Practical Handbook for Parents and Pupils 2021-23

A practical guide to instrumental and vocal lessons

This short practical guide to instrumental and vocal lessons at The Portsmouth Grammar School is designed to help you and your son/daughter as they embark on the exciting, challenging, fun and rewarding journey of learning a musical instrument.

It sits alongside the music calendar and the PGS Music Department website which details the schedule of concerts, masterclasses, trips and rehearsals that form the vibrant and varied musical life of the school. With over 60 concerts a year and more than 40 ensembles, there are plenty of opportunities for pupils to get involved.

The broader educational benefits of learning an instrument and participating in ensembles are well documented. Furthermore, they are recognised by universities, both through UCAS points, and in personal statements and interviews. However, the experience is valuable on so many other levels and, with commitment and perseverance, will be hugely rewarding both during school years and long after.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss your son/daughter’s musical progress.

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION: LESSONS

Please note, all Visiting Music Teachers are self-employed and the contract for lessons is directly between you and the VMT. These guidelines have been drawn up in consultation with all VMTs.

Lesson length

Lessons last thirty minutes and are taught on a one-to-one basis. In some cases, it may be beneficial for pupils to receive a longer lesson, in which case the instrumental/vocal teacher will contact parents directly.

Cost of lessons

From September 2022 lessons will cost £200 per term, approximately ten lessons being taught each term. Owing to school timetable constraints, in some terms it is not always possible to achieve ten lessons, but the Visiting Music Teachers will always ensure that a total of thirty is taught during an academic school year. Payment should be made to the Visiting Music Teacher, who will invoice you directly after lessons have commenced. Please ensure that invoices are settled within seven days as this is our VMTs’ source of income.

Music scholars and exhibitioners

In the case of Music Scholars, Exhibitioners, Award holders and pupils studying A level music, the Visiting Music Teacher will invoice the school for any lessons included in the scholarship, exhibition or award (up to the cost of ten thirty-minute lessons per term). Please note that notice to cease these lessons is still a full term (see below) otherwise you may be liable to pay the notice period.

Notice to discontinue lessons

Please note that a full term’s notice in writing addressed to the VMT (and copied to the Director of Music so we can keep our records up to date) is needed if you wish your son/daughter to discontinue lessons.

· to cease at the end of the Autumn Term 2021, notice must be given by Mon 6 September 2021.

· to cease at the end of the Spring Term 2022, notice must be given by Wed 5 January 2022.

· to cease at the end of the Summer Term 2022, notice must be given by Tues 19 April 2022.

· to cease at the end of the Autumn Term 2022, notice must be given by Mon 5 September 2022.

· to cease at the end of the Spring Term 2023, notice must be given by Tues 10 January 2023.

· to cease at the end of the Summer Term 2023, notice must be given by Tues 18 April 2023.

Continuation of lessons and Summer Term teaching for y11 and y13

If your son or daughter is in Year 9 and entering Year 10, or in Year 11 and entering the Sixth Form, instrumental tuition with their same instrumental teacher will automatically continue into the next academic year. If your son or daughter is in year 11 or year 13 instrumental tuition will continue during the Summer Term examination period unless you have made alternative arrangements for the scheduling of lessons directly with your child’s instrumental teacher.

Additional Teachers

For reasons of professional courtesy and to prevent conflicting teaching methods, your child should only be taught by one teacher. If additional lessons are given on your child’s instrument by other teachers the VMT reserves the right to cancel lessons immediately. Any outstanding fees will be forfeited.

Missed music lessons

If a pupil is unable to attend their lesson, they should advise their teacher as soon as possible, and at least 24 hours before the lesson. In this way, it is often possible to re-schedule the lesson.

Any scheduled lesson which is not attended will incur the full charge unless the music teacher is responsible for cancelling the lesson. It is the responsibility of the pupil or parent to inform the teacher of other times when they are unavailable to be taught of which the teacher cannot reasonably be expected to be aware.

We monitor all missed lessons and send out an advisory letter to parents after two consecutive missed lessons or three missed lessons in any one term. If a pupil is absent from school through illness then this is also counted as a missed lesson. If the Visiting Music Teacher is absent for any reason then the music lesson will be re-scheduled.

