Lucy Green is well known for her theory and research in the field of informal music learning. Many of us associate this with the increasingly popular Musical Futures method and have ourselves enjoyed training days ‘doing’ this. However there are many questions as yet unanswered.

This new publication is not an academic text but a handbook of ideas that have been found to work in three different settings. Green is keen to stress the commonalities in music teaching maintaining that whatever environment you work in ‘teachers . . . can benefit from an understanding and application of teaching strategies in others, and from viewing the musical needs and capabilities of students in a holistic light’ (p. xi). Thus the book is specifically addressed to specialist instrumental teachers, band directors and classroom music teachers across a range of contexts. A companion website is available with free downloads of the music presented in the handbook. The website is easy to access and use. The book is divided into three sections: instrumental tuition (one to one); ensembles; and classrooms. The basic material, and the strategies, are repeated in each section. Green discusses how students are likely to respond and suggests four different styles: impulsive; practical; shot-in-the-dark; and a theoretical approach.

Green begins by explaining what she sees as the difference in approach to teaching and learning in an informal setting. In particular ‘skills and knowledge tend to be assimilated in holistic, haphazard ways, starting with whole, real-world pieces of music; and each learner finds their own route through the learning’ (p. xvii). These informal approaches are particularly successful at integrating listening, performing, improvising and composing. This she calls HeLP (Hear-Listen-Play) but, rather ironically, the student is expected to help themselves rather than seeking it out. Personally I don't find the acronym HeLP very appealing, or educationally sound, since any activity calling for help is surely going to disillusion even further classes of pupils who need encouragement to respond positively to music.

At first sight what Green is suggesting seems remarkably similar to the Suzuki method and she outlines five ways in which her approach is different, of which three are fundamental: the pieces are not graded and each student ‘finds her own way through the task’ and after five or six sessions the student is given free choice of what music to play (p. 10). However in the classroom version the suggestion is that friendship groups begin with a free choice of music. Whereas with the individual and ensemble teaching the first pieces are selected from the examples provided, and each is broken down into constituent parts to make it easier to hear/listen, since the learning practice is based on aural recognition, what classroom teacher is going to have the time to do this for all the groups in her class? Green admits that this means throwing the pupils in at the deep end.

Whilst this system of independent learning is to be encouraged, does this method take it too far? In my experience of classroom teaching this method starts at a stage that many pupils have not reached. For example, Green says that ‘once a note has been found, they are likely to soon recognise it, return to it, and use it as an anchor from which to seek other notes’ (p. 85). Whilst our more able, musically talented and interested students from a background where music is important may be able to do this, where does this leave the less fortunate students? Two other factors are also key to the success of the method: adequate space and equipment are essential, and lessons should ideally be 90 minutes long, although 50 might be possible. How many schools are able to provide this?

For those who are keen to begin teaching in a more informal way this book is an excellent starting point. My issues are around the practice as it is conceived and not the way it is presented in this book. It is also a practice that would have great benefits for individual and ensemble teaching where a teacher is able to keep a close eye on what is happening and provide the necessary ‘help’ and encouragement. As a classroom teacher, though, it is less straightforward. Green writes: ‘If working in a context where you are required to formally identify learning outcomes, aims and objectives, lesson structure, and so on, it is possible to do this by breaking down the activities into component parts, designating them with an appropriate label, observing what students are doing, and identifying it as a learning outcome.’(p. 68). I leave it to you as readers to decide where that leaves you in respect of the standards/competences that we in the UK are expected to identify in our trainee teachers and practice routinely in the classroom.