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MiSST Programmes

MiSST Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme

MiSST’s Key Stage 3 curriculum, known as the Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme is a rigorous, high-quality curriculum which produces high-level, imaginative performers, composers and critical thinkers, preparing them for music GCSE, A-Level and beyond.

Throughout the Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme students learn to play their instrument and perform as a soloist and in ensembles. Students sing throughout KS3 and learn to improvise and compose as well as listening to a variety of musicians and genres. All resources are accessible online via our Virtual Learning Environment, Kinteract.

MiSST is committed to improving the quality of teaching, learning and leadership of music through high quality staff training, which increases knowledge, understanding and skills. 

MiSST Music GCSE

Ever-increasing constraints on school budgets has led to many schools not offering GCSE music. MiSST plans to become a leading provider of GCSE music for students and will pilot within MiSST schools this year. This endeavour will also focus on supporting existing GCSE providers in offering a high-quality GCSE course and will be delivered with online and in person teaching.

 


MiSST Together

MiSST Together enables MiSST schools to work with each other to broaden and strengthen performance opportunities. One or two schools will be partnered and throughout a day of sectional and tutti rehearsals, prepare for a concert to pupils, teachers and parents. The MiSST Together Orchestra in the annual concert is made up of a handful of students from each school to create an en mass orchestra.

MiSST Voices - Curriculum

MiSST Voice is comprised of three parts: Singing for Success, MiSST Voices at Home and MiSST Voices Performance. Singing for Success is in-class group singing as part of the Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme. Each term focuses on a different style and students are introduced to the idea of singing in harmony.

MiSST Voices at Home will be a bank of online lessons to teach children how to sing in a healthy way and an introduction into vocal studies

MiSST Voices Performance has the aim of building students' confidence to perform. The students who wish to sing in the MiSST Schools Choir and those who relish the opportunity for tips and feedback will work with our resident classical singer who visits each of our schools.

In September 2022, MiSST Voices began rehearsing on a weekly basis at the MiSST Music Academy. It aims to offer passionate singers from our partner schools high quality ensemble performance opportunities and an in-depth understanding of choral repertoire. The choir receive training in vocal health, vocal technique and musicianship, whilst having the opportunity to sing a diverse mix of choral music, from symphonic works to music theatre and pop. This academic year’s highlights include the creation of their own opera Boudica with English Touring Opera.  


MiSST Music Academy (MMA)


In September 2022, the MiSST Saturday Music School became the MiSST Music Academy – a rebranded expansion of our Saturday provision, modelled on UK Junior Conservatoires. Built on the success of our Saturday Music School, the MiSST Music Academy now features the following:

 

·   MiSST Symphony Orchestra – for c. Grade 4+ students – always aiming to play exciting, original, challenging repertoire with sessions also featuring string orchestra and concert band rehearsals

·   MiSST Academy Orchestra – for Grade 1-3 level students and an important feeder group for the MiSST Symphony Orchestra

·   MiSST Voices Choir – regular, weekly choir rehearsals for MiSST’s best singers

·   MiSST Conduct – a popular course teaching students the ins and outs of orchestral conducting/ensemble leading, in classes that would not normally be available until their undergraduate studies

·   Instrumental lessons – small-group/one-to-one instrumental lessons are offered to students who are unable to receive them free of charge at their school

·   Music Production – students are learning how to write, record, mix and produce professional quality tracks, invaluable skills for the music industry in the 21st century

·   Advanced Chamber Music – ensuring our highest achieving students are challenged and stretched and able to thrive in top quality chamber ensembles

·   Tuck Shop – student-run shop for students to buy snacks in our breaks

·   Student Council – as part of the development of our student leadership programme, giving students opportunities to apply for formal roles

 

The MiSST Music Academy will also be looking to introduce to the following to its provision in the near future:

 

·   MiSST Create clinics – MiSST Create will expand to include Composition Drop-In sessions both on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons

·   Theory top-up lessons – MiSST theory lessons will be offered to those who would like extra support and to those who may be waiting for their instrumental lesson. There will also be separate lessons for those looking to work towards taking their Grade 5 theory exam.

·   Instrumental exams – we will aim to host special visits from ABRSM/Trinity examiners by the end of the 2022/23 academic year

 

The MiSST Music Academy is exclusive to MiSST students and free for everyone that attends. Every single student benefits from the exceptional teaching, tutoring, mentoring and coaching that is offered at the MMA. We aim to improve student satisfaction + confidence levels, as well as their academic achievement and mental wellbeing.


Term Dates 2023-24:

Autumn Term Dates: 16, 23, 30 Sept | 7, 14 Oct | 4, 11, 18, 25 Nov | 2, 9 Dec

Spring Term Dates: 13, 20, 27 Jan | 3, 24 Feb | 2, 9, 16, 23 Mar

Summer Term Dates: 13, 20 Apr | [22nd April CONCERT] 4, 11, 18 May | 8, 15, 22, 29 June | 6 July

The MiSST Symphony Orchestra

The MiSST Symphony Orchestra (formally known as the Saturday Music School Orchestra) is designed to provide opportunities for our most able students to play with others at a similar standard, which may not be available at individual schools. The MiSST Symphony Orchestra has a wonderful team of tutors and an extremely welcoming and supportive atmosphere and currently features full orchestra rehearsals, sectionals, chamber music and works for concert band and string orchestra.

Workshops delivered by a number of professional musicians and organisations, plus exciting external opportunities and concerts add to the breadth and depth of the provision.

Students must go to a MiSST school (or be an alumnus) and be at least grade 3/4+ standard on their instrument to join.

