As mentioned in the section on scholarship, I have spent a significant amount of time studying music education. Therefore, my professional development needs to broaden to include other aspects of education. Listed below are training/Inset sessions that I have attended and the things I have learned from such training.

• Jolly Music (Spring 2014) – This training was directed toward Reception teachers, but did accommodate music specialists such as myself. Jolly Music is focused on the use of traditional nursery rhymes and chants to help develop aural skills, and a sense of pulse. This premise of Jolly Music is to use simple songs that all children can easily access and sing correctly. A common misconception among music teachers and non-specialists is that children must sing popular songs sung by professional artists. However, songs such as “Let it Go”, “Roar”, and many of the “Take 10” songs are far beyond the vocal capabilities of children in Reception, who can only sing 2 or 3 pitches accurately. Therefore, it is important to introduce simple songs such as “Old Mr Woodpecker”, or “Sally Go Round the Sun”, which can be sung on 2 or 3 pitches. While such songs might seem bland to adults, children enjoy and appreciate music that is simple and repetitive. Furthermore, this helps EAL children to feel successful in music and in the English language, which can have a very positive effect on their future musical development
• ABRSM Music Medals (Spring 2014) – This online training is a requirement for music teachers who wish to lead music exams. I learned about the music medal syllabus and the procedures for conducting exams at school. This has been the most practical training I have received, as I have led nearly 20 exams since Spring 2014.
• London Symphony Orchestra Story Project (Spring 2014)- In 2014, the LSO held a storybook project in Enfield. During this project, a simple story was set to music, and children were to learn songs that they could sing about the song. The training also introduced teachers to creative ways to engage children in composition.
• Jenny Moseley (Spring 2015) – In 2015 we had an Inset day that featured the work of Jenny Moseley. Her focus was on ways to engage challenging pupils and how to manage behaviour consistently and effectively. Her work is based upon the use of lots of singing games and activities, which I found similar to the Jolly Music course.