Blink and you’ll miss it. That’s how we feel about each year at Music Masters. Each full of so much musical celebration and pride as our teachers and students explore music together.
This year has been no exception. That’s why we want to take a moment to celebrate our young people and, in particular, our Year 6 students as they graduate from primary school.
Picking up their violins and cellos all those years ago, we wonder just what they and their families thought they would achieve on their instrument in this short time. Of our 51 graduating students, 69% have said they plan to continue with violin or cello lessons. Nearly half of those not continuing with their instrument have said they want to explore music in other ways from learning a new instrument, listening to music or exploring different styles of music like folk and RnB.
“I would like to continue playing different instruments as a hobby but probably not go into it as a career,” explained a Jubilee Primary School student. One parent of a Jessop Primary School graduate said they would love for music “to become one of the balancing activities that help him relieve stress and pressures of everyday living!” Meanwhile, one of our Year 6 students at St Barnabas’ CE Primary School clearly has big aspirations: “My daughter’s future goals for her music are to master her musical skills and become a professional violinist.”
We hope for them to explore music more deeply in the 29 different secondary schools they will attend among them. We were also incredibly pleased to learn that 4 of our students were offered music scholarships at secondary school, offering even greater chances of continued musical development.
As well as the host of musical skills they have developed, the majority of our students leave with a qualification under their belt, having participated in ABRSM and Trinity graded exams this year. 58% of our participating students sat and passed a Grade 3 exam or above, with the rest sitting Grade 1 and 2.
The impact of an outstanding music education has been felt elsewhere too. “The regular practice of violin has offered a model for learning across the board,” said one parent. Describing the experience they have had with Music Masters, one parent from Ashmole Primary School said, “The depth of the programme has been like learning a third core subject at school, i.e Maths, English and Music.”
Although we have said goodbye to Year 6, it’s not for long, as 61% of our graduating students have signed up to our Champions programme. This will give them access to further music-making and skills development opportunities with Music Masters. They will also have the chance to become an even greater advocate for the charity and the change we want to make in the music industry through the revival of their #SaveOurMusic campaign. This is our young people-led campaign for better access to a great music education for all.
We want more young people to have access to the transformative power of music that our young musicians have enjoyed. Just imagine if it was all parents who had the opportunity to say, “My daughter started to love music and now she can’t live without music.”