If a pupil suffers a major illness or injury which results in the pupil being unable to play for a period in excess of three weeks, the agreement is frozen and no charge will be made for lessons following the first lesson after the injury or illness, provided that the VMT has been informed. Since the first lesson after the injury would have been scheduled before the injury, there is a charge for this lesson.

Should the school be closed for any reason (eg snow) the VMT is not obliged to reschedule this lesson, though may do so if time allows.

Lesson times

Times of lessons (usually on a rotating timetable) and any changes will be communicated on SOCS. Lesson times should be agreed at the end of each lesson, at which point a firm commitment is made by the pupil, but it is the pupil’s responsibility to check the timetable on SOCS regularly.

Lessons for pupils in year 12 and 13 will be scheduled to occur during their study periods or outside of academic lesson time. For other year groups, a rotating timetable is used to ensure that the same academic lesson is not missed in consecutive weeks.

Students should contact the member of academic staff whose lesson they will be missing to attend their music lesson at least 24 hours before the music lesson as a matter of courtesy.

The School Policy on Instrumental Music Lessons states that pupils should not, except in exceptional circumstances, be prevented from attending an instrumental music lesson. If this occurs, please inform the Director of Music who will investigate further.

COMMUNICATION WITH PUPILS

Any contact between the Visiting Music Teachers and pupils will be by school e mail to remind them of lesson times or arrangements for concerts.

APPROPRIATE PHYSICAL CONTACT IN LESSONS

Occasionally, appropriate physical contact may be considered helpful in instrumental music teaching. This may include helping pupils to adopt the correct hand position or arm movement.

In all instances, the Visiting Music Teacher will clearly explain to the pupil the reason for this contact, and ask their permission.

If at any stage pupils or parents have concerns then they are encouraged to contact the Director of Music or a member of the Senior Management Team.

ON LINE MUSIC LESSONS

Where situations prevent instrumental and vocal lessons being delivered in person, the Music Department protocol for the safe delivery of these is as follows. These protocols have been developed in consultation with the VMTs and School Safe Guarding team.

1) Google Meet is the only platform that should be offered for 1-1 remote video lessons with PGS pupils.

2) Safeguarding during 1-1 teaching: In order to safeguard both the Visiting Music Teacher and your children we ask that:

a) Parents are present at the start of all conference calls (so that parental presence can be confirmed), and ideally end them too, as well as remain either in the same room, or nearby, throughout the lesson.

b) pupils are dressed appropriately and are working in a suitable environment; they should not be in a bedroom for example. Google Meet now offers the feature of blurring backgrounds to offer further privacy.

c) the same standards of behaviour as in school are expected.

3) 1 to 1 Music Lessons will be scheduled (for 30 minutes) as usual during the school day. Pupils will:

a) Notify their subject teacher by email in the normal way that they have an instrumental lesson during their scheduled lesson, and catch up any missed work afterwards.

b) The pupil may re-join the academic lesson once the music lesson has ended.

4) Timetabling of lessons: The same procedures apply for VMTs scheduling lessons as during term time when the school is normal session.

a) VMTs will endeavour to ensure that lessons are rotated fairly around the subjects.

b) A level pupils will be taught during study periods, breaktimes or before or after school.

c) Games lessons:

i) For the duration of the period of remote learning, pupils may be taught during games lessons, as long as the physical activity required of the pupil is completed at another time in one session

ii) Pupils should excuse themselves from the games/PE lesson by emailing the Director of Sport at least 24 hours in advance.

5) Teaching hours:

a) Normal teaching hours apply during the school day (0830-1545)

b) Pupils may be taught outside these hours using Google Meet as long as parental permission is specifically gained for this and a mutually convenient and acceptable time can be found; this must be discussed with the parent, and not the pupil.

6) Scheduling of lessons:

a) The request for a Google Meet lesson must come from the VMT, not the pupil.

b) The pupil’s PGS email address must be used for this.

