The elegant timbre of a Kawai piano, the excitable chatter of teachers sharing inspiring stories, and numerous stalls packed with useful information and resources. W hen it came to the Manchester Music and Drama Education Expo, you could say that a passion for creativity and teaching was an integral part of the atmosphere at Old Trafford, the venue for this year's event.
The workshop space, situated on the main show floor, acted as one of the day's main focal points, exploring essential hands-on learning practices. This article is intended to give a snapshot of what took place in this one area of the Expo.
Getting the day off to an energetic start, Beat Goes On led a body percussion warm-up that utilised the power of audience participation. Focusing on ancient Portuguese rhythms and melodies, the team dispelled any sense of self-consciousness in the room, encouraging delegates to tap their thighs, clap their hands and beat their chests while chanting together loudly. As an opener it reminded delegates of the importance of self-actualisation in music-making, and how the power to create and inspire comes from within.
Providing practical advice for ensemble leaders, Owen Cox and Tom Redmond focused on effective rehearsal techniques, accompanied on stage by a talented group of Chetham's School of Music students. Cox emphasised the importance of mixing up rehearsal techniques, providing teachers with particularly useful advice such as encouraging students to rehearse passages in several different ways. In turn, Cox emphasised the need for fun and diversity within rehearsal spaces, as well as allowing students to demonstrate their initial talents at the beginning. It was a delight to see delegates scribbling down notes so eagerly.
For those interested in technology, Music First's (www.musicfirst.co.uk) Dr Jim Frankel was on hand to provide a detailed demonstration of numerous apps – all made available by the Music First Cloud service. Frankel opened the session with an online audio generator that required no musical skill to operate but still generated a lush sonic landscape. Cartoon characters based on famous genres could be clicked on to produce different sounds; for example, a Daft Punk-style helmet might generate a futuristic synth sound, and a rapper with sunglasses could produce tight hip-hop beats. These sounds could then be layered over one another to create an original mix.
In turn, Frankel displayed other helpful tools harnessed via apps such as Soundtrap – particularly useful for GCSE and A level – to help students collaborate and communicate and save their work to the cloud in real time, while NoteFlight Learn with its customisable score editor was shown to allow those of varying ability to edit and write scores simply.
Taking part is an essential element of the Expo experience workshop
Not neglecting the needs of early years’ educators, Jimmy Rotherham of Feversham Primary – known for its arts-first approach to education – demonstrated some fun activities to incorporate a love for music seamlessly into the curriculum. Featuring action-based games such as Tickly Monkey and Bounce High, chairs were pushed aside so that delegates could participate. The first game saw Rotherham lead a nursery rhyme sing-song that would suddenly pause, in a similar vein to Duck Duck Goose, to tickle the participant with the monkey puppet's fur. Substituting conventional music theory language such as crochets and minims for playful language such as ‘Zi Zi’, the games put young children's learning at the centre, allowing them to gain an inherent understanding of theory and musicality.
As the Expo began to wind down and the exhibitors gave final demonstrations of their various instruments and goodies, percussionist Andy Gleadhill ensured that the final demonstration of the day was full of high energy, inspiring participation. Focusing on musical traditions across six different continents, Gleadhill showcased rhythms and instruments from various countries including Brazil. Culminating in a powerful all-teacher drumming ensemble, delegates were encouraged to play together, hitting the backs of chairs with drumsticks and celebrating their musical potential.
As the final workshop ended, educators chatted enthusiastically and shared their experiences of the day. One thing was clear: the knowledge and insight gained from this year's Expo would provide endless inspiration in their day-to-day teaching.
