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Sustaining Culture –
extra materials
Why
we have
to think
out of
the box
on teaching
the arts
Anne Campbell –SAC Education Officer
As we set off on the road towards another round of priorities, the curious
could be left wondering "where now?" for the well-rounded Scottish
school-leaver.
The newly qualified primary teachers are rigorously drilled in the targets
for numeracy and literacy, yet there is little formal emphasis on the
contribution that arts make to our children’s schooldays.
Teachers in the creative arts have few opportunities to stretch their own
understanding across the curriculum; continuing professional development is
wishful thinking for many, as new contracts for teachers have yet to set out
how and where it will happen.
Yet, the future of arts teaching in Scotland need not be bleak.
In Fort William, Caol Primary School has run its Room 13 Art Studio for the
last ten years. Rob Fairley is artist-in-residence, but he
reminds me gently that Room 13 is run entirely by the pupils. He
said: "There are not many primary school pupils who could give a half-hour
presentation to an organisation like the Society of Arts Manufacturers and
Commerce, which is exactly what our 11-year-old chair and managing director
did recently."
"The children run their own business as well as investing in a ‘virtual’
portfolio of stocks and shares. If they want to sell their
product, for example postcards, then they must take on the responsibility of
making it happen. Obviously, we keep an eye on it to make sure
they don’t bankrupt the whole project but the discipline comes from the
children themselves." Most parents would agree that art is
good for children at any age. It develops skills in expression,
problem solving, communication, invention, imagination, and resourcefulness,
working with others, assessing information and developing ideas.
However, as the school-leaving age approaches, many parents (and some
teachers) fear that pursuing an interest or aptitude in the arts is a
straight road to unemployment, despite the 100,000 jobs and £5 billion
contribution to the Scottish economy made by the creative industries.
The new national priorities confirm that creativity, entrepreneurship and
ambition are vital components of learning. By providing children
with the opportunity to develop a broad range of skills, we are providing
vital experience now and nourishing a future where resourcefulness,
adaptability and innovation are valued both in the workplace and society.
Scottish Arts Council hears sweet music in First Minister's announcement,
February 26th 2003
The Scottish Arts Council has welcomed the Scottish Executive’s announcement
of £17.5 million made by First Minister Jack McConnell in North Lanarkshire.
The announcement is a clear indication of the Executive’s commitment to
youth music and to expanding young people’s opportunities to learn an
instrument. The announcement follows the publication of ‘What’s
going on? – A national audit of youth music in Scotland’, which the Scottish
Arts Council published in conjunction with Youth Music and the Musicians’
Union.
The audit highlights a number of key recommendations, including the
development and resourcing of a national youth music strategy for Scotland
and a national review of local authority provision of instrumental and
singing instruction. The funding package announced by the Scottish
Executive today goes towards addressing these recommendations.
In response to the above report Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s plans to this news
can be read below
Youth
Music Initiative 2003-04
The Highland Council in
partnership with Fèisean Nan Gàidheal
The Scottish Arts Council has allocated the Highland Council £135,756 for
2003-04, of which it wants to allocate £130,000 to providing traditional
music tuition in primary schools within its area, in partnership with
Fèisean nan Gàidheal.
The Fèis movement is the major provider of traditional music tuition within
the Highland Council area, largely through the informal sector, but
individual Fèisean also have experience of working within schools.
In particular, Fèisean nan Gàidheal’s largest member - Fèis Rois - has built
up considerable expertise in working in schools within Ross & Cromarty
through a SAC Lottery funded project, and nationally through the Traditional
Musicians in Schools scheme.
The Highland Council already supports Fèisean nan Gàidheal and Fèis Rois
through annually negotiated Service Level Agreements, and has a good working
relationship with both organisations. The council’s area is also
home to the Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, at Plockton High
School. The council believes that traditional music is a
strength within the area it serves, and has, therefore, taken the decision
that it would like new and additional provision in year one of the Youth
Music Initiative to be in the traditional genre.
The council will maintain a balance of styles and genres, as the Highland
Council’s current instrumental tuition is mostly in classical music.
The plan for year one
The long-term aim of the Youth Music Initiative is to “ensure that by 2006,
every primary school pupil should have access to at least one year’s free
music tuition by the time they reach Primary 6.”
While acknowledging this aim, and working towards meeting it, the first
year’s activity will concentrate on providing tuition for pupils who have no
access to instrumental music at the moment, and if resources allow, to offer
additional tuition to schools where there is only a little provision.
Delivery
Primary 6 pupils in Grantown Primary School will benefit from new classes in
woodwind and brass, on a whole-class basis, in the session 2002-03. Around
£5,756 will be utilised from the council allocation towards this pilot,
which may, if successful, be extended.
Beyond that particular project, FnG will offer pupils in primary 5 and 6
within schools in the designated areas, the opportunity to take part in
whole-class sessions in singing, tin whistle and, where appropriate, group
music-making.
The delivery mechanism will be flexible, and will be agreed with the class
teachers in advance of each visit. The approach to teaching will be tailored
as much as possible to the needs of individual schools. Styles
taught will be, as far as possible, those of the local area.
