ABRSM has launched its latest initiative: an online teacher hub that promises to feature new content every month. The hub went live on 24 November, and upon registration teachers can gain access to three areas: accredited Continuous Professional Development (CPD) courses at introductory prices, free resources on a range of topics developed by music educators, and chat forums for sharing and engaging with other music teachers. Whilst the CPD courses offer specific training for different levels of music teaching, the resource pages have free films and blogs which can be adapted to a wide range of practices, from group work to one-to-one instrumental and vocal lessons.
The forum threads are intended to be a space in which to reflect on progress following training or activities, as well as an opportunity to put any further questions or ideas to other classroom, vocal or instrumental teachers across the globe. The Teacher Hub states the need for a community of music educators and aims to provide this network alongside its training courses: ‘we understand what it's like to be a music teacher – perhaps working in a variety of locations, missing adult conversation or working through your lunch break running extra-curricular bands. With this in mind, the Teacher Hub provides a place where you can join a community of like-minded teachers, share resources, knowledge and expertise, and find relevant CPD.’
The four CPD courses offered via the online dashboard include a free eight-hour course for all teachers, titled Reflecting on your Practice, in addition to a choice between three more specific courses that are currently available for an introductory discounted price. Approaching Musicianship with Confidence, £75, is designed for primary school teachers using musicianship teaching in the classroom, whereas Becoming a Music Teacher, also £75, is suitable for instrumentalists and vocalists who are starting their teaching careers. Modules include ‘Working with beginners’ and ‘Taking care of yourself’, and course contributors across all training modules are teachers who work in a variety of settings including schools and music centres. More experienced instrumental and vocal teachers may wish to enrol in Troubleshooting your Music Teaching, £99, with modules that cover ‘Understanding yourself and your inspiration’ and ‘Parental involvement’.
In future, ABRSM vows to build upon these training options and provide CPD courses for all contexts of music teaching and education interests.
The courses offer the opportunity for discussion and engagement with other teachers, despite all modules being taught online, and continued networking through the hub following each module. The content is varied in its presentation: teachers are required to engage with films and podcasts as well as presentations and quizzes. In order to complete the course and gain accreditation, there are assessed tasks such as creating a letter, podcast or video of your own. A particularly interesting aspect of the initial Reflecting on your Practice course is the lesson observation module, which includes prompts, questions, ideas and activities to help trainees get the most out of a lesson observation. This would be useful as a starting point for all teachers who undertake lesson observation, whether as part of a leadership role, or as part of a learning initiative.
The Community Resources area of hub features short articles and videos, which, once observed, can be marked as ‘done’ on a teacher's Hub Profile. This area of the Hub may be more useful for busier teachers looking to gain a few quick tips or ideas. One of the resources available to instrumental teachers, for example, is an article from ~ A screenshot of ABRSM's online resources published education author Paul Harris, which lists suggested activities for developing a new approach to practice, and how to teach and encourage good practice outside of lessons. The video content ranges from filmed lessons on how to incorporate improvisation, as well as materials that can be used directly with students, such as warm-up videos that offer options for both instruments and body percussion.
The Chat and Collaborate aspect of the Hub is a participatory forum, monitored by members of ABRSM's Teacher Development team. Certain forums are only available to course alumni, whilst other topics such as ‘Teaching advanced pupils’ are open to all registered Hub users. A useful component appears to be sharing repertoire choices, but the team monitoring forums are also open to suggestions for new topics or content for courses. Registration is quick to complete online, and the platform has a user-friendly menu to move between course options, saved or completed resources, and private files within your Hub Profile.
