The Birmingham Music Education Partnership

Services For Education Music Service is the lead organisation for the Birmingham Music Education Partnership which deploys the central government funding to extend and coordinate music education provision for all reporting to Arts Council England.

The Birmingham Music Education Partnership

Services For Education Music Service is the lead organisation for the Birmingham Music Education Partnership which deploys the central government funding to extend and coordinate music education provision for all reporting to Arts Council England. We are grateful to the Department for Education through Arts Council England to be in receipt of the Music Grant as Hub Lead for Birmingham.

ABOUT OUR MEMBERS

Services For Education is a professional service provider of education and learning which improves the lives of children, young people and adults.

Established in 2012, Services For Education is comprised of the Music Service and the School Support Service. As the lead partner in the Birmingham Music Education Partnership (BMEP), the Music Service and partners meet each month to develop music opportunities and support training for teachers in the city.

The Music Service has worked in close partnership with schools for more than sixty years in supporting and enhancing music education for all pupils through our extensive programme of high quality support delivered by our specialist instrumental, vocal and classroom teachers.

Music can inspire and change lives and members of the BMEP work together to ensure that young people, teachers, parents, musicians and schools work together to provide a high-quality, authentic music education programme for all.

We provide this through:

  • Weekly instrumental / vocal lessons for 38,000 pupils each week in Birmingham
  • A comprehensive and diverse ensemble system including 37 open access Area Ensembles and 45 auditioned Central Ensembles
  • Large-scale and high quality performance opportunities
  • Whole class instrumental teaching programme in primary and special schools
  • A player of potential scheme for gifted and talented pupils
  • Online digital support through reelmusic.co.uk
  • Inspirational workshops and instrument days
  • Professional development opportunities for primary, secondary and special school music coordinators
  • Networking opportunities and HUB partner newsletter

If you would like to get in touch with us about BMEP or Services For Education, please feel free to email music@servicesforeducation.co.uk or call us on 0121 366 9950.

www.servicesforeducation.co.uk

       

Each year, B:Music connect over 18,000 young people and adults to a world of music and performance.

Key Stage 1: Introduce your students to live music with a FREE pop-up performance at school. 

Key Stage 2: Challenge your pupils with an interactive performance, with live music from one of England’s finest historical instruments, at Birmingham’s historic landmark venue, Town Hall. Town Hall History Hunt is a partnership with Needless Allies Theatre Collective, available termly.

Key Stages 3 and 4, A Level and BTEC Music: Motivate students to pursue careers in the arts with this range of complementary activities, available when you attend a Birmingham Classical concert. Whether a pre-concert talks, meeting the musicians, a Q&A with the Artistic Programming Team or a session on marketing the concert series, these interactive add-ons are guaranteed to inspire a creative mind.

Key Stage 2: Join a team of musicians, technicians and a science specialist as the world-renowned Symphony Hall is transformed into an interactive sound laboratory. The Science of Sound occurs termly.

11-19 Year Olds:  The Jazzlines Ensembles provide young musicians from Birmingham and the surrounding areas with the opportunity to play in an ensemble. These talented young people learn about jazz and improvisation through regular workshops and masterclass sessions. The sessions are open to young musicians of all abilities, from beginners to advanced and are free to young musicians aged between 11 and 19.

Under 30s: Tickets for just £5 are available at every Birmingham Classical Season concert. 

Book online here.

BCU provides professional training for Teachers in Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Post Graduate levels as well as undertakes education research.

Professor Martin Fautley is the representative for Music Education specialising in assessment. BCU continue to evaluate and inform the quality of BMEP activity.

Find out more here.

BCMG is passionate about involving and supporting people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds in the creation and performance of new music.

We do this through a variety of innovative projects involving composers, BCMG musicians, teachers, researchers, young people and the wider community.

The programme reflects our artistic identity, responds to local needs and utilises the excellent resources of the Group – the expert performance skills of the musicians, the Group’s repertoire, our links with leading composers in this country and abroad and, our acclaimed commissioning programme.

We have also developed an extensive collection of resources for music educators and young people. These resources can now be found on our learning resources website.

School workshops:

  • That’s My Music! day long composing workshops for one class (usually KS2) delivered by a composer and BCMG musician. Suggested foci include topic based, song writing or creative music technology.
  • Sound Imaginations: day long composing workshops delivered by a composer and BCMG musician. Suggested foci include creative devising ensemble, developing a musical idea, using a note row and song writing.

CPD for teachers:

  • That’s My Music! termly twilight sessions exploring composing with children in primary schools.
  • Listen Imagine Compose network: termly twilight sessions exploring composing in secondary schools in partnership with Birmingham City University.
  • Masters in Teaching and Learning with BCU and Sound and Music.

Out of School Workshops for Young People:

  • Music Maze: monthly creative music-making workshops for 8-11 year olds inspired by music from BCMG’s concerts. Led by BCMG Director of Learning Nancy Evans and BCMG musicians.
  • Zigzag Ensemble: monthly workshops for 12-18 year olds.  Participants create new music from scratch through composing and improvising. Led by composer and bass player Ben Markland.
  • Creative Composing Lab: termly workshops for young people aged 14-18 to compose for and with BCMG musicians, guided by the expert knowledge of composer David Horne.

Other key projects:

  • Imagine Compose: a partnership project with Birmingham Music Service funded by Youth Music whose aim was to encourage and nurture beginner instrumentalists to compose and improvise from the beginning of their musical lives.
  • Listen Imagine Compose: an ongoing partnership project with Sound and Music and Birmingham City University to research and improve the teaching and learning of composing at KS3, 4 & 5.

