Aurora Orchestra Learning, the latest subscription platform designed to support primary teachers in the delivery of classroom music, has been launched for early years, nursery, reception, Year 1, Year 2, and SEND settings.
Created by London-based Aurora Orchestra, the programme has been ‘mapped against’ the national curriculum and the Model Music Curriculum (MMC), and features content produced by the orchestra’s players and creative team in collaboration with other artists and children’s poet Kate Wakeling.
‘Chronically under-supported’
Aurora’s creative director Jane Mitchell said that, in spite of ‘working tirelessly’ to deliver music as a ‘central part’ of children’s education, many teachers are ‘chronically under-supported’ in terms of resources, training and networks.
Chief executive John Harte said that ‘research indicates that as few as eight per cent of primary teaching staff believe they have the knowledge, skills and confidence to integrate music into their classroom teaching’.
Over the last year, Aurora Orchestra Learning has been piloted in 60 schools, with over 90 per cent of teachers agreeing that their pupils had developed music skills, and over 85 per cent saying that they felt more confident teaching music.
‘As essential as learning the alphabet’
Aiming to offer year-round provision by summer 2024, the initial offering is ‘Aurora and the Magical Toy Box’ – a 10-week unit for each target year group.
Harte said, ‘Giving children the opportunity to engage with music should be as essential as learning the alphabet.
‘Yet schools are faced with endless barriers to offering high-quality music education, from squeezed budgets and timetables favouring other subjects, to geographical limitations making cultural trips or visits from musicians unviable.’
Progression routes for teachers
The resources are accompanied by documents to record children’s progress against national curriculum and MMC aims, documents to support teachers with Ofsted deep dives, and learning objectives for every lesson plan and activity.
Co-created with specialist music teachers, Aurora Orchestra Learning is targeted at specialists and general classroom teachers, who can follow progression routes to build up to leading activities themselves.
The subscription costs are scaled depending on the number of children using the resources, with prices ranging from £180 + VAT to £270 +VAT annually.
Subscriptions to Sing Up, another popular primary music platform, start at £150, Kapow Primary is £196 + VAT, Hal Leonard’s recently launched Essential Elements Music Class costs £99 + VAT per year, and Charanga promises to charge no more than £295 annually.
