The MRTT approach
Calm starts. Clear teaching. More music-making.
Each lesson follows a familiar rhythm so pupils know what to do, teachers know what to check and more time can be spent making music.
- Predictable routines
- Structured independence
- Visible progress
Structure without a script
A framework that supports teaching.
MRTT makes the delivery approach visible: what to prepare, how to introduce the learning, how to model practical work and what to check before pupils continue.
The structure remains familiar, but it does not require every teacher or class to work in exactly the same way. Specialists can adapt and extend. Less confident teachers have a dependable route to follow.
The thinking behind the approach
Designed around how pupils become more musical
Completing a musical activity is not the same as developing musical understanding.
Ofsted's 2023 music subject report found that, in many of the secondary schools visited, pupils encountered a range of topics without always experiencing a clearly connected journey of musical development.
MRTT connects curriculum intentions to the practical decisions teachers make in each lesson.
Know where the learning is going
Clear musical goals and sequenced knowledge connect new learning with what pupils have already encountered. Performing, composing and listening develop as complementary parts of musical education.
Make improvement part of the lesson
The lesson design creates space for modelling, guided rehearsal, independent practice and responsive feedback, so musical quality can be heard, discussed and refined.
Support the person delivering the curriculum
MRTT makes preparation, modelling, checks and next steps visible. Specialists can adapt and extend the learning, while less experienced teachers have a clearer route to follow.
Recognise what pupils can actually do
Retrieval, reflection, formative checks and practical musical evidence give teachers different ways to notice what pupils have secured and decide what they need next.
These principles are carried into the MRTT six-stage lesson rhythm. The structure remains familiar while the musical learning continues to develop.
Evidence-informed design. Practical classroom delivery. Professional judgement at the centre.
Informed by themes discussed in Ofsted's national music subject report, Striking the right note (2023). This is independent contextual evidence, not an endorsement or evaluation of MRTT.
Discuss Pilot 001The lesson rhythm
One familiar sequence.
New musical learning.
Every stage has a clear purpose. Together, they move pupils from recalling prior learning towards increasingly independent music-making.
Do Now
A brief retrieval task recalls prior learning and gives pupils a clear, settled start.
Knowledge & Skills
The lesson focus, musical knowledge and practical success criteria are made clear.
New Learning
One focused musical idea is introduced actively, followed by a check for understanding.
Guided Practice
The teacher models, demonstrates, pauses, checks and corrects before pupils work independently.
Independent Practice
Pupils rehearse, perform, compose, arrange or refine with clear musical success criteria.
Reflect on Learning
A concise reflection connects the practical work to the lesson focus and captures progress.
Inside each lesson
Practical guidance where it matters.
MRTT resources are designed around the decisions teachers need to make before and during practical music lessons.
Know what is needed
Teacher guidance identifies equipment, prior learning, likely misconceptions and essential preparation.
Make success visible and audible
Guided practice explains what to demonstrate, what pupils should notice and when they are ready to continue.
Support from what pupils do
Adaptation is built around pupil execution, allowing teachers to simplify, repeat, extend or change the level of support.
Make progress visible
Retrieval, success criteria, reflection and progress tracking connect musical activity with evidence of learning.
Built for real classrooms
Designed around practical constraints.
Music classrooms contain different starting points, limited lesson time, shared equipment and pupils who need different routes into participation. MRTT is designed with those realities in mind.
- Clear routines and transitions
- Focused musical vocabulary
- Guided and independent practical work
- Flexible support and extension
Explore the approach
Interested in using MRTT in your setting?
MRTT is currently being refined through classroom practice while we invite a small initial cohort of secondary schools to take part in Pilot 001. The pilot will test how practical, clear and usable the approach is under normal classroom conditions.
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