Musical instrument donations for TCSED

[James Barber]

The Charter School East Dulwich is about to move onto its permanent site locally - so excited as started the campaign for new local secondary school December 2013.

Apparently they have a shortage of musical instruments. I've donated a French horn.

If you have a spare musical instruments that you no longer need or use and would like to know it's helping a young person learn that instrument please donate it to the new school?s music centre. I will arrange pick up so, if you are interested, please contact me at [email protected] or call 07900 227366 (email is better).

So far we have:

1 x French horn

1 x Violin

1 x Flute

[James Barber]

Now:

1 x French horn

2 x Violins

1 x Flute

[Carrie]

I've got a tenor horn in the loft - would that be of interest?

[TE44]

James I'm puzzled when you say "apparently they

have a shortage of musical instruments". Have you been told this is the case and if so by whom.

After millions have been spent on this school are you saying there is no money to buy instruments.

[James Barber]

Yes Carrie I believe it would be.

Hi TE44, Yes. I heard they had shortage of musical instrument. I offered and my donated french horn was warmly received. I offered to see if we could find more instruments for their local children.

It recall how hard it was when I first started playing a musical instrument and the shortage of musical instruments which placed great pressure on our family to buy me an instrument. Anything to give others less pressure and more children chance to try learning an instrument is a good thing in my book.

East Dulwich area must have many hundreds of forlorn instruments that could have a better home and be played.

[TE44]

James, Do you know if this a common problem in other schools within the borough. If by chance hundreds of instruments are available would you be willing to deliver to other schools if needed. Sounds like a great idea as long as there is transparency with expenditure, is buying instruments a problem for the charter school.

[rendelharris]

TE44 Wrote:

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> James, Do you know if this a common problem in

> other schools within the borough. If by chance

> hundreds of instruments are available would you be

> willing to deliver to other schools if needed.

> Sounds like a great idea as long as there is

> transparency with expenditure, is buying

> instruments a problem for the charter school.

No state school has anything like a sufficient budget to buy enough instruments for all pupils to learn, new school or otherwise. Not quite sure why you're taking this tone with James, who's admirably taking this initiative to try to get some more instruments for a school in which he has an interest. Parents and other interested parties in other schools are quite at liberty to launch their own similar initiatives.

[redjam]

There is a massive shortage of instruments in all schools, including primary schools (I remember this was a perennial problem when my kids were at Heber and we did lots of fundraising to address it). School budgets have been cut to the bone and unfortunately music provision is one of the first things to go - see https://www.economist.com/britain/2018/03/01/the-quiet-decline-of-music-in-british-schools.

I very much welcome this initiative so thanks James for publicising it. Obviously this doesn't stop people from donating to other schools if they wish to, but Charter ED does have a particular shortage as they are starting from scratch as a new school. I happen to know they are also very short of library books if anyone wishes to donate age-appropriate good-quality books!

[TE44]

RH I forget James is no longer our rep in local government, we have different opinions on academy schools which have been aired on this forum. I know Charter school was one of the schools questioned by government over more than one employee being paid excessive wages. I just found it offensive this academy trust is now asking locals to donate. Ilink below.

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/named-the-92-academy-trusts-with-multipl

[James Barber]

Thank you rendelharris.

Hi TE44,

Any costs in collecting or moving instruments are my own. I'm not charing anyone for this. It just seems a like a nice idea to make life super easy for people who are telling me they have wanted to pass their loved instruments on to a new home but didn't know how - which is exactly where I was until I made the connection.

Why The Charter School East Dulwich - because I campaigned for this school, obtained the land and have a very big soft spot for it as a result.

But I'd be delighted if anyone specified a different school they lie an instrument to go to locally and would make the effort to support their request. Would you like to help?

Hi redeem,

I'd forgotten about the library books.

Donating books fab idea. Hopefully donating a book at Rye Books can be as a financial donation so people can Gift Aid the money and the school gets more books that way.

[mrs.lotte]

I believe all schools have a challenge to manage budgets nowadays.

The donate an instrument and donate a book (new books through Rye books or good quality second hand) were initiatives of the Friends of Charter School designed to promote sustainability.

[Friends of TCSED]

Yes, this was a scheme set up by the Friends of the Charter School East Dulwich (not The Charter Schools Educational Trust) in the first year of the life of the school - two years ago. While the school is fortunate to have a good collection of intruments for use within the school for music classes and ensembles, the music teacher identified a need for a musicial instrument loan scheme so that children who wanted to have one-to-one music lessons (already subisdised by the school) but who couldn't afford to buy or rent a musicial instrument, could borrow one from the school free of charge. We asked parents and friends if they had good quality musicial instruments and we have had a number of wonderful donations. James saw a tweet we put out about our donations scheme and offered a French Horn which is great! However, we are aware there are many schools in the area who also use donations of instruments in this time of austerity and school budgets and so, we didn't want to make it a big public campaign here on the forum but we simply wanted to make people in our own school community aware of the scheme.

The Friends of TCSED also initated a sponsor a book scheme where parents can sponsor a book for the school library - the list is held for us at Rye Books. I know that Alistair at Rye Books is keen to reach out to other schools who many want to launch this in their school. We'd be happy to share how we developed this scheme with any other PTA or Friends groups out there.

