Many young people who achieve their Bronze Arts Award do so within their KS3 curriculum work in school or achieve it while they are in these year groups (ages 11-14). Schools many want to link their KS3 curriculum to a qualification, or Music Hubs and Services supporting schools may want to use these resources to add value to programmes they offer to their partner schools. Music organisations running projects or programmes in or out of schools can use Arts Award as an accreditation option, tailored to their offer.
For schools, Arts Award can support many areas of the KS3 Music Curriculum, music tuition and other musical endeavours, and can provide young people with evidence of progression and achievement within or outside of a school curriculum. Arts Award is a unique framework allowing young people to progress and achieve when other assessment frameworks may look to restrict or constrain their creativity and range of musical skills. Completing an Arts Award can act as a motivator for young people who may be struggling to engage in traditional music structures or in the classroom, and can be a great way of providing evidence of measurable impact for pupils in receipt of the Pupil Premium. Conversely, offering Arts Award can offer stretch and challenge opportunities to more able students, as well as linking effectively to existing extra-curricular activities such as a school choir, band or orchestra.
Arts Award can also be used as a qualification that recognises instruments and music genres and styles not covered by traditional grade exams, including adapted instruments and music created using assistive technology. It is also a qualification with skills development embedded within it, helping young people to build their metacognitive, teamwork and leadership skills – and more!
For a music focussed Arts Award young people will:
Whether you are working with young people with KS3 music curriculum, or as a peripatetic music tutor or ensemble / music group leader the Arts Award framework is a flexible option, and can sit within and alongside your existing delivery.
For music tutors this can support students taking grade exams – for example an accomplished young violinist might be challenged to create their own composition to help develop their communication and interpretation of music – researching a professional violinist can help finding out about technical skills. A music student who struggles with traditional music grades - or another who is developing skills on an instrument or genre not recognised can demonstrate progression and achieve a qualification.
Our KS3 music guide and template portfolio fits with all parts of Bronze Arts Award, which can provide a framework for lesson planning including blended or remote learning. Our webinar on delivering in the new normal takes you through some of these delivery styles.
Taking part (Part A) can include any style or genre, any musical instrument or voice – as well as digital sound production and creative composition – in groups or as individuals, at home, at school, in a club or group or online.
Listening to music (Part B) can be live or online, and performers can be professional, peer groups or voluntary groups – from orchestras and choirs to pop singers and grime artists.
Sharing opinions (Part B) about music they have listened to can be in any format, from a class discussion to a mini review posted on a school website or newsletter; or by sharing with family and friends.
Researching (Part C) someone gives young people an opportunity to find out about someone who inspires them – whether this is a professional musician or music teacher, or a family member or friend who is a musician or music producer.
Preparing (Part D) how to pass on a musical skill, which could be anything from teaching someone how to record a track on a DAW to leading a creative vocal warm up, helps young people identify their own prior learning and knowledge and create a plan to pass it on. Skills can be passed on using a wide range of methods, from buddying up (I teach – you teach) to creating online or paper based “how to” guides – or even leading part of a lesson in a group or class.
Arts Award has successfully been delivered remotely, including online for many years, and the platforms that schools, music tutors and organisations are using to interact with young people are suitable for all parts of Arts Award.
If required, young people can access all the opportunities and resources they need to achieve Bronze Arts Award with music from home, by communicating with their Arts Award adviser remotely by email, phone, online or even by post, and by interacting with members of their household. There are no parts of Bronze Arts Award that absolutely require live interaction or experiences. And whilst the ethos of Arts Award is to encourage young people to explore and experience the arts in the widest sense there are many opportunities to take part in and find out about music using a blended learning approach, or when restrictions require delivery of remote education or activities. Often blended or remote activity can open doors to a wide range of opportunities. For example:
Find our more about blended learning opportunities with Bronze here
While Bronze Arts Award is a great stand-alone Level 1 qualification for young people, it doesn’t have to stop here!
Silver Arts Award is the next step on the Arts Award journey, a Level 2 qualification designed for young people aged 14+. This is a step up from Bronze, and asks young people to lead their own project, developing leadership and organisational skills, as well as giving them an authentic taste of what it might be like to work in the industry. They could create a music magazine, run a battle of the bands night, create their own recording or help to organise a concert.
Young people who are keen musicians may also want to consider taking a graded music exam, or add Arts Award to their current grade exam journey. Arts Award is run by the international exam board Trinity College London, and we offer grades for all classical and jazz and rock and pop instruments. So there will be something of interest to all musicians, at the level they are capable of achieving.
Young musicians can choose whether they want to take a face to face exam, or enter via our Digital Grades and Diplomas route – giving them even more control over their submission and the content of their exam.
For those working with more unusual instruments or music technology, our Performance Arts syllabus also presents a route for these individuals to gain a graded qualification in their chosen artform.
Voice Mag is Arts Award’s partner for young people, and provides an Arts Award hub with resources, interviews with professionals, and a platform for young people to share their work
BBC Ten Pieces Arts Award and BBC Ten Pieces are working together to support schools who would like to deliver Arts Award’s unique qualifications alongside their Ten Pieces Project
Friday Afternoons is a Snape Maltings led singing project connecting teachers and young people with contemporary composers, through creating free high quality repertoire and resources which include Arts Award – and a set of links for finding out about contemporary composers
Organisations bearing the Arts Award Supporter badge offer activities, events, expertise or resources which help young people working towards their Arts Award. There is a searchable directory, and music organisations include:
Sound and Music is a national organisation for new music provides opportunities and resources for educators and young people to empower them to compose and create their own music
Live Music Now provide concerts, workshops and residencies in special schools and can support Arts Award
Inspire Works have provided free body percussion teacher resources which are mapped to Arts Award
Many music education hubs and services across the UK support Arts Award in schools and ensembles – get in touch with your hub or service to find out more
The Arts Award adviser hub provides a searchable directory or resources, a blog with case studies and examples, and an online booking request form for free support
If you are a Music Hub or Service and would like to discuss working with Arts Award, get in touch for further support and guidance.