7) Missed lessons:

a) The usual terms and conditions apply for missed lessons (please refer to your contract with the VMT)

b) We have suggested that the VMTs discuss with you their preferred course of action relating to lessons where technological faults cause disruption to the teaching.

To join the lessons please make sure of the following beforehand:

· That you are using Google Chrome as the browser.

· That your child has signed into his or her school Google account using his or her PGS email address (you will know if you are signed in as you will be able to access your school Google Drive and Google Classroom. Google Meet will appear as one of the apps in the list of apps at the top right of your screen).

· If using an iPad or other surface it would be worth downloading the Google Meet app.

· Join the Google Classroom that your child’s instrumental teacher will have set up, or be setting up for you.

· If you are having trouble joining the Google Meet this is likely to be down to one of two reasons:

· The Music Teacher has not yet started the meeting. In which case please email the music teacher (using their school email address) and check they are ready to start the lesson.

· Your device is not logged into your PGS Google Account - check that you are logged in and that your device has not logged you out or switched to your private Google account.

The procedure for joining lessons will be:

· Your instrumental teacher will notify you of your lesson time in the usual way. Please note that a little flexibility may be required as the instrumental teachers will be working from home and many have their own caring arrangements to work around as well as work in other institutions.

· An email will be sent to the pupil and copied to parents with the 'nickname' for the Google Meet to be used at the times on the timetable. The same Google Meet nickname will be used for the whole term. It is only active when the teacher has signed on to the meeting, it is unique to each pupil and it will not be shared with anybody else.

· Just prior to the advertised lesson time, the Meet using the unique nickname will be started. At the advertised lesson time pupils open the Google Meet app and enter the nickname to join the meet.

· At the end of the meeting the pupil leaves the meet or is signed out by the teacher. This Meet will be inactive until the teacher reactivates it for the next lesson.

Recommendations for 1-1 Teaching (technology and setup):

Devices:

Best devices are iPads (or similar), laptop (with either in-built camera or external camera) or desktop with external camera as long as the screen can be positioned so the pupil can see the image clearly. We have trialled this with iPad and laptop successfully. Google Meet works best through the Google Chrome browser, so we recommend using the latest version (free) of this. We ran this over WiFi successfully. If using a laptop and there is an option for a direct ethernet connection to a router this can resolve any connection issues.

Positioning of camera:

Make sure that the camera is placed so that the instrument can be seen clearly. Make sure the room is well-lit but there is not direct light shining from behind you (into the camera lens). If you have two devices you can log them both into the Google Meet and have two camera angles (remember to turn the audio off one of the devices to prevent feedback).

Sound:

Check that you have allowed Google Meet to access your camera, microphone and speakers. You do not need additional sound equipment, in our trials the iPad speakers and mic worked well. Headphones can make the sound clearer, although the leads can get in the way! There can sometimes be latency (lag) on bluetooth headphones, so beware of this as a possible cause of any strange behaviour.

During the lesson:

The lesson can run as a normal lesson. It is worth agreeing on a stop sign as it can sometimes be difficult to hear when you are playing - you may want to consider using headphones if this helps and the leads do not interfere with your playing. Pupils will need to listen a little more closely to instructions. It may be useful to have a metronome to hand (there are metronome apps available free for android and apple devices).

You may find the short video we made about these lessons useful. It includes an introduction from me, some clips of Google Meet lessons with pupils, interviews with two of our pupils and VMTs about the process of these lessons: https://youtu.be/gFc1-Op-xlk

ENSEMBLES AND CONCERTS

Ensembles

Rehearsing and performing with others is one of the most satisfying and rewarding aspects of learning an instrument, can be hugely motivational and helps to develop a wide range of musical skills. Similarly, aural skills (essential for any musician) are developed best through regularly singing with others.

There is a wide range of ensembles at all levels throughout PGS and we strongly encourage all pupils to get involved. These range from small chamber groups of only three or four pupils, up to the largest ensembles which number over 70.

Please encourage your son/daughter to take part in a group. If they are not sure which group is for them, or has an idea for another group that they think we should start up, please let me know!

