The Educator Magazine U.K. Sept-Dec 2022 - Magazine - Page 65
BRINGING THE FUN
OF PLAYING MUSIC
TO YOUNG PEOPLE
ACROSS THE UK
As a charity Drake Music Scotland
helps disabled musicians to learn, play,
compose and perform but with the
growing need for more accessible music
tuition in schools, their new software,
supported by Scottish Power
Foundation, is being offered out to all
schools, music teachers, educators and
children’s charities across the UK at an
affordable rate.
Charity Drake Music Scotland is set
to transform music education in the
UK with the latest release of their
innovative music teaching method
Figurenotes, which facilitates the new
National Plan for Music Education
for greater access to music tuition in
schools in England. Figurenotes assists
young people, particularly those with
disabilities like Autism and Dyslexia, to
learn to read music more quickly and to
play instruments easily.
The charity is offering a free bundle of
support, including webinars and
downloadable resources to demonstrate and try Figurenotes, to help
teachers understand how Figurenotes
can unlock music for young people,
enabling pupils to learn in a more
accessible and exciting way.
Figurenotes is simply a colour and
shape-based system, where colours
represent notes, shapes indicate
octaves and there is a clear progression
to reading conventional notation. It
has already seen great results in over
60 schools in Scotland with more than
1000 pupils each year through Drake
Music Scotland projects and is used all
over the world.
Figurenotes was created in Finland by
music educators Kaarlo Uusitalo and
Markku Kaikkonen and introduced to
Scotland and the UK by Drake Music
Scotland in 2010. Initially designed to
enable those with learning disabilities
to play music, it has since developed
into a tool to help everyone get
started. Ten years ago Drake Music
Scotland took Figurenotes into the
digital domain and now the new
web-based software can be accessed
by everyone, anywhere as long as they
have an internet connection.
Sistema Scotland Music Teacher Alison
Gornall who uses the method said: “It’s
incredible how this software tool can
unlock youngsters’ music potential and
allow them to read music in a much
more fun and contemporary way. It has
been particularly beneficial to pupils
with additional support needs, but I’m
delighted to see it now being rolled out
across the whole of the UK education
system.”
Chief Executive, Drake Music Scotland,
Thursa Sanderson said: “Learning music
notation is one of the most common
barriers to playing music. Figurenotes
software makes it possible for any
learner to pick up an instrument and
play music instantly.
“We all know the power of music to
transform lives. By playing music we not
only hone our musical skills but
also develop communication,
concentration, confidence and
self-esteem. Music making reduces
isolation offering an opportunity for
social interaction and finding shared
enjoyment in playing and performing
to our family and friends.”
To access the free bundle of support
please email:
figurenotes@drakemusicscotland.org,
quoting #FigureOutFigurenotes to get
involved.