Invicta Vlogs
Last week, we had our wonderful Spring Concert.
Last week, we had our wonderful Spring Concert. It truly was an enjoyable evening. It never ceases to amaze me how talented our students are and how lucky we are to have such dedicated and passionate staff - who clearly inspire our students! One thing for sure, is that we are also extremely lucky to have such a thriving department at Invicta. I very much value the importance of music at Invicta. Over the course of my headship, I have always ensured that music plays a central role in the development of the school.
I recently read about a study that explored what’s known as the ‘musician’s advantage.’ Scientists have often observed that students who pick up musical instruments tend to excel academically—in measures of vocabulary, reading, and non-verbal reasoning and attention skills. Nina Kraus, director of the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University in the USA wanted to prove that this advantage was not due to the socio-economic status of the musicians, so she recruited students at an inner-city Chicago high school and matched them on reading ability, IQ and the speed at which their auditory nerves activate. She placed half the students in a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Course. The other half joined a music training programme, focusing on sight reading, playing technique, and musical performance. When she looked at their brain’s ability to encode speech two years later, she found a profound difference: the students who were trained in music were able to show faster responses to a speech-in-noise stimulus. Their brains, it would seem, had adapted and improved. And it was music that made the difference. This is why, Kraus argues, it is important that children receive musical training as part of a standard educational curriculum. Sadly, Music seems to be one of the subjects that is bearing the brunt of education cuts nationally and fewer and fewer young people are able to access the ‘musician’s advantage’:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39154242
We are therefore very fortunate to have such a fantastic Music offer at Invicta; taught by very well-qualified staff - throughout the school. We are also privileged to have Kent Music School and MYMS at Invicta; our links with the community are extremely important. We even have one of our Alumni come and use our piano regularly!
I hope that you were fortunate enough to witness the results of our investment in music last week and that you will continue to support my drive to ensure that everyone benefits from the superb benefits of such musical interests and talent!
