- I have a B.Ed (Hons)(1st) and come with 17 years full time teaching experience before my present freelance career.
- Teachers often tell me children learn more in one of my workshop sessions than in weeks of ordinary work, and they remember it longer.
- Music is a point of entry I use as a hook for a LOT of other historical details.
- Cost – my fee is less than many a coach trip, no time is lost travelling and no one is sick on the bus!
- As an experienced teacher with skills in group and individual management, teaching and storytelling, I can capture and hold the attention of children (and adults) who then retain what they hear and experience.
- My sessions bring a richness of experience; listening , watching and participating in a mixture of music, dance, drama and interaction, and,
teachers tell me, language use in discussion afterwards.
- I bring a quite exceptional collection of instruments.
- In Tudor and Medieval sessions, most of the children will have a hands-on experience of playing good replica instruments;
in Victorian sessions they’ll see the real thing, along with other relevant artefacts.
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- As of April 2010 I have been checked by Ofsted, while working in schools undergoing inspection, 10 times. Each time they have made a point of expressing approval, either directly to me, or later in their report.
- Music is a powerful creator of atmosphere and emotions, and can really animate a period of history, “bringing it to life” as so many have
commented
. A creative link to the culture which produced it, music assists understanding of that culture beyond that which can be expressed in words.
- Music is shaped by art and by the technology of the time. Learning about music and its instruments increases understanding of period
technology, and I show and
explain how the instruments work.
- Songs are a good introduction to a period’s language, and period language plays a part in any drama elements to the day.
Social history is implicit in the activities,
with contextualisation of music, dance and drama scenes.
- Cross-curricular links are numerous – teachers have been able to connect elements of workshops to history,
geography, art, music, drama, maths, English and more...
In fact I've been teaching in
CREATIVE CURRICULUM style for years now!
- Enthusiastic children learn and remember better! When listening, they often sit remarkably still and quiet, demonstrating a high level of involvement.
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