Classroom Composers

A NEW teaching qualification being pioneered in Manchester is set to raise the bar in the standard of music lessons in Britain's schools.

The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) are launching a new pathway which will enable conservatoire-trained students to graduate with qualified teacher status.

This ground-breaking development, led by the RNCM's Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning on behalf of Conservatoires UK and
delivered in partnership with MMU, addresses one of the key aspirations in the Government's Music Manifesto to 'develop a world-class workforce
in music education'.

By encouraging talented performers and composers to consider a career in teaching and enabling them to develop teaching skills and accreditation in parallel with their conservatoire work, the pathway will create a new breed of 'Performer-Teacher' ideally placed to inspire young musicians and enhance significantly the quality and range of
specialist music teachers entering the teaching profession.

Long overdue

Dr Linda Merrick, Vice-Principal of Royal Northern College of Music, said: "We are delighted to have taken a leading role in the
development of an initiative that is long-overdue in the conservatoire sector.

"By enabling students to gain skills and accreditation as teachers while pursuing practical studies to the highest possible level,
we will be producing graduates much sought after by the education profession, and who can make a real difference to the quality of provision in our schools."

Andy Jones, Acting Dean of MMU's Institute of Education said, "This is a fine example of how Manchester's world-class institutions can pool
resources and expertise for the benefit of individuals and society as a whole."

This exciting initiative builds upon the long-standing collaboration between the RNCM and MMU, which has led to the delivery of two highly-respected PGCE courses for specialist music teachers.It will be extended to other conservatoires and their chosen Initial Teacher
Training partners from September 2009.

For more about teacher education go to the Institute of Education website: www.ioe.mmu.ac.uk