Creating a Musical School – David Bray (Oxford Music Education Series)

1. Foreword by Howard Goodall
2. Case study of the UK’s first specialist music college
3. Practical and accessible
4. For all those with an interest in music education, including teachers and policy-makers
5. Stimulating, challenging, and engaging
6. Chapters contributed by Sharon Green (Learning Adviser for Music, Northamptonshire County Council) and Diana Pearman (Deputy Head Teacher at Northampton School for Girls)

This book looks at two years in the life of the UK’s first Specialist Music College – the Northampton School for Girls – and sets the development of this school against what we know about other schools often described as ‘musical’. The author also sets out a wider context of local and national developments in education, and challenges myths about musical children and the idea that some children never succeed in music. This book does not provide easy answers but, in an entertaining and thought-provoking way, challenges the reader to think hard about the issues surrounding music provision in schools and to reflect on and help develop their practice.