Commitment is an essential part of being in an ensemble. Aside from being an important attribute in its own right, commitment of ensemble members is necessary to allow ensembles to function and for all pupils to find the experience enjoyable and rewarding. Therefore, pupils are expected to attend all applicable rehearsals and concerts. In the event of a clash with another activity, it is the responsibility of the pupil to talk to the member of staff in charge of the ensemble, or the Director of Music. In virtually every situation it will be possible to come to a suitable arrangement and in all cases it is best for this to be arranged between members of staff rather than pupils feeling obliged to negotiate themselves.

Full details of ensembles and other groups are advertised each term in the Music Department Diary, the Music Website https://sites.google.com/pgs.org.uk/pgsmusic/home and in the Yellow Book.

Performing in concerts

A considerable number of large and small scale concerts are held regularly throughout the academic year, giving pupils of all ages and abilities the chance to perform, both as soloists and in groups.

Concerts are advertised to instrumental teachers at the end of the previous term, at which point they recommend pupils to perform in concerts. Additionally, all concerts are advertised in the Yellow Book, the Music Department Termly Diary and Music Website https://sites.google.com/pgs.org.uk/pgsmusic/home . If a pupil would like to play in a particular concert, or would like advice about which concert would be most suitable for them, they are encouraged to talk to their instrumental teacher or to the Director of Music.

Some concerts are particularly suitable for pupils studying for music GCSE, A level or IB Music, in which case these pupils have priority in these concerts. Academic music teachers usually organise these concerts in consultation with the pupils.

Except in exceptional circumstances, pupils are expected to stay for the duration of a concert in which they are involved, in order to support their fellow performers and as a matter of courtesy. We would also ask that parents who are attending stay for the duration of a concert.

MUSIC EXAMINATIONS

For most pupils, Associated Board, London College and Trinity Laban exams are a useful goal and we should like to encourage pupils to prepare for these where they are appropriate. There are, though, times when it is best to move away from these, sometimes temporarily, to reduce a pupil’s stress levels and/or clashes with other exam entries to work on different repertoire.

Exam entry

Pupils are entered for examinations by their instrumental teachers, following advice and recommendations by their instrumental teacher. If a pupil learns outside school, they should always feel able to enter at school if this makes life easier. A Google entry form will be opened on the Department website and completed by parents. The entry cost will be added to the school bill. Parents will be notified by e mail when these forms are ‘live’.

Frequency of exams

There are usually three sessions in the school each academic year, generally in late-November, late-March and in late June / early July.

The dates for examinations are listed in the Yellow Book.

Accompaniment

It is the responsibility of the pupil (in consultation with their instrumental teacher) to contact Miss Kingsley if they require accompanying and to arrange a rehearsal. This contact should be made as soon as the entry is made. For examinations within school sessions, accompaniment is currently offered at no extra charge.

Withdrawal from an exam

Entry to an exam is at all times subject to satisfactory progress and the pupil may be withdrawn at any time upon the advice of both the instrumental teacher and the Director of Music. Such advice will have been given in writing or by phone to the parent and will only occur as a last resort. Pupils and parents will be advised about concerns in advance. In such circumstance the examination fee would be forfeited.

Please be aware that if a pupil withdraws from an exam, the fee is only partially refundable on presentation of a doctor’s note. Whilst it may be in the best interests of the pupil not to take an exam and fail it, they will not necessarily be given a refund. This is one reason why parent, teacher and candidate should be confident of the future success in an exam at the time of entry.

Advice

All music teachers are happy to give advice about preparing for practical music exams. Additionally, the ABRSM has published full information about its procedures, which is available on the website.

Aural preparation

Pupils are offered booster aural classes at Grades 5-8, co-ordinated by the School Organist and organ scholar. These occur at various times of the week and are advertised in the department. They should not be seen as a replacement for what should be being covered in an instrumental lesson. Additionally, Grade 8 candidates are strongly advised to organise additional one-to-one sessions to prepare for the substantial requirements at this level. These can be arranged in consultation with the School Organist.

It is expected that all pupils preparing for exams in Grade 5-8 will attend additional aural preparation, unless their instrumental teacher confirms that this is not required.

Aural training videos are available on the Music Department website to assist with preparation.