It is important to recognise that singing should be given equality with
musical instruments, and indeed, there is a long tradition of singing in
Highland schools. The voice is available to everyone, at no
cost, and is by far the most effective way of involving as many children as
possible in music making. FnG wish to provide Gaelic and Scots singing to
all children, in a way that will raise awareness of, and heighten their
interest in, both these languages.
Tin Whistle tuition is possible with larger groups as the instruments are
reasonably cheap to buy, and Fn’G propose providing them free of charge to
pupils who receive tuition. Lots of young people can relatively
easily play a tune on whistle, and this has been tried and tested in
teaching within branches of Comhaltas Ceóltóiri na h-Eireann, and in Fèisean.
Most tuition will be offered on a whole-class basis in year one, and
therefore group music making will be encouraged. It is certainly
possible to work with singing groups and group percussion from an early
stage.
How the plan fits in with 5-14 Guidelines
and the Curriculum
The provision will meet various requirements within 5-14 strands at
appropriate levels e.g.
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Using the voice |
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Using instruments |
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Evaluating and appreciating |
Examples of how this will be achieved
are given below.
Pupils will:
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Sing together in unison and,
possibly, in harmony; the repertoire of Scots and Gaelic songs will
increase |
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Play by ear and possibly from
notation on a variety of instruments, including wind and percussion |
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Demonstrate aural retention through
playing tunes by ear |
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Identify music in a variety of
traditional idioms |
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Distinguish various sound
qualitiesGive/accept constructive criticism |
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Recognise sounds of instruments that
have a distinctive quality. |
Na hEileanaich Ealanta - Creative Islanders
Culture and Creativity in the Hebrides
Below is a summary of a significant
piece of research from the practitioners within the Hebrides who are
experiencing the real way of life. What comes across most
strongly from this report is that ownership for local projects with locals
inputting into developments is integral to its sustainability.
Local artists, arts development officers and the local community believe
that the Gaelic language should be central to any plans. They
have also come up with some solutions to some of the problems that they have
been experiencing. Below are some of the findings from a large
piece of research which can be accesses on the Hi-Arts website
www.hi-arts.co.uk,
look under the heading Services.
The arts can offer a sustainable way forward for all islanders, both young
and old, because they depend on creative thinking. Creativity in
turn demands respect for the individual as the cornerstone of any community.
A population of confident, creative individuals will solve complex problems,
but only if they are trusted to do so.
‘The obstacles are a lack of passion, being dictated to by non-Gàidheals.
Don’t translate an existing blueprint into Gàidhlig. Islanders
come from a different background. TRUST US! Be
careful with web resources – this is an oral culture’ Christine
Primrose, Skye
When the selected target group for the questionnaire were identified they
were asked a number of questions on creativity and culture in the Hebrides.
Below are some of the main points:
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"(The cultural resources are)
fragmented, like the islands themselves" Malcolm MacLean, Lewis |
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The common cultural resources
identified by this study are without doubt the Gàidhlig language and
traditional music and song. Agreement of their importance
crossed all barriers – social, geographic and cultural.
Festivals, fèisean, summer schools, local Mòd events and agricultural
shows are important cultural and social events that bring islanders and
visitors together. |
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Local historical societies/Comainn
Eachdraidh play a vital role in introducing visitors to local culture
and often build strong links across the islands, exploring archaeology,
agriculture, genealogy and much more besides. |
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Since the 1980’s the Fèis networks
and the emergence of arts centres on different islands has begun to
create an arts infrastructure that must be nurtured at all costs.
Fèisean keep young people engaged with their language and music and can
also pave the way for educational and cultural tourism.
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Gàidhlig language as an essential
component of arts development in the Hebrides. |
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Once an infrastructure is in place,
it should be possible to revisit big creative plans for all the islands.
Anything planned on a large scale could only be achieved from outside
local arts communities, leading to a serious question of ownership
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Underpinning everything that
islander’s value about their way of life is the Gàidhlig language.
People from all over the world visit the Hebrides to listen and learn
about Gàidhlig. To all Hebridean people it represents a key
to their shared roots, regardless of their personal fluency or literacy;
it also is the one thing that people feel a deep sense of pride in. |
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With support from the local arts
association, Taigh Chearsabhagh on North Uist has developed into one of
the most exciting arts centres in the Highlands and Islands in ten short
years; SEALL on Skye has been the catalyst for a programme of year-round
arts projects and events. |
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Sustainable Communities encompasses
community education, arts, museums and archaeology, sports, planning,
environment and economic development; a clear benefit of working in this
holistic way is that it puts the people and their survival at the heart
of the council’s policy and planning strategy. ‘An annual Islands Forum
could make a big difference. Iomairt aig an Oir7 has been
taking a long time, but it is helping. The Colonsay folk
agree they were on the edge’ he said. "The things that often bring
people together here are the adversities. We don’t have a problem with
conversation ... You start with the weather, then you start with the
loss of the Gàidhlig language, depopulation, children leaving the
islands, things that in your heart are really troubling you.
Those then become the common bond." Munro Gold, Lewis |
Cultural tourism offers a viable way forward for the Hebrides.
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