MUSICAL SCHOOLS are the focus of the Incorporated Society of Musicians’ next Music in Education seminar at the University of Westminster on Saturday 1 March.

More than 40 state secondary schools now have specialist status for music; the seminar will aim to find out how music can contribute to raising standards and improving student achievement.

Head teachers, school managers, class teachers and instrumental teachers will be able to hear from those who have successfully made the switch to specialist status. They can also take part in workshops and discussions on how specialist schools are set up and run.

Richard Jones, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust’s National Co-ordinator for Music and Performing Arts, will set the scene from a country-wide perspective.

Participants will hear about two schools that have achieved specialist status — the Judd School in Kent and Northampton School for Girls — from the leaders who got them there.

John Arkell, A-Level Principal Examiner for Music with Edexcel and Head of Academic Music at Oundle School in Cambridgeshire, will present the case for an alternative to A-Level Music, the Cambridge Pre-U.

Rebecca Duckworth, singing animateur at Ely Cathedral, will demonstrate how choir schools are reaching out into their communities as part of the Choir Schools’ Association’s national singing programme.

The day costs £60 (£50 ISM members). To download the seminar programme and booking form, please click here.

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Note to Editors: The Incorporated Society of Musicians is the UK’s professional body for musicians. It was founded in 1882 and aims to promote the art of music and uphold the honour and interests of the musical profession by protecting the interests of musicians, raising professional standards, and providing legal advice and other benefits to its members. Its 5,000 members include performers, composers, and music teachers, as well as others involved in the musical profession.

Contact: Callum Thomson, Marketing & Development Manager, t 020 7629 4413 / e callum@ism.org