Frank and Stan Chat No. 293: The Mark Phillips Returns Edition

This week, Frank and Stan Chat is delighted to have Mark Phillips, a former HMI with expertise in music education, rejoin us after a highly enjoyable and well received guest appearance last year. Stan gets things moving by reflecting on the recent ITV documentary 7Up. He considers how many significant life changes and developments take place between the ages of 7 and 21 and how they play out in later life. Mark then considers the difference between knowledge of music and participation in music. He explains why engagement is so important and why some schools struggle to create a high-quality music experience for pupils. Frank then draws on some recent social media covering the OECD PISA results. He reads from an X message from Prof Andy Hargreaves's (a frequent guest on the chat) where he explains why we need to 'get a grip on these bigger issues, together, and stop rearranging the nationalistic deckchairs on the glocal Titanic'. We also explain how we are going to manage the second Live Edition of the Frank and Stan Chat in Cheshire on Thursday. It's going to be an interesting ride. Enjoy.