Primary Music Magazine
Issue 3.0 Autumn 2018
Island of Opportunity Jersey-based Music Development Partner Gina McLinton discusses their mission to ensure equality of opportunity in music education for all children across the island. @GinaMclinton For the last two years, my job for Jersey Music Service has been helping primary school colleagues deliver the music curriculum in Key Stages 1 & 2, with the aim of broadening access and providing more opportunities for children to take part in practical music making. This process that we call MEPAS (Music, Evaluation, Planning and Support) involves auditing current provision in schools, highlighting strengths and tailoring a bespoke programme of support designed to upskill teachers and boost their confidence whilst providing a clear plan for future development and ongoing support. I have visited many primary schools to deliver demonstration lessons to non-specialist teachers, often using Charanga and Music Express and similar packages, showing how to use these packages alongside ukulele, recorder and glockenspiel. As teachers become more confident, I develop this to include team teaching developing their skills at a pace they feel comfortable with. I have also delivered teacher workshops on how to use these instruments to deliver primary music lessons. I’ve found that teachers really enjoy this approach and feel much more confident about using the instruments in their lessons with the children.
“Staff confidence has increased and the children are accessing music sessions which are of a higher quality�
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Those schools lucky enough to have specialist primary music teachers have benefitted too. I have organised regular primary music co-ordinator
