Education

“ For most people engagement with music is

emotional.

We like (or dislike) a particular piece of music

because of how it makes us feel.

And yet, our emotional response to music is rarely

discussed in the classroom. “

David Trouton

For the last 20 years, supported by the Youth Music Initiative and encouraged by the Scottish Government’s Curriculum for Excellence agenda, I have been continually developing an emotional response – led approach to music-making in local schools.

What began as a school visit to share my experience of composing music for theatre is now a comprehensive programme of workshops and courses that have proven to be both inspiring and accessible – harnessing children’s intuitive understanding of music to help them listen and learn.

There is no doubt that music plays an important part in all our lives, and especially in the lives of children and adolescents. Yet there is a disparity between the personal engagement young people have with music and the number who take up and develop that engagement through studying music as part of the school curriculum.

Why is it that children who express a passionate love for their personal music preferences cannot translate that engagement into active participation, with all the attendant benefits that can bring?

Historically, music education has focused on the cognitive aspects of technique, form, structure and notation, and the appreciation of music is taught through historical and cultural context.

In film, theatre and television, music is used to deliberately effect our emotions so that we may empathise with how a character is feeling or experience a sense of happiness, fear, excitement or melancholy in a given situation.

In advertising, music has become a powerful tool for manipulating the way we connect with products or services.

This is our normal everyday experience of music, and one that children understand and relate to with passion and enthusiasm.

By connecting music with story narratives, music-making can become even more accessible, intuitive…and fun.

Details of the workshops and courses can be found by browsing the drop-down menu in the Education section of the website.