A WEST Devon school is celebrating after gaining a 'Champion School' status from teaching initiative, Musical Futures.

Tavistock College is one of only 30 schools across the country to be recognised as a Musical Futures Champion School — the Musical Futures representative was so impressed with what she saw when visiting the college that the department has been awarded the position of lead champion school for the whole of the South West.

Sarah Pappin, head of music at the college, said: 'This is a massive achievement for our department and one which formally recognises the radical transformation the department has gone through over the last two years.'

Musical Futures is an approach to teaching and learning — it is a new way of thinking about music-making in schools that brings non-formal teaching and informal learning approaches into the more formal context of schools.

The Musical Futures journey began in 2003 when the Paul Hamlyn Foundation instigated an initiative to find new and imaginative ways of engaging all young people, aged 11 to 18, in meaningful music activities.

The starting point was to try to understand the factors affecting the disengagement of young people with sustained music-making activities, at a time in their lives when music is not only a passion for many young people, but plays a big part in shaping their social identity.

Sarah said: 'Musical Futures is a series of models and approaches that are adapted and personalised to individual students' needs. 

'The aim is to make music learning as practical an activity as possible, done with and by students, not to and for them.

'I couldn't imagine teaching music in any other way. Student engagement is at the heart of everything we do in the Music Department.

'I passionately believe that quality music education should be accessible to every student. Music is such a powerful subject and has changed the lives of so many of our students.

'In our position as a champion school we now have the power to share our good practice and facilitate this change for hundreds more students.'