Reflecting on the Music and Drama Education Awards
At the end of April, I had the privilege of attending the Music and Drama Education Awards as a finalist for the Francesca Henley Inspiration Award. This was an absolute honour, and it was a lovely evening with a good excuse to dress up fancy with some of the most important people in the VoxFresh world.
The awards brought together a diverse range of individuals and organizations from various backgrounds, including school music and drama departments, larger national organizations with large-scale initiatives, private peripatetic tutors, creators of printed resources, and more. The room was filled with truly inspirational people who are doing amazing things across the country in the arts sector.
Exploring the Role of VoxFresh in Music and Drama Education
As the evening progressed, I found myself having a bit of an identity crisis – what role does VoxFresh play in the music and drama education industry? And where do we sit within the Children’s Activity sector? Can we successfully have a prominent position in both these areas? These questions led me to think about what I consider ‘Education’ to be.
Academic education involves the progression of pupils through key skills in subjects such as English, maths, and science, with graded measures of success along their journey. This structure can be extended to the arts, in my case, music. Singers and instrumentalists can work their way through graded exams in a variety of styles with a number of accredited exam boards, being awarded with a level of success (Pass, Merit, or Distinction) and at higher levels, even accumulating UCAS points.
But is this all that education entails? As a young musician, I was part of several ensembles, both locally and nationally, and I would argue that these experiences taught me much more than just musical skills. I learned valuable life skills, such as self-confidence, teamwork, and communication, which are essential for success in any field.
Redefining Music Education
So, back to VoxFresh. Yes, we teach our young singers musical skills. They learn how to create and stick to harmonies, alongside vocal and musical techniques that can then be built upon as they spend time with us. But we don’t base our education on a graded exam system. Instead, we focus on delivering an exceptional education in confidence, relationships, commitment, time management, and what it feels like to be truly happy.
Can we fit into both the education and children’s activity sectors? I believe we can. The educational element of what we deliver is clear to see. Just because this isn’t the same formal type of education that many award recipients that night were delivering doesn’t mean it isn’t there. And our singer-focused fun session delivery lands us in the children’s activity sector very comfortably. We’re very lucky to be able to impact our singers to the extent we do, and I feel privileged to work in an environment where that impact is so clear to see.
For more information on what music education means to us, you can read our full article Here
