[Magdalen] Music question

[Roger Stokes]

On 21/11/2016 15:29, Cantor03--- via Magdalen wrote:
> I don't know, but I suspect there is little emphasis now on  handwriting
> because everything is computer oriented.

As a school governor I go into my three schools regularly and know that 
handwriting is taught.  I have never seen a lesson teaching letter 
formation but by the end of the school year in which they turn 6 
children are expected to be able to begin to form all the lower-case 
letters, beginning and ending at the correct point, as well as the 
digits 0-9.and the capital letters. A year later they should be able to 
form the characters of the correct size, start joining letters and know 
which ones are best left unjoined. Legibility and consistent quality 
should improve over the next two years and they should be writing 
fluently and legibly by the time they end Key Stage 2 at age 11. I know 
of one bot who is having difficulty with that because he was apparently 
taught beautifully formed letters which he now tries to continue to use 
but they don't flow easily into one another. The result is described as 
jagged and illegible.

> Most of my class took typing, however, which has become very useful
> in this computer age. We thought we'd never have to give up our
> picas and elites.  I can remember one Christmas the thrill of getting  my
> first (Royal Elite) typewriter.

Use of computers is certainly also in the curriculum with the need to 
develop both keyboard and touch-screen skills.

Roger