In the middle of June, I had the immense privilege and pleasure to sit on the judging panel for Shake It Up's annual competition. The contest is run by the Copyright Licensing Agency and invites teachers to submit arrangements of music that they have made for use in their school.
It was a delight to listen to the shortlisted entries and pore over the arrangement, identifying the parts which I liked and those which I felt fell a little bit short of the mark. What I found was that there was very little that I did not like – which made the judging all the more difficult! The shortlisted entries had very little in common, besides being arrangements, with a whole host of genres covered – both in terms of the original music and the style of the arrangement. The panel heard samba, opera, musical theatre and even a Christmas carol.
I think it speaks to the level of talent that we have among music teachers that the standard of entries was so high. During my travels around the country, I am always amazed at the quality of music teaching, even in the most difficult circumstances. It's been great to see a raft of recent research that identifies that interest in music isn't waning among young people, they are just being deprived of access to it. Each entry was accompanied by a recording of the arrangement performed by that teacher's students and each recording was amazing. These entries showed just what young people are capable of, if they are given the chance and the support.
Ultimately, what I came away with was an insight into the lives of six teachers. In those arrangements, I saw the passion that they had for their job and the depth of their sense of duty to their students. I hope that those six teachers take a lovely break over summer but, as many of you will know, it's not always easy to switch off. If you're school-based, all of the exams are done now and it's all out of your hands until August. If you teach privately, then you're likely to have big gaps opening up in your schedule as all your students take full advantage of the long summer holidays. In my last editorial, I highlighted the negative impact that exams are having on students across the UK – I neglected to mention the stress that also places on their teachers. For your sake, I implore you to take time to yourself, to better ready yourself for the next year.
If you're not already aware, one of our sister publications, Classical Music, recently launched a mental health campaign called Harmony In Mind. In both print and online, there are several resources that are designed to help musicians through difficult times. Find out more: harmonyinmind.co.uk
