Queen’s I Want to Break Free, Think by Aretha Franklin and Rag ’n’ Bone Man’s Human are to join favourites by Mozart and Holst after being selected to help reinvigorate school music lessons across the UK.

The tracks are amongst 200 featured in a landmark new classroom tool developed by the Royal Schools of Music examination board, ABRSM, to breathe new life into music lessons for 5 to 14-year-olds, by connecting with them through music they already know and love. The free online resource, www.classroom200.org, will include pop, folk, rap, jazz, TV and film themes and world music as well as classical. It was designed by a panel of teachers to give other teachers with an interest in music quality, ready-made lesson content which can complement curriculums across the UK and combine technical rigour with music familiar to a far wider range of children.

ABRSM Chief Executive Officer Chris Cobb said: “We know from our own evidence that an incredible 86% of children are actively making music today, and that’s fantastic.

“However, we also know that many teachers lack the confidence, budgets and time to properly support or inspire children to keep learning music – and that just a third of 14-year-olds are involved in classroom music lessons today. There is also a marked decline in children playing instruments as they get older.

“Classroom 200 builds on our unrivalled legacy of working with classical music to help address these issues. It gives teachers free, ready-made lesson plans and content and is designed to inspire pupils by connecting key learning and other musical genres to the kind of stuff that they already listen to.”

ABRSM, the UK’s largest music education charity, is confident the new resource will be popular with schools after more than 10,000 teachers signed up for Classical 100 – a similar resource which was launched by ABRSM in 2015 and featured classical music and a range of classroom activities (without lesson plans).

ABRSM has worked with a range of partner education organisations and teachers to develop its successor and hopes it will appeal to home schoolers as well as non-specialist music teachers.

The website gives teachers access to the 100 classical pieces from Classical 100 and a further 100 pieces including Queen’s I Want to Break Free, Aretha Franklin’s Think, themes from Dr Who, Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars, two Welsh language folk songs, Inkanyezi Nezazi by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Oasis’ Wonderwall, Rag n’ Bone Man’s Human and Paranoid Android by Radiohead, Ma Rainey’s Runaway Blues. They sit alongside a rich and varied selection of classical favourites including Holst’s The Planets, Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Mozart’s Symphony No 40, Concierto de Aranjuez by Rodrigo and I Got Rhythm by Gershwin.

Lesson plans have been developed for all 200 pieces of music.

Last Friday 21^st June was World Music Day 2024, and we took the opportunity to celebrate the last 12 years of Music Education Hubs in England, as well as the fantastic work happening in the music education sector across the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales!

We asked you to get involved by sharing the work you’re proud of from the past 12 years, using the themes of Music Making, Inclusion, Youth Voice, and Partnerships, to inspire your posts, but also inviting you to share any successes. We were so happy to see how many people got involved using the hashtag #CelebrateMusicEdHubs on the day!

If you missed the posts on the day, here are some of the highlights:

A fantastic video from ArtsForms Leeds sharing the power of music on the lives of young people:

This #WorldMusicDay let’s #CelebrateMusicEdHubs and the fantastic work across the sector over the past 12 years! @musicmarkuk

In 2023, pupils from all over Leeds performed at @ArtFormsLeeds biggest ever concert, at the @fdarena

Also, we’ve some HUGE news coming soon!👀 pic.twitter.com/uOWFP7ZgxP

— ArtForms (@ArtFormsLeeds) June 20, 2024

Essex Music Hub celebrated their Music Making projects:

#MusicMaking projects just this year include
– @GrumpyOldRick Wakeman in #Billericay
– @JessGillamSax in #Harlow @SaffronHallSW #SaffronSounds
– #Tendring Vocal Festival with @CharangaMusic Kristian
– Play-It! Live in #Braintree@musicmarkuk #WorldMusicDay #CelebrateMusicEdHubs pic.twitter.com/M7AlRYXSEe

— Essex Music Hub (@EssexMusicHub) June 21, 2024

Coventry Music highlighted their projects amplifying Youth Voice:

This #WorldMusicDay let’s #CelebrateMusicEdHubs & the fantastic work
across the sector over the past 12 years! Over this time we have amplified Youth Voice through a range of projects, including our creative music group SoundLab-COV in partnership with @covcampus @musicmarkuk pic.twitter.com/r7YBFPRK1M

— Coventry Music (@coventry_music) June 21, 2024

Norfolk Music Hub shared three of their favourite projects from the past 12 years, including breaking the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Percussion Ensemble Using Recyclable Materials!

