In February this year I had the pleasure of attending the Listen Imagine Compose Primary Conference at the CBSO Centre. LICP is an action research project involving Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Sound and Music, Birmingham City University, two music hubs, eight primary schools, and nine professional composers. The scale of the project, which includes a published executive summary and ‘Reflection and Progression’ toolkit, is impressive.
LICP aims to develop meaningful and relevant composing activity for children and – importantly – unpick the processes of teaching and learning composing in classrooms. I say importantly because it's the ‘how’ of teaching composition that troubles teachers the most, once past a general lack of confidence. Ofsted, also, points to most schools not considering ‘the underpinning knowledge’ needed by pupils ‘to learn how to construct and deconstruct music’ (Striking the Right Note, Ofsted 2023). In other words, there are ‘unknown unknowns’ as well as a skills gap and lack of CPD. Some delegates from the conference also spoke of primary schools not being the creative space they once were, thanks to timetabling and the types of school objectives.
Fortunately, at the CBSO Centre there were excellent speakers demonstrating how composing with primary school groups could be achieved to good effect. And from strong starting positions. These included believing that composing could be taught and learnt, how pupils don't have to be able to play an instrument first, and how they don't have to be able to write music. The assumption was that children are inherently musical, capable of composing and developing ‘composerly thinking’ (a term we're likely to hear more of). The keynote speaker, Dr Susan Young, in addition, pointed to the limited research around ‘children as composers’ and how primary children ‘as composers’ are largely underestimated. My main takeaway was that this is an exciting journey, and that there are reasons to feel positive and ambitious if we can get the framework and logistics right.
In MT this month, as part of our focus on composition, I'm delighted to include composer Richard Barnard, who was part of the LICP team. He's been continuing the ideas from this project in primary schools as part of his work with Bristol Beacon. For secondary teachers, meanwhile, we have composer-teachers sharing discrete projects and modular learning aimed at Key Stage 3, and tips on songwriting, or managing DAWs effectively in the classroom. Comfortingly, ‘Less is more’ seems a recurring theme.
Other highlights of MT May include Kate Rounding's amazing account of the Clarion, an adaptive instrument rightly enjoying heaps of praise, and an extended Q&A with emeritus professor Martin Fautley, following his Music & Drama Education Award for Lifetime Achievement 2025. Martin was one the architects of LICP, with Nancy Evans. This piece covers the main developments in UK music education over the last 40 years and whole lot more besides. It's a great read.
