In this new podcast, Anita Holford, co-editor of Music Education Works, is talking with Mark Robinson, the founder of Rocksteady Music School, which brings in-school rock band lessons to primary schools across the UK. It’s a new model for music education that combines peripatetic tuition approaches with group rock band tuition and inclusive pedagogy, increasing children’s interest in and uptake of music lessons.
We talk about:
- How Mark started teaching guitar at aged 14, and by the age of 16, was teaching most evenings and Saturday mornings
- Setting up Rocksteady after university, and creating the conditions for it to thrive or fail
- Growing the business to employ 172 full-time music teachers, reaching 33,000 children a week in 1,300 schools
- The mission – reaching as many children as possible by making music learning exciting and engaging
- The pedagogy – putting the child’s cognitive, emotional and social experience at the centre, teaching music that they want to learn, learning in a group and managing energy rather than managing behaviour
- How Rocksteady ensures the offer is equitable, diverse and inclusive – including for families facing financial barriers
- Relationships with music services and hubs
- Mark’s hopes for the future of music education
You can access the podcast via a blog on our main website – Podcast [33] How Rocksteady Music School created their rock band model for inclusive music education, with founder Mark Robinson – or on iTunes or Spotify (search for Music for Education & Wellbeing).
Music Education Works 