Online Individual Learning Plan
Personalised learning in a digital world
Young Sounds UK and Charanga have developed a dynamic and exciting new tool that supports young people’s independent music learning and progression. The Online Individual Learning Plan – or Online-ILP for short – sits within Yumu, Charanga’s student-facing learning space and brings a new dimension to the student/teacher learning relationship. Using our Online-ILP tool, teachers and students will be able to explore a wide range of musical activities, and agree goals and targets together, based on each student’s interests and needs.
How it works
At the heart of the Online ILP is the relationship between the music teacher and the student and how using the resource encourages a more personalised approach to progression. The Online ILP guides and prompts the student while allowing the teacher to tailor their lessons to an individual’s needs.
Young people access the Online ILP – alongside all other content and creative tools their teacher shares with them – in Yumu, the Charanga platform’s student-facing learning space. Everything is in one place.
How can I access it?
Teachers in their thousands already use Yumu, the student area of Charanga’s award-winning music platform, to support their pupils’ independent music learning. The Online-ILP is an extension of Yumu – a secure online space currently helping over 2.5 million students to develop their musicianship. The tool is available to all Charanga subscribers using the Musical School, Charanga Secondary and Music Professional programmes.
Who can use Yumu?
Teachers using Charanga’s Musical School programme can use Yumu to support every child and young person they teach. It’s quick and easy to set up whole classes with usernames and password. Sharing resources with students and supporting their music-making between lessons via Yumu is effortless. It can also be accessed by their parents or carers.
For more on their plans click here
Why do students need it?
Too many young people stop learning music beyond primary school because the barriers to progression are too great. The Online-ILP is designed to help them stay the course. Teachers, learners, music services and hubs across the country are seeing the benefit of this personalised learning approach.
The Online-ILP has been developed with substantial feedback from teachers, learners, music services and hubs across the country. Here’s what some have had to say about it:
Only by setting their own goals can students truly start to become the musicians they aspire to be. Their achievements could be limitless. The online format enhances their experiences and opens up an even greater world of possibility.
Carl White, Head of Service, Bradford Music Education Hub
The Online-ILP Plan tool makes it easier than ever to put students’ goals and ambitions at the heart of the teaching process.
Lizzie Nixon, Hub Manager, Sunderland Music Hub
We brought together two peripatetic teachers currently using the Online Individual Learning Plan to discuss how it has impacted their practice so far and how this digital, student led approach to learning could benefit your students. You can watch the conversation by clicking the image below.
Behind the Online-ILP
The Online-ILP is the result of a collaboration between Young Sounds UK and Charanga and has been developed over 3 years, incorporating feedback from real music teachers who have been involved in the pilot phases. The project is inspired by our Connect programme, which supports students from low income families whose whole-class music lessons are coming to an end. The programme enables them to continue making music, with students receiving weekly instrumental tuition for a minimum of two years, and a learning plan to support them further.
It supports young musicians who are learning an instrument by placing them at the centre of their learning and giving them ownership of what they want to achieve musically. The Online- ILP is designed to look beyond technical ability and discover ways in which the student, teacher, school and families can work together to overcome any potential barriers to music making. It aims to adapt the traditional model of the teacher leading the students in their learning goals by making this more of a partnership, enabling the students to lead on their goal setting, and using wider resources to build a community of support around each learner.
“Young Sounds exists to give talent a chance and we can do even more by leveraging Charanga’s technology. Together we can help young people to pursue their ambitions to excel in making music and give them the best possible chance to flourish and grow.”
Hester Cockcroft, Chief Executive at Young Sounds UK
“I’ve been following Young Sounds' Connect programme since its launch and think the framework they’ve developed to support individualised learning is quite brilliant. Working together in this new partnership, I’m excited to leverage our technology, platform and reach to help scale up this potentially game-changing approach.”
Mark Burke, Founder and Director of Charanga
With many thanks to Youth Music and an anonymous Trust for their support in the development of this tool.
About Charanga
Over 70,000 teachers in 64 countries use Charanga’s online platform to help them teach music. They have a reputation for providing music curricula, interactive resources, technology, CPD and teacher training that, together, boost music in schools. Over 2.5 million children enjoy a Charanga-supported lesson every week.