Website: www.bcmg.org.uk

   

Vimeo: vimeo.com/bcmg

Email: learning@bcmg.org.uk  

The CBSO is committed to supporting and developing the musical education of children and young people, building their skills as creators and performers, expanding their musical interests and experiences, and inspiring a lifelong appreciation of live performance.
 
We provide opportunities for children and young people at all stages of their education from early years groups to university students through a varied programme of opportunities ranging from workshops by individual musicians in schools, to orchestral concerts at Symphony Hall.
 
In addition to our schools offer, the CBSO also provides £5 tickets for schools, youth ensembles and young people’s groups to the majority of our Birmingham concerts.
 

Contact email: 
education@cbso.co.uk
 
  
 
 

“You only have to spend 5 minutes with an Ex Cathedra vocal tutor and you’ll want to sing!”  Howard Goodall CBE, Ambassador for the national singing programme, Sing Up 2007 – 11

Ex Cathedra has an award-winning education and participation programme working across Birmingham, the UK and internationally. The education and participation work has developed to become a leader in its field.

Every year we work with tens of thousands of children and young people and their families, train hundreds of teachers, work in partnership with music hubs across the UK, travel internationally, and present to and engage people in singing at many events in many settings.

Our Education Team is passionate about engaging people in life enhancing, accessible, meaningful and enjoyable singing activities, bringing the wider well-being benefits of singing to participants, and developing vocal skills and musicianship.

The team writes its own dynamic repertoire for participants’ teaching and learning aims, needs and enjoyment.

Ex Cathedra’s education and participation work falls into 4 areas and we also design projects in response to requests and partner needs.

1. Schools and education settings

Singing Playgrounds: whole school child-led initiative; SingMaker: concert hall events with complementary teacher training and resources; Singing Connections: singing games for word and number play development.

2. Healthcare settings

Singing Medicine: singing play for well-being for children in hospital; Singing Pathways for adults who have had a stroke and dementia

3. Community settings

A range of one-off devised projects; and Ladywood Community Choir

4. Academy of Vocal Music – 4 choirs for children aged between 4 and 18 years.

Children’s Academy 1, Children’s Academy 2, Junior Academy, Senior Girls Academy, Senior Boys Academy

Find out more here.

Quench Arts is a Community Interest Company working across the West Midlands. We are passionate about making a positive difference through the arts and our vision is that everyone should have access to high quality participatory arts opportunities.

Our work focuses on 2 areas:

  • Our own projects use music to make a real difference to people’s lives, nurturing artistic talent in areas where opportunities may be limited.
  • We also support other organisations in developing their community arts practice.

Find out more here.

Or follow us on:

 

MAC is a multi-art form arts centre with a strong commitment to arts for everyone, especially those for whom engagement in the arts is new.

MAC Makes Music is an award-winning programme providing innovative music making opportunities for children and young people with limited access to music provision.

We work with Families, Pupil Referral Units, Charities, Primary Schools, Children’s Services, Centres for Newly Arrived Children and Young People, Resource Bases/Focus Provisions and Special Schools to influence sustained music making activity for those with limited access to music provision.

Our passion is to offer young people high quality music making experiences led by a team of highly experienced musicians. The young person’s voice and creativity is at the heart of a diverse music offer in new music technology, song writing, band development, singing and music production.

MAC is a strategic partner of Youth Music working towards creating a musically inclusive England, where every child can access music-making opportunities, regardless of their circumstances. Through MAC Makes Music, we champion innovation in music making approaches, support workforce development and advocate for equality in music education in partnership with Music Education Hubs in Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Solihull and Worcestershire.

Find out more here.

Email contact:
charlene.marriott@macbirmingham.co.uk

For many years, there have been a growing network of partners who work with the hub to deliver or commission activity. Our challenge is to shape and manage the quality of outputs within these many partnerships.

They encompass a range of local, regional and national partners. They are almost exclusively ‘music education’ partners. Our scope within the Cultural Education Challenge will undoubtedly seek to work with a broader range of multi art form partners.

On 25th June 2022, the Department for Education (DfE) published the updated National Plan for Music Education, entitled ‘The Power of Music to Change Lives’. The updated plan builds on the first plan published back in 2011. The 84-document contains three main chapters, each focusing on one of the three central aims of the plan. The refreshed Plan does not have a set of Core and Extension Roles for Music Hubs to deliver, but highlights the importance of providing access to a broad musical culture.

The vision for Music Hub partnerships, in line with the overall NPME, is to enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, and have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally. Underpinning this vision, Music Hub partnerships will be expected to focus on the following three aims.

  • Support schools and other education settings to deliver high-quality music education.
  • Support all children and young people to engage with a range of musical opportunities both in and out of school.
  • Support young people to develop their musical interests and talent further, including into employment.

The current National Plan For Music Education (published in 2011) outlines four core and three extension roles that all hubs are required to deliver as a condition of their funding from the Department for Education which is administered through Arts Council England and the funding for this plan along with the Core and Extension roles is in place until 31st March 2023.

Our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Vision 

Services For Education (SFE) are the lead partner in the Birmingham Music Education Partnership and this E,D&I Strategy summarises how each of the hub partners see inclusive practice being at the heart of their offer. SFE as the lead partner sets out our vision for the next 5 years and outlines how it is putting inclusivity at the heart of everything we do.

Read more >>