Activity Resource 4c: Developing a pupil-led portfolio of evidence

The Musical Futures initiative (www.musicalfutures.org.uk) explored the ways in which a web resource can be developed to contain numerous examples of pupils’ work linked to specific projects. The strength of the resource was that it could be accessed by all teachers and pupils (as models that demonstrate expectations and inspire), at any time and from any place.

A new web site (www.numu.org.uk) has developed some of these ideas since September 2006 so that pupils can share and promote their own music on a national basis. The key benefit is that pupils can upload their own work, and have feedback on this work from peers both within and beyond the school. This helps them to understand the features of the work that lead to high quality outcomes, and it is therefore a good example of modelling being used to demonstrate expectations of musical outcomes.

If used inventively, it can also be used to generate a genuine sense of involvement within classes and across a year group – pupils love ‘engaging with and analysing music, developing views and justifying opinions’ through the site’s feedback options.

Follow the link to the Numu site and explore how different schools and local authorities are using the facility.