Founder’s Notes
Clair Ward graduated from Hull University in 2000 with a BMus (hons) in Music. After taking a year out of studies to work as a freelance Trumpet player, she qualified as a secondary music teacher at Huddersfield University in 2002. Clair has worked in a number of high schools and specialist arts colleges in the north of England, as a classroom teacher and a head of department (since 2003). She has also worked at a local music service to learn how instrumental teaching techniques can be embedded into the classroom curriculum and to create links with primary education. Clair performs regularly with the Arch Wind Band and plays and sings at many weddings. She is also an adjudicator for the Craven School of Music annual festival. |
The Pedagogy
My pedagogical ideas all stem from three main principles that aim to help students do the following:
1. Expand their awareness of music
2. Perform in a way that is effortless and accurate
3. Enjoy the process
My pedagogical ideas all stem from three main principles that aim to help students do the following:
1. Expand their awareness of music
2. Perform in a way that is effortless and accurate
3. Enjoy the process
How it all started...
I launched a website in 2010, primarily to stop my students pinching my worksheets from my classroom! They wanted to take the resources home to practice before their next lesson. So, to reduce my photocopying budget, i put the worksheets online. After a number of months, students were using the resource more and more. I embedded online homework tasks, listening activities and musical games. Within a year, i'd had contact from not only my own students, but students and teachers across the country giving useful feedback about the resources. The website is now 'version 2' and has a global following!
I launched a website in 2010, primarily to stop my students pinching my worksheets from my classroom! They wanted to take the resources home to practice before their next lesson. So, to reduce my photocopying budget, i put the worksheets online. After a number of months, students were using the resource more and more. I embedded online homework tasks, listening activities and musical games. Within a year, i'd had contact from not only my own students, but students and teachers across the country giving useful feedback about the resources. The website is now 'version 2' and has a global following!
What's next?
For many years, I've observed how students use different techniques to grasp instrumental skills. After watching them use YouTube videos (created by non-specialists) to learn instrumental technique, I soon realised that this was the next step for the resources website. My current school uses double staffing to support learners, but as a one-person department, this is quite difficult to do! I've trialed the tutorial videos section of the website with year 8 and it was a hit! They were autonomously supporting their own learning, and only asking for help if they really hit a sticking point - leaving me more time to support the weaker musicians. Please bare with me, but i'll be creating more and more help videos to support each scheme and unit.
For many years, I've observed how students use different techniques to grasp instrumental skills. After watching them use YouTube videos (created by non-specialists) to learn instrumental technique, I soon realised that this was the next step for the resources website. My current school uses double staffing to support learners, but as a one-person department, this is quite difficult to do! I've trialed the tutorial videos section of the website with year 8 and it was a hit! They were autonomously supporting their own learning, and only asking for help if they really hit a sticking point - leaving me more time to support the weaker musicians. Please bare with me, but i'll be creating more and more help videos to support each scheme and unit.

It makes all the hard work worth while hearing how much people are able to benefit from my resources...
It really is lovely hearing from colleagues around the country (...and the world) about how they're using my resources. It makes a very tired music teacher very happy! ...keep them coming!
"Thank you so much for this site, I constantly use it with my classes. The first port of call for my class is 'let's look at Miss Ward'. So thank you. Your page has now an international following as I teach in an international school in Qatar. Thank you"
Tina Marsh (Al Khor International School)
Tina Marsh (Al Khor International School)
"I love your webpage, especially for GCSE. I love to share resources with you"
Helen Brant (Priesthorpe School, Pudsey)
Helen Brant (Priesthorpe School, Pudsey)
"Wonderful website. Such a fantastic resource and so useful for students. How do you link this to your school website? How did you go about setting this website up? Do you teach A Level at your school? Or do you only go up to GCSE? Thank you!"
Nicola Moore (The John of Gaunt School)
Nicola Moore (The John of Gaunt School)
"Really impressed with all your resources, and all your hard work! You have really covered so much in such a brilliant way! I noticed that you said that you had your resources available to buy - could you tell me how much they are? I'm particularly interested in KS3 and cover work, but I have other colleagues who would be interested in the other resources. Thanks again for sharing your excellent ideas, and hopefully I can get back to you with some of mine! Kind regards"
Sally Doree (All Saints Academy, Ingleby Barwick, Stockton-On-Tees)
Sally Doree (All Saints Academy, Ingleby Barwick, Stockton-On-Tees)
"I am very impressed after browsing your website. The detail and quantity of resources is immense. I am a music teacher in Lytham and we use Moodle as our VLE but we find it quite clunky. It seems like there is a huge amount of work that would go in to creating this website, I would be keen to know if you had any help? and what kind of support you got from your school. Has this website been successful? Looking forward to hearing from you."