Music Theory Exams

Group theory classes are offered to all pupils at no extra cost, particularly those preparing for Grade 5 ABRSM Music Theory. These are administrated by the School Organist. The Grade 5 theory exam is offered each term. Additional individual tuition can be arranged as necessary, for which there may be an extra charge.

SHEET MUSIC

Sheet music must be purchased by the pupil, as suggested by the teacher or may be ordered through the Music Department separately and charged to your school bill. The school has an arrangement with Forwoods Music for purchasing music (with a 15% discount) – details of this are available separately.

PRACTICE

In order for your son/daughter to make progress on their instrument, it is essential that regular practice occurs; this should be daily. Short regular focused practice periods are the most effective. Every individual is different and concentration spans vary so finding the right balance for your child is important. Your child’s instrumental teacher will be able to help advise, but as a general guideline, aim for 10 minutes 5 or 6 days a week for beginners up to grade 1, increasing by 10 minutes per grade. Find a good time to practice (ideally the same time each day) – it may be worth splitting practice into two shorter periods within a day. Practice smarter so that sessions focus on solving individual issues rather than simply playing through complete pieces all the time. There will be occasions when time is short and practice is difficult to fit in some days, but even 5 minutes is valuable as playing a musical instrument is as much about muscle memory as it is about training the brain. Additional advice can be found on the Music Department website. Regularity of training is the key to developing this.

REPORTING ON PROGRESS

There is an optional VMT Parents’ Evening each year in January. Professional work permitting, VMTs may be available to attend this to meet with you. If you have any queries regarding your son/daughter’s progress we recommend contacting your child’s VMT in the first instance.

Parents should always feel able to contact the instrumental teacher to discuss any specific areas of concern throughout the year. Any such concern is usually best addressed promptly.

Many VMTs use a practice notebook to summarise lesson content, progress and targets for the coming week. This can also be a useful means of communicating with your child’s music teacher and a way of keeping up to date with your child’s musical development. Some VMTs have a Google Classroom for their instrumental lessons where details of lesson times, practice notes and other resources are stored digitally.

CARE OF INSTRUMENTS

Instruments, Cases and Sheet Music

Please make absolutely sure that instrument cases, sheet music folders and other sundry items are fully named. Not to do this makes it difficult for us to track which instrument belongs to whom. It also discourages borrowing of other people’s instruments, which is against the school rules.

Insurance

Parents are recommended to explore whether their child’s instrument is covered by their existing household insurance, or whether specialist insurance is required. Specialist insurers include: Allianz Cornhill Musical Insurance (0870 240 0303) www.musical-insurance.co.uk and E & L Insurance (0870 742 3710) www.eandl.co.uk

Missing instruments

If an instrument cannot be found, please contact Mrs Fretwell (the department administrator), who will advise the Director of Music but who will also help the pupil to find the instrument at the time of asking. In the majority of cases, the instrument is found soon afterwards. If the instrument is not found within 24 hours, a member of the teaching staff will also spend some time looking for the instrument and will need to know the following things:

• if the instrument is named

• the colour of the case

• the serial number of the instrument, if known

• distinguishing marks

• the last time the instrument was seen

• where the instrument was last seen

STORAGE OF INSTRUMENTS

A school music locker can be requested from the Music Administrator. There is a charge of £5.00 for lost keys.

If pupils keep their instruments in the Band Store, instruments should be taken home at the end of each term so that the area can be maintained. Please ensure that instruments are removed when a pupil leaves school; we can accept no liability for instruments left at school. If an instrument is named, every effort will be made to contact the owner to arrange return of the instrument. Otherwise, the instrument will be disposed of, due to limited storage facilities.

Brass and woodwind instruments should be stored in the Band Store.

String instruments (including guitars) should be stored on the racks in the basement.

HIRE OF SCHOOL INSTRUMENTS

If available, it may be possible to hire a school instrument. A hire form is available from the Music Administrator. The termly charges for this are as follows:

Violin, viola, clarinet, flute, guitar, trumpet - £30.00

Cello, double bass, saxophone, tuba, trombone, horn, euphonium, bass guitar plus amp - £40.00

Bassoon - £45.00