NOW's system.
Background:
Now’s unique Learning System is actual pretty fast track and has an integrated 3 level programme of training with performing Wind Orchestras. The 3 levels tack people from beginner to grade 6 in 3 to 4 years: Which is quite rapid progress and in this regard is comparable with private lessons but not with the price.
Before we understand why NOW is developing such a system and how it works, we need to find out a bit about NOW’s Musical Director.
Andrew’s background:
The idea for this unique system came from NOW’s Musical Director Andrew Bassey, a professional trained musician and teacher with over 25 years experience. Andrew came to Northampton in 1997 to take up a woodwind post with the Northamptonshire’s award winning Music Service NMPAS, having just returned from nearly 3 years as principal bassoon in 2 South African orchestras. Andrew studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and graduated in 1983. Andrew was not from a musical family in fact he was brought up on a poor council estate in Manchester, and musical instrument tuition was not available at his local junior school. However, Andrew started his musical training at the age of six in the Salvation Army on a cornet (a brass instrument like the trumpet), becoming a regular soloist at the age of nine. Andrew went on to learn to a high level all the instruments of the brass band by the time he was twelve. He took up the bassoon at 16 and within 6 months Andrew was principal bassoon in the Manchester Youth Orchestra, reaching grade 8 standard and performing Weber’s Bassoon Concerto within one year of starting. Andrew had an absorbing interest in all musical instruments and while at college completed an ‘Art of Teaching All Woodwind Instruments’ course for all woodwind instruments, each instrument was taught by top college professors. Andrew also took up conducting at the RNCM. Since leaving his music college, Andrew has had a varied career in teaching, conducting and professional bassoon playing.
Andrew’s teaching:
Andrew has been concerned for many years about the lack of opportunities in music for ordinary people in our communities who cannot afford private lessons. While teaching in Northampton Schools Andrew managed to get most of his pupils beyond grade 3 and over half beyond grade 5. In fact Andrew was the most successful of all NMPAS teachers having over 120 examination candidates per year. Many reached grade 8 with distinctions on all woodwind instruments including one flute player Jemima Clarke who gained a dipABRSM (that’s a diploma beyond grade 8) on her flute at the age of sixteen. Jemima was probably the youngest dipABRSM flute ever in this county of Northamptonshire. Andrew’s ensembles and bands in schools and Trinity Centre were regularly performing in local festivals and gaining fantastic results, as were his many pupils in Solo classes. In Andrew’s time as teacher there was a significant increase in the amount of woodwind players taking exams and involved in the local festival, a direct result of Andrew’s labours in Northampton schools. Andrew’s hours in the schools progressively rose every year as he was very focused on the children developing in the schools. Within the first 4 years Andrew made enough hours to employ another member of staff. NSGs allocated woodwind teaching time leapt from five to eighteen hours in 3 years of teaching there, and Andrew’s work was key to this increase. The numbers of woodwind at the school also contributed to their gaining of Music College Status.
A Creaking System:
Even though Andrew worked tirelessly in the schools, he noticed that what was happening would never really benefit everyone, but always the very few. Overall (across the whole music service) about 70% of children were giving up before they reached grade 1. The system in schools provided by the music service is too expensive, bureaucratic and elitist and everything seemed to support the County Groups System and not the schools themselves. Music Services have benefited from large sums of government funding which with the money paid by parents in schools for lessons and direct to County Council for county groups creates a massive surplus which is regularly used by the County Council to help support other activities like social services, health and education. After all this tax payer support few children are learning instruments in real terms and the community side is very negatively impacted as many of the children that have been involved to high levels give up when at University with sadly so few ever picking up the instrument again and the so few of the others on the other extreme never reach grade 1. Most players that have been though the county system will find the community groups too easy and do not want to support for that reason.
As there are so few players that join the community groups that have played before, Andrew feels it is now essential to look to the massive 95% that have NEVER had the opportunity to learn, and to those few that have had an opportunity and have not got very far, and not forgetting those very good players who have been traditionally bored with Community groups giving them better and higher quality.
Birth of NOW:
In 2004 Andrew’s son was diagnosed with Autism and Andrew and his wife Anne wanted to help him at home and they wished to allocate mornings for that purpose. Unfortunately NMPAS would not allow Andrew to reduce his hours to ½ time, it had to be all or nothing, so he was forced to resign. This gave Andrew and his family a unique opportunity and Andrew now had the time to develop sometime different. On 15th October 2005 NOW was born. 9 players attended the first practise most from Northampton Concert Band that Andrew used to conduct.
Difficulties:
This enterprise was fraught with tremendous difficulties and Andrew knew that he would be viewed with suspicion, mistrust, and opposition by many including the Music Service but he carried on regard less. There were of course tremendous hurdles to climb particularly having NO external funding stream to call on. Advertising and promotion were difficult as many people had been put off playing instruments by the existing system and it just looked like Andrew was doing what other music schools were doing. Many others were not even thinking of playing an instrument.
Costs:
The cost of running NOW is shouldered by Andrew. The initial costs for music run into thousands, not to mention equipment and ongoing advertising as well as the renting of rooms and hiring of venues etc. NOW has to remain cheap so that many can indeed have the opportunity to learn.
Andrew and Anne run a son-rise programme for Matthew and have had very good results. NOW’s performing ensembles contain colours related to sunrise – red, orange and yellow. The beauty of the early morning Sunrise represents optimism and hope, this seem a good metaphor for NOW so it was adopted.
Andrew also wanted a system that would be efficient, effective, and affordable and not subject to bureaucracy or politics that could include everyone in the community - something simple that was based on the American system. From a teaching system point of view the schools Wider Opportunities was not the answer as it is still very expensive (at least 3 fully paid staff members for 30 children) and there is not enough time for 7 - 8 year olds to sufficiently understand and develop, as it typically runs for one hour a week and funding runs out after 2 or 3 terms. Although more children start instruments and continue still most give up when the funding stops. Good practice in America revealed that where the programme was very successful children had a band class every day for 40 minutes – just like Maths and English! That’s 3 hours 20 minutes a week with one teacher teaching all the band instruments. This was simple, affordable and effective.
Meeting everyday is impossible within the community but one hour a week is clearly not enough. 2 hours a once a week seemed a better option with NOW and backed up with some daily home study is proving to be very effective. Younger children are advised to come with a parent and they can learn together with their children.
As Andrew has experience teaching and playing all Band instruments this would help efficiency and keep costs down.
NOW is a private business:
Nobody likes bureaucracy or bad politics creeping into any community ensemble, unfortunately it is very likely with most groups as the players will run themselves though a committee and the musical director will have little say in what goes on. Andrew desires that NOW remains with its income coming from membership fees and some income from performances and concerts as a private business and will therefore not receive state funding from the LA, Government or Arts Council (Arts Council cannot help NOW because it is a business). More advanced players are urged to remember that NOW is not like ordinary community bands and is very much part of a teaching/learning institution: this is vital to grasp so that those groups do not descend into politics as NOW must remain both fun and educational for everyone. However the performing ensembles will have a voluntary committee to help with organising events and publicity.
The future:
NOW aims to have the whole system up and thriving by September 2012. The Training Winds coming on stream in September 2011. You are encouraged to join. Each performing group must have about 80 players to really thrive.
NOW it is fun to learn this way so why not join up today!
Thank you for reading this. Please learn an instrument, tell others or book a group for you event – preferably all 3!
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