Whilst many teachers up and down the country were rounding off their summer holidays with some rest and relaxation, our new cohort of PGCEi students dived headfirst into the start of their course with a week of induction activities. The group began getting to know each other, the Music Masters family and the BCU team online, with 4 days of introductions, workshops and lectures. We were then lucky enough to round off the week with many of the students in person, getting stuck into some practical music making before celebrating a fantastic start to the course with a social!

As well as learning more about Music Masters, our vision and the individuals who work to bring this to life, the students were also introduced to the perks of being a student affiliated to BCU. They began to get to grips with their first Module of the course through a series of lectures ran by Gary Spruce, our Link Tutor from BCU, and Katrina Damigos, our Course Leader. We had wonderfully thought-provoking sessions with a range of guests: Emily Crowhurst (School 21), Beth Higham-Edwards (percussionist and workshop facilitator), Gary Pykitt (BCU), and our very own Rosanne Jacobs and Roz DeVile.

By Friday the students had experienced 4 intensive days of discussion and reflection via online conferencing platforms, and so a day trip to the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham was a welcome change for some of the group! Those unable to attend in person had a 3D Zoom experience and were carried around (in small icon form on a laptop) the room to get the full range of angles and perspectives. We were joined by Tim Baptiste from Services for Education (Birmingham’s music service) for the morning, who led a fantastic practical session on teaching skills including improvisation and composition. After a spot of lunch and a quick tour around the surrounding park (Canon Hill Park), the group came together to reflect on some ‘take aways’ from the week, ready to take into the new academic year with them.

We rounded off the day and the week with a social event involving the 2 most important P’s of any party – Pizza and Prosecco! This also gave us a chance to toast the achievements of last year’s cohort, some of whom were able to come and join us in Birmingham and meet one another face to face for the first time.