MiSST Voices Choir

In September 2022, the MiSST Voices Choir began rehearsing on a weekly basis at the MiSST Music Academy, building on the success of the choirs at our annual MiSST concerts and our 2022 Platinum Jubilee choir.

The choir aims to offer passionate singers from our partner schools high quality ensemble performance opportunities and an in-depth understanding of choral repertoire. The choir receive training in vocal health, vocal technique and musicianship, whilst having the opportunity to sing a diverse mix of choral music, from symphonic works to musical theatre and pop.

Highlights for the choir so far include the creation of their own opera Boudica with English Touring Opera and collaborating with the Yehudi Menuhin school for a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy).




MiLO (MiSST Leaders Orchestra)

MiLO is an incredibly exciting programme that invites our highest achieving instrumentalists and student leaders to run their very own chamber orchestra. MiLO challenges the role and concept of an orchestra and allows our students to become real leaders of change and innovation. Our aim is to empower our students and nurture them as our top tier of student leaders. MiLO will be a flagship ensemble for MiSST who will be encouraged to perform externally where possible. 

 

What makes this orchestra different is the responsibility orchestral members will have to:

  • Determine the repertoire by planning the season, including composing for MiLO
  • Learning to lead the orchestra through rehearsing and coaching as a conductor or through solo performance within a concerto arrangement
  • Decide on the special guests who will be invited with a focus on leadership from both inside and outside the music industry
  • Make decisions about where and how they will perform.

 

MiLO takes place at CoLAHG on Fridays from 4:30-6:30pm. Students must go to a MiSST school (or be an alumnus) and be at least grade 5/6 standard on their instrument to join MiLO.

MiSST Conduct

MiSST Conduct gives students an opportunity to learn the ins and outs of conducting, and is now a regular provision at the MiSST Music Academy. Students were interested to begin learning how to lead ensembles in this way for a variety of different reasons including building their confidence in front of large groups of students/peers/musicians; having the ability to be able to conduct their own music; and having a greater understanding of what the conductor does and what all the instruments in the orchestra are doing. 

Students begin by learning the basic beat patterns, how best to start and stop the music and how to wield a baton before moving onto more advanced beat patterns, greater independence of the left hand and rehearsal strategies and techniques. 

Sessions take place from 1:30-2:30pm every Saturday afternoon – and online conducting resources will be available to access from all MiSST Schools throughout the year.


MiSST Create

MiSST Create is expanding thanks to further support from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation. 

MiSST Create exists to nurture the creativity and ingenuity of our young people, encouraging all those that take part to express themselves through music. Our students’ enjoyment and confidence of music-making will be further enhanced via experimentation, improvisation and the bespoke teaching at the heart of this programme. MiSST Create also aims to create more “call for scores” opportunities where students can have their pieces performed by MiSST ensembles, at Radley Residentials and in our annual concerts. 

The programme will now have 3 main elements:

  • In-person workshops/support for KS3 and KS4
  • Video series
  • MiSST Create Day - a celebration of composition and creativity with performances of student works where every GCSE music student invited.


MiSST Scholarships

MiSST has forged a strong relationship with Chetham’s School of Music. The school plans to work with us each year to give disadvantaged children from MiSST, who are of a certain standard and show the will to succeed, funded places to their Sixth Form.

MiSST Student Leadership

Empowering our students is at the core of MiSST’s aims and values. Throughout Lockdown our student leaders created teaching videos for our younger MiSST students to keep them going and practising during difficult times. The videos were nothing short of inspiring. MiLO are our senior student leaders, and support a number of MiSST activities, but we are also building further student leadership back into the MiSST Music Academy. These students will input into the organisation and running of MMA, perhaps through the student council, or one of the proposed committees in the near future. These might support for example, MiSST fundraising activities, or help to focus student voice on particular areas of our provision. These projects will help to support student wellbeing and to build students' skill-sets which develop self-confidence and are transferable to the wider world of further education, employment and training. 

MiSST also encourages all schools to find opportunities for their students to lead, however big or small the responsibility. 

MiSST CPD


MiSST is committed to developing a high-quality CPD provision with all teachers involved with delivering the Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme. This takes the form of:

  • Separate online platforms for heads of music/music teachers and instrumental tutors sharing curriculum resources, videos highlighting good practice, and a forum for teachers to explore strategies with one another
  • CPD embedded into three HoD meetings per year, each one focusing on a different element of the ALWP
  • A webinar series with invited guests covering everything from trumpet teaching for the non-specialist to student voice
  • An annual conference providing CPD in areas requested by teachers in partner schools

MiSST Research

Our research streams aim to assess the impact of MiSST in our school communities by regularly collecting data which explores the tangible outcomes of our students, as well as more abstract traits such as self-confidence and self-efficacy.

 MiSST schools are asked to share the following data with us each year:

  • Y7 Listening and Theory exam (LAT) and solo performance data (Autumn term)
  • Y8 LAT and solo performance data (Summer term)
  • Y9 LAT and solo performance data (Spring term)
  • GCSE results/Progress 8 data across both music and all subjects (each year)
  • Social indicators for all students whose data is collected (including pupil premium eligibility, SEND status, ethnicity, and EAL status)

From this, MiSST is able to track the outcomes for students in all social groups, assisting us in ensuring our curriculum transcends barriers and remains accessible to all. We are also able to assess the impact MiSST has on GCSE outcomes for our students, both in music and across other subjects.  

MiSST students are asked to complete questionnaires assessing self-confidence, self-efficacy, and resilience during the Autumn term of Y7 and then during the Summer term of Y9. Responses are assessed based on the Rosenberg self-esteem scale, and the outcomes allow MiSST to consider the impact the programme has on students' views of themselves, and how that develops from the start of Key Stage 3 to the end of their time on the programme. 

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