In January 2009, a group of music practitioners from the education, community and professional music sectors met at Morpeth School in London to consider what future music spaces in schools should look like.
The meeting was part of the Building Schools for the Future programme, a UK Government funding scheme to transform secondary education in England. Ian Sutton, from Arts Council England, explores some concepts for a music learning space.
For some background context, the writer Christopher Small decades earlier said: "the very physical structure of the orthodox classroom, which so resembles that of the orthodox concert hall, with its rows of desks facing the blackboard and the teacher, making interaction possible only between teacher and pupil, never between pupil and pupil, makes clear, before a word has been uttered, the direction from which knowledge is to come" (p.184-185, Small, 1977).
With this as the backdrop, the meeting more than 30 years later began in earnest amongst professional music educators.
Summary of the discussion
The panel mapped out the range of issues and initiatives that have shaped the future direction of music in schools. The overall message was because developments such as the drive towards community use of school facilities, new designs and specifications were needed to reflect a growing interaction between ‘formal’ education and cultural learning/engagement with music in the community as a whole.
In relation to the delivery of music learning in schools, it was agreed spaces need to be able to accommodate an ever-growing range of exciting new musical and learning styles ranging from ‘traditional’ instrumental tuition to informal peer learning.
With these factors in mind, the discussion around design ultimately centred around the need for flexible spaces. The challenge, of course was being able to provide flexibility within a budget and in relation to practical considerations particularly around sound-proofing.
Another big talking point was storage. Not only is it important to incorporate enough of it into your plans but that it needs to be based around a systematic design where ease of access is the defining element. The following is an outcome of these discussions, representing a series of ideas and concepts for schools.
Key considerations for designing a music rehearsal space in a school could include:
A music space needs to reflect the changing use of schools in general, with a growing emphasis on extended services, co-location of services and community use. Therefore, the design of music spaces needs to consider how it can respond to the needs of the community and the way people engage with music at a local level. If there is a lack of affordable rehearsal space or recording studios in the area, can the school provide these facilities?
Spaces need to be a combination of ‘flexible’ and ‘fixed’.
Adequate storage space is critical and should be positioned in such a way that teachers and learners can easily access what they need close to the space in which they are working. Storage also needs to be organised in such a way that instruments and equipment can be quickly and methodically packed up and returned to storage at the end of the session.
Sound proofing is essential. Some teachers/practitioners felt that current regulations relating to the acoustic requirements in school spaces were inadequate for modern music making and needed to be revised. Morpeth School had been able to take advantage of the natural sound-proofing offered by adapting basement rooms as rehearsal spaces and hoped to recreate this feature in a new build. Any new build should be positioned so that sound is projected away from neighbouring buildings, including nearby housing. An architect or acoustic design consultant can prepare a design specification for your individual requirements.
Heating and ventilation should not be secondary considerations, as heating and ventilation systems can be noisy, damaging to sensitive equipment, and unhealthy for students – especially in an environment in which acoustic considerations can result in windowless, enclosed spaces. Similarly, lack of natural light can be detrimental to performance, mood and ambience. Advances in technology make the use of glass in sound-proofed situations much more of a reality.
Recording and playback facilities in every room. By using hand-held ‘field recorders’ and other portable devices, or by linking each room to a central recording studio teachers/practitioners and students would be able to utilise instant playback as part of their music learning progression.
Access and Circulation. Doors need be wide enough and easy to open when you’re carrying for example a double bass or a guitar amp. Also, positioning your main entrance so that it’s accessible from the street makes it easier to use the space beyond the school day (thereby increasing access for students who may want to rehearse in their own time, or to promote access by the community). Making sure you have the right number of doors (properly labelled) is essential for public licensing. Personal safety, security and behaviour – whether related to students or visitors – are important issues. Clear lines of visibility including liberal use of window space and wide corridors will allow monitoring of activity and ease of access.
The following outlines an evolving concept for how a music department might be structured into four ‘Zones’, and how they might be used:
Zone 1 (flexible)
A music department’s list of music activities can be extensive and varied, with greatly differing spatial requirements. Therefore ‘flexibility’ is the constant refrain in any discussion about space.
The conceptual solution would be a single, large room intersected by a network of soundproof retractable walls that could be worked into any arrangement of smaller rooms at any time.
A more practical option would be a room large enough for group instruction with a series of four or five smaller ‘break out’ rooms leading from it. Also, there is no particular need for any of these rooms to be square. A circle or oval space could work better in terms of students being able to face each other or focus on a group leader.
Zone 2 (fixed)
Despite a general call for flexibility, some spaces still need to remain ‘fixed’: a recording studio and space for the workforce (including rest space and administration space) for example.
This ‘fixed’ zone may be best placed at the core of the space so that its functions can radiate into each of the ‘flexible’ spaces leading from it.