3: Breaking the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Percussion Ensemble Using Recyclable Materials last year saw young people from across Norfolk collaborate to bring a piece of music to life in an amazing and inspiring way!#WorldMusicDay #CelebrateMusicEdHubs pic.twitter.com/JSeDuLiIrt

— Norfolk Music Hub (@NMHub) June 21, 2024

The Benedetti Foundation shared the work they’ve done alongside 34 Music Hubs and Services through their Residency Sessions:

On #WorldMusicDay – alongside @musicmarkuk, let’s #CelebrateMusicEdHubs & the fab work across the sector! Since June 22, we’ve loved working with 34 music hubs/services through our Residency Sessions. This is only possible through brill partnerships -huge thanks to all involved! pic.twitter.com/Hu04wSWriM

— The Benedetti Foundation (@benedetti_fdtn) June 21, 2024

We also spotlighted the fantastic work happening in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, sharing the projects, partnerships and statistics showcasing wider UK music education.

… And so much more fantastic work was shared too! Thank you to everyone who got involved and helped us to #CelebrateMusicEdHubs. It was amazing to see the highlights of your work over the past 12 years, and we can’t wait to continue supporting the music education sector.

In collaboration with Charanga Cymru, National Music Service Wales (NMS Wales) and the Urdd Eisteddfod are announcing a new development that will pave the way for more Welsh children to participate in the festival.

As part of the new partnership – the first of its kind between NMS Wales and the Urdd Eisteddfod – rehearsal tracks for singing set pieces in the Urdd Montgomeryshire Eisteddfod 2024’s Year 6 and under category will be available on Charanga Cymru. All Welsh schools can access the Charanga Cymru online platform free via the NMS Wales website.

The aim is to increase the opportunity for children to learn and rehearse the set pieces while giving more young people and their teachers the chance to take part in Wales’ largest youth cultural festival. In addition to the rehearsal tracks, children can use YuStudio, Charanga’s digital audio workstation (DAW), to support their entries in the festival’s Composing Music categories.

The rehearsal tracks will help tutors and provide equal opportunities for everyone. NMS Wales and the Urdd Eisteddfod also plan to add to the offer over the next few years. After the 2024 Urdd Montgomery Eisteddfod, the tracks will remain available to all schools using Charanga Cymru to support their day-to-day music teaching.

‘Eisteddfod yr Urdd is proud to be working with Charanga Cymru and Wales’ National Music Service to ensure every child is given the opportunity to engage with the arts and compete in the Eisteddfod. This is the first year of our partnership, and we hope it will grow so we can provide tracks and resources for all of our music competitions. Remember, you can use Charanga YuStudio to take part in the music composition competitions, too, so go for it! We hope you have fun practising with these fantastic resources. They were created especially for you, and we hope to see you on the Eisteddfod yr Urdd stage soon!’ – Llio Maddocks, Director of the Urdd Eisteddfod and the Arts.

Mari Lloyd Pritchard, NMS Wales’s National Co-ordinator, added:

‘The Urdd contributes so much to music education in Wales and provides a valuable platform for many of our young musicians. I’m therefore delighted that this partnership allows us to remove a barrier for a child, teacher or school to learn these songs, increase intelligence from the musical requirements, and open the door to composition.

 

These resources offer support on many levels, whether you’re an experienced musician or want to enjoy singing or rehearsing without an accompanist. We are so grateful to the Urdd Eisteddfod for embracing this idea. Our thanks must also go to the Charanga Cymru team, who have created an area dedicated to the Urdd Eisteddfod on the digital platform in such a short time so that we can give this gift to children and teachers in early 2024.’

Accessing Charanga Cymru and the new resources:

Schools can access the resources by clicking the new Urdd Eisteddfod tab when they next log in to Charanga Cymru. Schools who have not yet signed up for free Charanga Cymru access can do so here.

Classical 100 is a free resource for UK primary schools that brings the magic of music to your classroom.

Each piece inspires a challenge that encourages you to listen, learn and explore all 100 pieces and earn stars for your class as you go. The challenges are fun and flexible enough to use in a number of ways – from short starter activities to longer pieces of work spanning several hours. The best thing is, you don’t have to be a specialist music teacher to use it – each challenge includes a helpful guide and all the resources you need to tackle it with your class.

