Wednesday 4 March 2009

The Magnificent Seven

Dear Bryan and all,

I think the seven aims here are all key to Drake's future, and that increasing statutory funding from local authorities and government is the most pressing goal, not just for Drake's future financial sustainability.

Every child who is in full time education should have access to excellent music provision as a matter of course. Many LEAs and examining boards are way behind on this, despite their responsibilities under the DDA. They simply aren't reaching out to disabled young people, nor taking the initiative in training their staff or re-assessing the accessibility of their examinations. They seem to expect disabled young people to come to them. Barriers to participation and accreditation are not only concrete e.g. a lack of accessible, re-usable teaching materials, but also perceived i.e. are examining boards approachable? Is my music education treated as being as important as my English and Maths? 

Drake Music has so much experience and 'intellectual capital', being the national leader in this sector for 20 years. Our area of work is currently a priority topic in national music education and policy, and as such, we are in a key position to influence the debate and expand our work at this turning point! I'm extremely optimistic about our future, not just because of this latter point, but because Drake has such a committed and creative team of people trying to reach these goals.

It would be great to hear other Drake people's views on this debate

Jonathan




1 comment:

drakemusic said...

Thanks Jonathan -

Absolutely!

Bryan