Zone 3 (social)
A music space in a school should not be a sanitised arts centre but a space that is designed by and for students.
Having social spaces such as a seating area, informal performing area, possibly even a café, gives students a space in which they can interact.
A public space of this kind could also provide opportunities to generate income by promoting community use of the space.
Zone 4 (storage)
It is impossible to over-emphasise the importance of storage. In the model to the right, storage is designed in such a way as to be held centrally, like a carousel, and therefore accessible from any room with minimum effort.
Failing this, making sure as many boxes, flight cases or pieces of equipment as possible are on wheels would be critical.
The UK's Musical Futures programme which coincided with this scheme stated: "Music facilities vary greatly from school to school. In the least ideal situations there is one classroom, often surrounded by classes teaching other subjects. In schools with more space, practice rooms are often occupied by instrumental staff teaching individuals or small groups of students...It is not just about having lots of break-out spaces for students to work in, but also about ensuring that the overall environment and atmosphere of the music department is one in which students are able to be creative."
London Music Education Survey
Following this initiative in 2011 the UK's Institute of Education carried out a major survey of the state of music education in London. The city plays host to a wide range of professional musicians and music organisations representing a broad spectrum of musical genres and cultural traditions. The survey revealed a number challenges and suggestions needed to be addressed to increase the number of young people participating in music:
A large drop in students taking part in extra-curricular music education activity when they moved to secondary school (11 years old)
Rock, pop and contemporary music were by far the most common types of ensemble
Music services reported inadequate accommodation as a fairly significant barrier
There was a perceived need for strong links between schools and the music industry
The lack of effective pathways for those wishing to study popular music were also raised
Lessons, workshops and projects are taking place in studios, universities, theatres, churches, old people’s homes, community halls, prisons, young offenders institutions, museums and galleries, health centres, hospitals, concert halls, hostels, music colleges, outdoors and online
A range of activities were available through community music providers, arts organisations, music colleges and universities, including jam sessions, DJ drop-in nights, family orchestras, sign-language choirs, big bands, flamenco groups, glee clubs, beatboxing, folk groups and junk bands
The report recommended partnerships are vital to:
Provide progression routes for learners whose skills and interests are not catered for by schools and Music Services
Enrich the music education of existing learners, inspire them to progress in their learning and provide them with outstanding opportunities to listen, perform, and compose
Are schools good for young people to learn music?
Given the challenges in attracting young people to continue to learn to play a music instrument and the financial constraints placed on state schools, it is perhaps unlikely the building of modern music spaces would emerge as a priority in schools.
Anthony Everitt in his book Joining In looked into participatory music and concluded: “If resources of this kind are also open to use by the local community children will find it easier to make the imaginative and practical link between school work and music-making in the world at large: this may help to ensure that they maintain their musical interests after leaving school…what is needed is a kind of ‘one-stop shop’ for music-makers, a network of citizens’ music advice bureaux which would not only offer good counsel but identify the whereabouts of such resources as musical instruments and equipment, studios and rehearsal space” (p. 77/161, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1997).
The following issues may conspire to restrict access to a music-making facility located on a school site:
The school management structures that oversee school premises, quite rightly, act in the interests of young people, not necessarily the wider cultural community
The opening times of a music facility is subject to the goodwill of the Headteacher possibly limiting wider public access in out of school hours
Their design and construction are predicated on a formal learning environment and not a ‘real-life’ authentic music space experience
Governance issues may hinder developing long-term partnerships with cultural and commercial organisations that would help with sustainability and development
Access to the facility is likely to be free possibly putting it at odds with fostering a sense of entrepreneurialism
Such a facility will be subject to education priorities rather than reflecting other government policies allied to the music industry
What would be a more appropriate space?
The Sports Centre or gym may provide an alternative model in offering a diverse range of musical opportunities supplying instruments, equipment, sound-proofed rooms, music technology and the professional leadership skills to support this work.
There are no comparable music facilities comparable to the ubiquity of those in the sports world, where users can self-develop the skills needed for music participation, production and performance.
Instead, would-be young musicians are reliant on the vagaries of the commercial music rehearsal space sector. Thus, the progression routes built in to the structures and networks of the sports world make reaching international competitions less of a lottery.
If such a space is realised, a pipeline of competent musicians would feed in to the music industry having graduated from the informal music sector. Indeed, this may be something the music industry given the right encouragement may wish to support.
Trends are already showing that in the coming decades more time and money will be spent by those over 40 years old on leisure and recreation – and not just on TV, radio and ‘resting’ activities.
As a result, music will come to play a huge role in utilising the wisdom and potential of this older society in both creating and fulfilling the demand for more meaningful activities.
References
Anthony Everett - Joining In: An Investigation into participatory music, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1997)
Christopher Small - Music, Education, Society 1977
תגובות