During the pandemic, our community of music educators and freelance practitioners responded with remarkable energy to continue providing a range of inputs for our member schools; these included remote tuition, live-streamed performances, and a range of inspirational learning resources. 

As we look to the new year and to navigating new challenges post-pandemic, we are committed to ensuring that music continues to happen – whatever form that takes! With a number of new partners joining us from September alongside several exciting new initiatives, both in and out of school, 2021/22 is already looking very exciting. 

SoundStorm celebrates 20 years in 2022 and 10 as lead partner of the Music Hub, so we’re planning a bit of a party. As part of the birthday celebrations, we’re hosting some major events and curating two key community-based offers that will extend the progression pathways for many young musicians and widen opportunities for our Partner network. 

Future-proofing the workforce

The last 18 months have been challenging for everyone. We understand that individual needs and attitudes have changed and with that, the interests and ambitions, of the freelance community we work with, have also evolved.

The Hub is proud of its track record in innovation and diversification: we welcome project initiation ideas and discussions or seed funding proposals for new initiatives to support student progression. Email michael.armstrong@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

Supporting online practice

SoundStorm does not provide a peripatetic service. We are however keen to support you to promote your online tuition offer and support you to protect this source of income. Last year we compiled this information on a dedicated page that was promoted schools looking for Hub endorsed practitioners. If you would like to be included you will need to complete this form and return it to the email address listed at the bottom.

Developing alternative digital provision

The response to the pandemic from the music community both locally and nationally was impressive but at times, equally a little overwhelming. Our funders Arts Council England have continued to relax the conditions of funding and which provides further scope to explore new ways of working including the development of digital content. During Lockdown many of you developed a range of tuition videos and other digital resources. 

As custodians of public funds, we are still required to quality assure these new approaches; new videos and learning materials will be branded centrally by the Hub. The content, format, and style will also be discussed in advance to ensure we maintain the standards that SoundStorm and the BCP Hub are known for. 

Some initial steps you can take to prepare

• Choose a suitable space in your home for recording. Natural light with additional room lighting will improve the quality of your videos. South-facing rooms have worked well during the recent, sunny weather.
• Where possible, ensure the backdrop is neutral – remove personal effects to minimise any distractions.
• Consider scripting your lessons more than normal to aid fluency in front of the camera.
• Update any computers, tablets or other devices you may be considering using.
• Check your Internet bandwidth – the quality of live tuition and your ability to effectively upload recordings will be significantly impacted by this.

We suggest that the format for lessons will generally not exceed 15-20 minutes. Lessons might follow your normal structure but with reduced content.