When I was at school, one day we watched an upsetting film in a French lesson (Sarah's Key) and my best friend was utterly distraught, long after the class was over. The obvious way to help our inconsolable classmate, it seemed to us at the time, was to take her to the music department – this was a place of safety and comfort, and our music teacher would surely know what to do (she did).
While not always this (melo)dramatic, music teachers are often the people students turn to – consciously or subconsciously – when something is troubling them. It may be, therefore, that your interactions with students in the classroom or practice room over the last few weeks have been impacted by the war in Ukraine, as young people in the UK struggle to come to terms with what they're seeing on the news and on social media. Here at MT, our thoughts are with those who are suffering, including readers who may have family and friends in Ukraine, Russia, and the surrounding countries. Although a small ray of light in the darkness, it is heartening to see videos of children and adults using music as their solace in a place of fear.
In a clunky segue, our issue theme this month is Assessments & Qualifications, and you'll find the first article in a series by Roger Wilson on what exam boards are doing to decolonise. First up is ABRSM, and you can also also read our Q&A with the exam board's executive director Lincoln Abbotts. Emily Gunton looks at how GCSE and A Level Music teachers can strive for equal gender representation in spite of holes in the syllabuses, and we look at the impacts of changing university entry requirements. You'll also meet Ofsted's new national lead for music, Christopher Stevens, and Rebecca Berkley continues her column on primary music teacher education.
Elsewhere, Jimmy Rotheram gathers educators’ hopes ahead of the publication of the National Plan for Music Education, Emma Hutchinson writes beautifully about music, deafness, and early years as we move away from enforced social distancing and mask-wearing, and Brenda Rattray tells us what we can expect from Sound Connections’ upcoming Inclusive Practice in Action conference on wellbeing. You can also read an update on In Harmony Liverpool and find out about Edinburgh International Festival's school residency.
I hope you find this issue useful and, as ever, please get in touch with feedback, ideas, and opinions.
Harriet Clifford, editor