The musicial instrument loan scheme has already had an impact. Here is a quote that we are including in the annual report of the Friends Committee.

?Whilst being at the TCSED, I was lent an instrument for nearly two years and had weekly lessons. This is an experience I never thought I would get as instruments can be very expensive so buying one wasn't an option for me. I believe that I have made great progress whilst learning to actually play an instrument and have even had a go at completing grade two, however I have also developed my music understanding and interest.? Student at TCSED who benefited from the Musical Instrument Loan Scheme.

Also TE44 - I don't think that The Charter Educational Trust is mentioned on that list that you gave a link to. They mention another Trust called Charters School (showing only 1 school in it's trust whereas there are two in the East Dulwich Charter Ed Trust) - which is this one I believe: http://www.chartersschool.org.uk/ but I didn't see The Charter Schools Educational Trust mentioned at all on the list?

[TE44]

Friends of TCSED, Thanks for explaining how it came to be requested on the forum, and explaining the "apparent shortage of musical instruments". Great to hear parents and volunteers involvement within the school and creating opportuniy for individual lessons to students whilst given the community a chance to be part of that.

James, as you know there were many different opinions regarding the process of this school, consultation, transparency etc.The government are having to deal now with some of the concerns raised, I was not suggesting you were charging,

I asked what you meant by shortage. If there happens to be any instruments or more instruments than can be used, it may be a good idea to allow friends of tched to make connections with other schools they may already be connected with. I will definitely let people with children know.thank you James.

[James Barber]

Hi TE44,

Their is clearly a demand outstripping the supply of instruments - a shortage.

This is a generic issue for many schools and someone I've just collected a lovely flute from has pointed out this charity - https://www.orchestrasforall.org/donate-an-instrument/ - but perhaps not many can delivery them to this charity in north London in person or post them insured.

[Blah Blah]

I think it is a great idea to ask people to donate unused instruments. Does it really matter what school James is helping here? The principle is a good one.

[Nigello]

I think it is reasonable to ask people to donate unwanted but usable musical instruments to a school. I also think it is reasonable to consider passing on donated items to other schools should there be too many of them. Otherwise there would be a repeat of the original problem, namely instruments being left unused when others could benefit from having them.

[TE44]

Friends of Tcsed, Yes you are right, I assumed it was the other dulwich School because of dates. Sorry my mistake. Can you tell me if the same trust runs both dulwich schools and if there is the same shortage there, thank you.

Sorry edited as was being lazy I can see there is a connectio and a hope for an expansion of academiees with other schools, very interesting.

http://www.chartereastdulwich.org.uk/news/?pid=62&nid

[TE44]

Sorry i'm finding it very difficult gettin info off links on Charters website. Link above not working although I coukd read it.

[rendelharris]

TE44 Wrote:

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Can you tell me if the same

> trust runs both dulwich schools

Yes, they are both run by the Charter Schools Educational Trust. Got to say, I don't like the academy system any more than you do, but with 75% of English schools now academies, that battle is lost (for now). Hostility towards a school solely because it's an academy is pointless.

[James Barber]

All state funded schools in Southwark are academies and have been for many years.

The only non academies in Southwark are private schools.

Can we get back to focusing on finding loved but no longer used spare musical instruments that could be used to help teach local children the joy of making their own music.

So far the following instruments have been donated:

2 x flutes

2 x violins

1 x french horn

Which is a fab start...

[rendelharris]

On a point of order, MrB, St.Saviour's and St.Olave's and Notre Dame RC Girls are neither academies nor private.

No more derailing. I think I may have an old flute in my mother's attic, will have a look for it next time I visit.

[TE44]

Rh, As I have explained my annoyance was not

Down to the fact it was an academy. I believed wrongly this was one of the schools being questioned regarding numerous high wage employees.

James, there are no comprehensive, community secondary schools in Southwark, lets hope the primary schools don't go same way.

If only life didn't overlap, I am a great believer in parental and communiy involvement in schools, back to the musical instruments,

[James Barber]

That would be great Rendel - thank you in advance.

[singalto]

There are a couple of pianos offered on the forum, free to a good home. Would it make sense for the school to hire a van for an hour and collect them?

[Friends of TCSED]

Hi TE44 - The Charters School that you referred before and which is on the list you mentioned is a completely and utterly separate school and academy that has nothing to do with either The Charter School East Dulwich or The Charter School North Dulwich. They are based in Berkshire according to the contact us section on their website. http://www.chartersschool.org.uk/Contact-Us It has an incredibly similar name but has nothing to do with The Charter School Educational Trust which both the Charter School ND and the Charter School ED is part of.

If you would like an example of a very large academy trust operating in Southwark The Ark Acedemy Chain is one with 40 schools and their are several Ark Schools in Southwark (Ark Globe, Ark Evelyn Grace, Ark Walworth). Additionally, The Step Academy Trust has one primary school in Southwark which is part of it's 13 school academy system.

Back to musical instruments, thanks everyone for their support and we also encourage other PTA's or parent groups to talk to music teachers in their child's school to see if donations would also be welcome .... for us, it is lovely to know that there is a stock of musicial instruments that can be loaned out to students who can't afford to buy or lease an instrument. It's one of those costs that is a barrier to someone learning an instrument as a child. If any other PTA or parent group would like to talk to us about how we set up the scheme, please drop us an email at [email protected]