Click here to access

Do you have an idea that can spark enthusiasm for music in classrooms across the UK?

ABRSM is looking for a simple and original idea for a musical challenge based on Carl Orff’s O Fortuna to complete their free resource for primary schools, Classical 100. Find out more at abrsm.org/classical100. ABRSM has teamed up with Yamaha to offer a prize for the best idea – you could win a brand new Clavinova CLP-635R digital piano for your school!

With 2024 in full swing, find out how you can enhance your skills and engage with the wider music education community in the Summer Term with our exciting programme of training and events. From our ‘Music Mark Fundamentals’ training courses, to practical Q&A sessions and music teacher CPD, we offer a diverse range of opportunities to enhance your music education practice.

Best of all, many of these events are completely free to attend or subsidised for Members, so mark your calendars and discover the highlights of our Summer Term training and events programme below.

Supporting

Training and events for those working in administration, marketing, finance, and more

9th May – 20th June 2024 | Fundraising Fundamentals

This online course is designed to guide those working in fundraising for Music Hubs and Services through the principles, challenges and opportunities of raising funds in this context. This course will combine live group sessions and one-on-one support to ensure that participants gain the maximum benefit from the series. Whether you are a seasoned fundraiser or someone new to the role without much previous experience, Fundraising Fundamentals will provide meaningful support and guidance for you to take away. Book here.

12th June – 17th July | Marketing Fundamentals

This six-week course for those working in Music Hubs and Services will introduce you to the fundamental principles of Marketing, from writing a marketing strategy to capturing data and evaluating your marketing activity, and giving you tips, techniques, and a solid foundation to enhance your organisation’s communication and marketing impact. We’ll provide you with valuable insights on managing your social media presence, optimising your website for maximum search engine visibility, and crafting engaging emails. Book your place.

Leading

Training and events for those in leadership or managerial roles

16th April – 4th July 2024 | Talk into Action: Emerge to Thrive

Emerge to Thrive is a series of online masterclasses and workshops on learning how to effectively lead on a commitment to EDI in your organisation. Designed for leaders of Diversity and/or Inclusion, this course will help develop your skills and help you to instigate change in your organisation and beyond. Due to popular demand earlier this year, Emerge to Thrive is being offered again this summer! Find out more and sign up here.

8th May 2024 | The ABRSM Discount Scheme – Q&A

ABRSM has made funding available via an exam discount scheme for UK Music Services designed to ease some of the financial barriers that families can face in accessing exams. Join ABRSM’s Deputy Head of Engagement, James Welburn, and Music Mark consultant Gary Griffiths for an informal online session to find out more about the scheme and explore how you can make it work in your area. Register now.

Join experts from PMLL, PRS and CCLI as they answer your questions on licensing for recorded, written and performed music.

20th June 2024 | Music Licensing in Education – Q&A

With a focus on schools, this Q&A session will give you the chance to put questions to leading Music Licensing organisations Printed Music Licensing Ltd (PMLL), PRS for Music and Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI), and help you navigate the world of Music Licensing for your school or organisation. Book here.

Teaching

Training and events for music teachers, schools, community musicians and educators

Catherine Brentnall leads a session on the growth of A Common Approach with introductions to the new Music Tech and Tabla sections.

22nd April 2024 | A Common Approach: Introducing Tech and Tabla

Two years on from the relaunch of A Common Approach, join Editor and Coordinator Catherine Brentnall to find out more about how the resource continues to expand and evolve to better support the diversity of instrumental and vocal teaching in the UK. This session will introduce the new and improved music technology section, and demonstrate the curriculum for Tabla which was launched earlier this year.  Sign up now.

24th April 2024 | Musical Playfulness for Pupils with PMLD

As part of our New Directions in Inclusive Music series with MEHEM Uprising, this webinar introduces practitioners to the Musical Play Framework: a new, evidence-based approach to teacher/pupil interaction that offers meaningful musical opportunities for pupils with PMLD. Rosie Rushton will introduce the framework, sharing practical activities as well as research evidence that demonstrates its impact. Book your place.

… And those are just the highlights! Make sure to visit our Training & Events page to see our full Summer Term programme. We also regularly programme events in response to need, signpost to other events across the sector, and run a number of peer groups, mentoring programmes, and coaching programmes which all members are invited to get involved with.

To keep up to date with the latest music education events and training opportunities from us and our partners across the sector, be sure to visit our Training & Events pages or sign up to our monthly Training & Events newsletter.