Having been a distinctly underwhelming ‘A’ level student, I found myself at university where, as an undergraduate, I specialised in performance (piano). As a result of a superb experience with inspirational tutors and a good all-round course (thank you Hull University) something shifted. I graduated with a degree that opened doors and, after completing a PGCE and teaching in a secondary school for a couple of years, I went onto study for an MPhil in Musicology at Queens’ College, Cambridge. As I completed my postgraduate studies I had my first taste of  ‘A’ level teaching. A school nearby needed someone to stand in at short notice to work with the ‘A’ level students who had found themselves long-term without a teacher. We really needed to crack on and I very much enjoyed devising strategies to get things back on track. I also remember particularly identifying with those students who, like myself, took a bit longer to have that lightbulb moment.  When I set a task I always did it myself, and was quite open with the students about the “bits” that I too found challenging (the message being that we all have to work at it). These habits have stayed with me: happy acceptance that academically speaking there are few quick fixes! If you are a student reading this, that’s not to say, however, that consciously and consistently we should’t aim to hone our study skills.

I secured my first permanent post teaching ‘A’ Level Music at a sixth form in the South of England but missing wild terrain and mountains moved back up North in 1996 to become Head of Music at an FE college. That first September there was an intake of just six students. Once again, there hadn’t been a permanent teacher for a while and so there was a lot to sort out, a reputation to restore and a remit to bring what was described to me at interview as “a struggling third division club into the premier league”. By 2005 we had an intake of sixty students onto the ‘A’ Level Music course (three groups of twenty students in Year 1). Results reflected the high proportion of students who went onto study Music at either university or one of the music colleges. But equally important for me was that no one was left behind. That year I was awarded the Department for Education and Skills “Further Education Tutor of Year” STAR Award for my role in developing the Music Department at the college.  As a result I found myself asked to share our  “strategic approach”.  What can I say? It basically boiled down to “proper understanding”! Proper understanding = motivation =  guaranteed progress. 

As it happens my favourite bit of the course to teach is the written (history and aural) paper which is notoriously the module where some students struggle with “proper understanding“, “motivation” and hence “guaranteed progress“.  There are a multitude of reasons why this might be the case: perhaps not properly understanding how music “works” which in turn makes it difficult to appreciate what information is relevant. Or, struggling to get ideas down on paper and not knowing how to improve. It might be something much more fundamental like a lack of self belief (the wherewithal to keep going when the going gets tough) or a lack of organisation (somewhat easier to deal with) or effort (…hmm). All too often it can be down to not understanding what understanding is: a flawed approach whereby a student thinks they have “covered” a topic, but in actual fact they have skirted over the surface and gained very little from doing so. As far as lack of effort is concerned, I know myself that if I am really struggling to understand something it can be difficult to find the motivation to continue. So, strategies that ensure what I call  “proper understanding”.  I love to see students have lightbulb moments. But more importantly, empowering them to take charge of this themselves. The resources on this website, I believe, help them to do this. You can read a bit more about “the strategy” here. 

I would like to say that this approach and the resulting resources are based on some carefully-honed research. They’re not! Often a resource might simply arise as a response to student assignments that I am marking. While I have a carefully-crafted scheme of work, I find myself unable to stick doggedly to it. We often pause and might even take a bit of an unexpected detour in order to truly understand something. Yes there are exams and targets, but what you will find here I hope, first and foremost, reflects the joyous experience of sharing a love of music and how it works. Here’s to lightbulb moments!