liked to get where they want to be. 

Session 2, Online Resource Clinic

Meet Chanranga’s Mark Cardy & Music First’s (Focus on Sound) Richard Payne. Bring your questions, queries & suggestions so that these online recourses can support your work in the way you need them.

Session 3, Group composition in the classroom

Composition seems to be one big one of the scary activities a lot of music and classroom teachers are worried about. This session suggests how to approach composition as a group activity to develop confidence and tools how to generate ideas and get everyone on board. 

Primary and (lower) KS2 led by Julia MacDonell (MEI)

Secondary (and advanced KS2) led by Naomi Clarke (MEI)

Session 4, Partner Panes: Progression from day one: how can we work together? 

Chris Clarke invites representatives of education and wider partners to explore ways how we can create better support for young people.