Howard Wilson (Lytham High)
Howard Wilson (Lytham High)
"Fantastic resources"
Lesley Day (Sir William Romney's Tetbury Gloucestershire)
Lesley Day (Sir William Romney's Tetbury Gloucestershire)
"Hi Clair, I am currently looking in to doing something like this for my students. I was wondering how you went about doing it? Any help I would be really grateful for, I think it's fantastic what you have on here for your pupils to access"
Ellen Palmer (Bishop Rawstorne C of E Academy)
Ellen Palmer (Bishop Rawstorne C of E Academy)
"This is fantastic! Just thought I'd let you know."
Donna Wormald (Stuart Bathurst)
Donna Wormald (Stuart Bathurst)
"Great site....so user friendly I want to start sharing it with my GCSE year 10's. Well Done!"
Donna Brogan (Bydales School)
Donna Brogan (Bydales School)
"I found your site by chance. I am currently looking at resources for year 9, particularly film music. I loved your resources and the way in which you have geared it towards the GCSE course-that's what we are trying to do! I wondered if I could be cheeky and ask you for a copy of your resources. I would be more than happy to share our resources in return. We have been developing our year 7 and 8 schemes of work over the last year. We offer 'taiko' in year 8 which is very popular and the drums can be made reasonably cheaply. We are also developing our ICT provision and use Reason as well as garageband. If there is anything I could help you with please let me know. I look forward to hearing from you, Kind Regards"
Tracey Landles (Queen Elizabeths Academy Trust)
Tracey Landles (Queen Elizabeths Academy Trust)
"Fabulous site! Would love to have something like this for my Performing Arts Faculty. I was given the link on the Scottish Music Teacher's Facebook page - where we share resources."
Sheila Robertson (Meldrum Academy)
Sheila Robertson (Meldrum Academy)
"Great for home tuition pupils thanks"
Sian Shepperd (Ty Graddffa Pru)
Sian Shepperd (Ty Graddffa Pru)
"I really want to thank you for sharing - there are some wonderful ideas here, not just resources, but in terms of allowing students home access. I've wanted to get something like this going for while and you set a very high benchmark."
Will Willis (Peacehaven Community School)
Will Willis (Peacehaven Community School)
"Hi just came across your site - amazing! Wish I was as technologically advanced to create something like that"
Kevin McCabe (Warrington High)
Kevin McCabe (Warrington High)
"Your site is amazing!!!!! I stumbled across it looking for GCSE (aqa) resources and found yours. It must have taken you FOREVER to make! Is it a resource that will be there for good or is it likely to be taken down? It really is helpful. I would share my resources and will but looking at yours, they don't compare!"
Erika Clark (Loreto High School)
Erika Clark (Loreto High School)
"I have to say that I think what you have done is amazing. I was initially looking at possible ways to deliver GCSE music as I currenlty teach BTEC and have done so for the last 6 years. I am starting a new job in September and am going back to GCSE AQA which I have not taught since the new specification came out. Now I am thinking how have you created this fab website and got all the materials on it? I would love to be able to set something like this up so if you had the time to email some key bits of information it would be greatly appreciated. I just wanted to say it looks great and how jealous I am that you have this great resource. I want one :)"
Sarah Pountney (Westfield Sports College)
Sarah Pountney (Westfield Sports College)
"Fantastic resources. Really helping us in reviewing our schemes and generating new fresh ideas. More please!"
Jon Williams (Sir Roger Manwood's School)
Jon Williams (Sir Roger Manwood's School)
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These terms and conditions may be revised from time to time. If they are revised, we will post or email the revised version to you. It will be your responsibility to keep up-to date with all such changes and your continued membership shall be deemed acceptance of any changes to these terms and conditions.
1.1 Applications for membership will be considered by misswardmusic who have the right to refuse applications.
1.2 By submitting an application form by registering, the Member will need to complete payment via PayPal to secure annual membership.
1.3 All information provided by you to us must be true and accurate at the point of applying.
2. Membership Payments, Renewals and Cancellations
2.1 Membership is fixed for a period of one calendar year starting on the day you join. Membership will be activated at point of approval of the application but payment must be received within 7 days of receipt of the registration.
2.2 Payment can be made by PayPal. If membership payment remains outstanding we will notify you by email.
2.3 Membership will not automatically renew. A reminder email will be sent to members 14 days before the end of the year subscription.
2.4 To cancel your membership you will need to notify us in writing stating a reason which will be recorded for internal use only. Refunds will not be given for cancelled memberships.
3. Membership Benefits
3.1 Member benefits are only available if subscription payments are up to date.
4. Terminating Membership
4.1 Misswardmusic reserves the right to withdraw membership if the member is deemed to have misused the membership privileges.
4.3 Members are not permitted to use misswardmusic’s logo and/or name for the purposes of self-promotion on any of their organisational materials, including website.
5. Variation of Terms & Conditions
These terms and conditions may be revised from time to time. If they are revised, we will post or email the revised version to you. It will be your responsibility to keep up-to date with all such changes and your continued membership shall be deemed acceptance of any changes to these terms and conditions.