MTRS Frequently Asked Questions

What is the subscription site?
Can I photocopy the materials?
How is this different to a book?
How is this different to the QCA schemes?

How do I get e mail help?
How do I know when things are updated or added?
What is a PDF?
How prescriptive are the units of work?
Are the units practical in content?
Can I use the materials with an interactive whiteboard?
Can pupils access the materials from home/school?
I am not from the UK.  Can I still use the materials?
What about primary school music?
Can I see some samples?
What do people say about the subscription site?
How much does subscription cost?
Why is there a charge for subscription?

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What is the subscription site?
Structured and detailed schemes of work, support materials for teachers and pupils are provided for subscribers.  These are written by real teachers and have been extensively tested in the classroom.
The materials are regularly updated and new schemes are constantly being added.
All the materials are provided in PDF format, which means that they can be printed directly from your printer at home or at school.

Can I photocopy the materials?
Subscription gives you the licence to print and photocopy as much as you like, as long as it is used in the subscribing school or college.

How is this different to a book?
The fundamental difference is that the materials on the subscription site are constantly being updated and edited.  Also, new schemes are constantly being developed and you have access to them for the duration of your subscription.

How is this different to the QCA schemes?
The QCA schemes of work are just that, schemes.  They do not include pupil worksheets, lesson plans, teacher information sheets, flashcards, diagrams etc.  The units in the subscription site do include all these.  Some of the QCA schemes are covered in these MTRS schemes, for example, the QCA Hooks and Riffs is covered in two schemes in the MTRS.

How do I get e mail help?

E mail Rob Jones.  You will usually get a response within 12 hours.

How do I know when things are updated or added?
We e-mail you from time to time to let you know of developments.  Additionally, there is an update log (see below) which informs everyone of updates.

What is a PDF?
Without being too technical, PDF documents are a format which prints and looks the same on all computers.  When you print a PDF document, the quality is high and it looks exactly as the author intended.  To download PDF documents, you need a program in your computer called Acrobat Reader, which is free to download.  If you don't have it, you can download it by clicking the button below marked 'Get Acrobat Reader'

How prescriptive are the units of work?
You can use the materials in a variety of ways.   Each scheme has a lesson by lesson plan, if you choose to do it this way.  You may decide to use some of the materials and not others, it is entirely up to you.  Some schools already have well established schemes of work they are happy with, so they use the MTRS units to provide material to complement this, other schools use the MTRS schemes on their own, perhaps adding their own material as well.

Are the units practical in content?
We firmly believe that all music lessons should have practical music making at its core.  The units are therefore entirely practical in content.  Pupils learn through a 'hands on' approach.

Can I use the materials with an interactive whiteboard?
All the materials can be saved to a local computer or taken straight off the internet, which makes them perfect for use with interactive whiteboards.  Pupil worksheets, chord charts, notation etc. can all be projected and musical examples can be played through speaker systems.  Some of the materials are specifically written for Interactive Whiteboards.

Can pupils access the materials from home/school?
There is a pupil access page which is currently not protected by a password or user name at www.mtrs.co.uk/pupils
Of course, not all the materials are on that page, but relevant homework and MIDI files for use with the units are on that page.

I am not from the UK.  Can I still use the materials?
We have subscribers from all over the World, including Australia, New Zealand, the USA and even China.  Most subscribers are from the UK, so we refer to British curriculum terms, such as 'Key Stage' and 'National Curriculum'.  Wherever in the world you are working; if you believe music should be taught by participation, then the materials here will be very relevant to you.  If you think that learning music = learning rules of theory, then stay away!

What about primary school music?
At the moment, the MTRS specialises in secondary school music (ages 11-16), although primary schemes are currently being developed and will be added when there are enough.  Many of the materials have been used effectively with Y5 and Y6 pupils (ages 9-11).

Can I see some samples?
Click on the 'sample page' button on the main menu to see excerpts from different units.  Some of the units are now free, so click on them to see if they appear!

What do people say about the subscription site?
"I use several of the year 7 and 8 projects and I am starting to use some of the year 9 ones as well. I tend to use at least 90% of each scheme"
"I'm sure you've been told this on numerous occasions but many many thanks for creating many valuable resources of such a high quality! being able to  download and use these has meant I've had almost my full 6 week holiday! "
"At the moment we are finding the 'Musical Patterns' and 'Chords' unit particularly successful "
"I have found the schemes of work extremely useful and have in fact restructured our schemes of work based on your ideas"
"Most useful and effective have been the year 9 units which the kids have found very motivating"
"I have also found the GCSE composition ideas extremely motivating for the pupils."
"I particularly like the way you have presented the schemes of work and highlighted the key skills"
"Excellent....what really impressed me is the variety of materials available ranging from simple flashcards to quite substantial materials for lessons covered by the non-specialist teacher"  :  DFeS Curriculum online evaluation
 

How much does subscription cost?
A one year subscription costs 79 UKP.  Bulk LEA subscriptions can be arranged for a discount.  At the moment, the 3rd year of subscription is FREE!

Why is there a charge for subscription?
All subscription money goes towards paying authors and composers royalty fees for writing materials specifically for the MTRS.  There is no advertising on the MTRS to bring in revenue.  The only way to guarantee first class teaching resources is to pay talented people to write and test them.  It's as simple as that.