The whole class ensemble tuition (WCET) programme in English schools is a somewhat singular and relatively recent arrival onto the teaching and learning scene. It arose from a remark made by an English politician and has grown from there into becoming a regular feature in the music education landscape in primary schools. It has elements which will be familiar to music educators in many parts of the world, whilst having some aspects which are unique to the English context. In order to place the WCET programme into perspective, this paper outlines the policy context which gave rise to it and explains what it involves and how it is operationalised in schools.

In 2001, the government in England pledged in the white paper Schools Achieving Success that all primary school pupils who wanted to should have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. The research reported here aimed to establish what contributed to the success of the implementation of this policy. The findings showed that success depended on all school staff being committed to the programme; children having experience of high-quality provision; opportunities to participate in performance; and accessible progression routes.

The Whole Class Ensemble Tuition (WCET) is a model of teaching and learning music which takes place in many English primary schools. It is a relative newcomer to music pedagogy in the primary school. In the groundbreaking study reported in this paper, two new models of teaching and learning music are proposed. These are (a) Music education starts with the instrument and (b) Music education takes place via the instrument. Conceptualised descriptions of classroom music pedagogies are not commonplace, and so this paper makes a significant contribution to the music education research literature by delineating, describing and labelling two of these with reference to the WCET programme. These distinctions are of international significance and are useful to describe differences between programmes, which constitutes a major contribution to music curricula discussions. The paper concludes that clarity on the purposes of teaching and learning is fundamental to effective musical pedagogy and that this is a matter that education systems worldwide should be considering.

This paper presents the results of a study (Johnstone, 2016) which investigated the nature of professional collaboration between the visiting instrumental teacher and the primary school class teacher in the Wider Opportunities instrumental programme. The potential for exchanging knowledge appears to be significant when the visiting instrumental teacher is regarded as an expert in music and the class teacher as an expert in pedagogy. The analysis was influenced by underpinning theoretical perspectives based on professional collaboration (Whittington, 2003b; Hartas, 2004; Evans, 2011) and showed impoverished collaboration, even though some teachers wished for closer involvement. The unique nature of the study and its findings highlighted critical issues related to the necessity for discussions and sharing expertise between teachers, and the need for clearer communication between the local music education hub and the schools.

Musical cultures in primary schools are influenced by motivators which include intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Whole Class Ensemble Teaching (WCET) as realised through provision from Music Education Hubs in England is an extrinsic factor which has been widely influential. This article explores the dynamics in play in parental engagement in music provision, as realised through domains of musical value and progression in the context of WCET provision. It presents research, based on data from one primary school in the English Midlands, drawing on responses from children, parents, the WCET teacher and the head teacher of the school. The research used semi-structured interviews and graphical elicitation as research methodologies to create a conceptual map of theoretical perspectives for parental responses to WCET and suggests that triangulating motivating influences from parents, WCET and learners remain an emergent domain.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the parent as a supporter of practice during a whole-class beginner violin programme and whether it is considered most beneficial for practice to be undertaken at home, at school or in no formal manner. This mixed-methods research project involved a year-group of 31 pupils aged 6–7 years from a preparatory school in an affluent area of the south of England over a 10-week period. Two parent questionnaires were administered at the start and end of the programme and analysed together with pupil focus groups and teacher assessment. It was discovered that most pupils played at home only once a week, and this was only with parental help. Many challenges to practising at home were identified, and by the end of the programme parents considered that their children could have made as much progress without practising at home. Pupils considered the most desirable ways for their parents to support them were to watch and listen, and to play together. Parents were unsure what to do except for offering encouragement. Pupils were very clear that playing together at school was preferable to playing at home, and it was evident that finding a way to establish school practice sessions between lessons would be the most enjoyable arrangement and support the most progress.