About the competition
The Music for Real online resources will enable learners to work independently and creatively on business planning and creative skills. Working in groups, they'll make a music video and write a convincing business plan. The winning team will win a day's recording at Abbey Road studios.
- What is the competition?
- What type of music is expected?
- How will the competition fit into my teaching?
- What are the competition resources and where can I access them?
- How can I get my learners interested in the competition?
- What's the prize?
- How is the competition structured?
- Who can enter?
- How can learners enter?
- What are the competition dates?
- Who can I contact about the competition?
Music for Real is an online music, business and enterprise competition for learners in post-16 further education. It fits in with most Creative and media and Business programmes.
The online resources will enable learners to work in small teams independently and creatively. Learners will write an original composition of a maximum of 3 minutes, record the performance on video and write a convincing business plan.
What type of music is expected?
The music may be of any genre or from any culture: indie, rock, classical, folk, jazz, or any crossover! It may be a solo or duo performance, a group or an electronic piece. What is important is that the musicians work with others to record and market their music, which will be submitted under specific categories.
How will the competition fit into my teaching?
The knowledge and skills needed for the competition might form a short stand-alone project completed over a week or be embedded into a programme over a much longer period. It might be delivered by one teacher within one programme or be part of a co-teaching initiative across disciplines.
Your learners may already have developed sufficient composition, recording and business or enterprise skills to enable them to enter the competition. The music track and business plan may provide evidence for summative assessment, for example, the production and marketing units of a vocational diploma.
If your learners have just started their music or business programme, you may wish to use the competition for project-led learning and formative assessment. This will support learners in developing new musical and business skills and encourage them to use constructive peer group feedback, as well as develop their individual evaluative skills in order to become self-motivated and expert learners.
The competition might take the form of an enterprise challenge, or it might form a focus to develop PLTS (Personal, learning and thinking skills).
The teams are expected to complete work for the competition independently and the track must be recorded under controlled conditions.
What are the competition resources and where can I access them?
You can view all the competition entries, and cast your vote when voting opens, in the competition interface. Teacher guidance resources are available in the downloads section in the right hand column.
How can I get my learners interested in the competition?
We will send promotional leaflets and posters to all English post-16 music providers. If you don't receive them, you can download the posters below. The prize is shown clearly on the poster. In the focus groups we ran with learners, this was what appealed most to them about the competition.
Poster 1 - Download pdf
Poster 2 - Download pdf
Poster 3 - Download pdf
Poster 4 - Download pdf
The winners will have the opportunity to meet with a music manager, ask questions about the industry and how they might gain employment and then the rest of the day will be spent in the Abbey Road recording studios producing their very own CD.
How is the competition structured?
Providers will submit the learners' music videos along with their business plan, using an easy online form.
In round one, the video recording of their performance will be shown on YouTube and through our interface, and learners around the country will vote for their favourite performance. Each learner will be allowed to vote once only. The learner vote will be worth 50% of the vote; the remaining 50% will come from a judging panel who will vote on the composition only.
In round two, the most popular performances will be shown to a panel of music industry specialists along with the accompanying business plans. They will choose the winner based on both the composition and the business plan.
Entries can only be accepted from further education providers in England. Providers must submit the competition entries on behalf of the learners.
Practitioners have to enter the learners' video and business plan on their behalf, using a simple upload feature. Providers must register before the 29th January by submitting their name, email address and contact phone number to Kathryn Roberts at musicforreal@lsis.org.uk.
What are the competition dates?
Competition launched: Monday 9 November 2009
Submission: Monday 16 November – 19 February 2010
Voting: Monday 22 February – 26 February 2010
Judging: 1st of March 2010 – 12 March 2010
Winner announced: 15 March 2010
Prize day: 29 March 2010
Who can I contact about the competition?
For details about the competition please contact Kathryn Roberts at musicforreal@lsis.org.uk.
Downloads
LSIS Photo video audio permission
LSIS Photo video audio permission
