Music education:a model of best practice

children singing

Hackney borough youth choir

Hackney children are top of the tree when it comes to musical education. The services have been praised by the independent Federation of Music Services as ‘outstanding’.The  inspectors were particularly impressed by the opportunities provided for young musicians to play alongside professional musicians and ensembles.  The Hackney music service supports an astonishing  90 ensembles in 71 schools during or after school hours.

The Hackney Borough Youth Orchestra, now three years old, provides valuable training for those with grade 5  or above and , and a borough youth choir has also been established which works regularly with Voces8.

James Thomas, Acting Head of the Music Service, said:
“There is a considerable range of imaginative and inspiring music teaching going on in Hackney and I’m extremely proud of our colleagues, teachers, support staff and young musicians.”

“We try to provide as many opportunities as possible for pupils to learn music, whether that’s singing with their classmates at our summer Music Festival or learning a new instrument. If children are exposed to music at school from an early age, they will develop a love of playing and learning that stays with them into adulthood. Our vision is that music becomes a ’normal’ activity for all young people in Hackney schools.”

Leave a Reply