In Summer 2025, Merton Music Foundation (MMF) entered almost 250 children for Trinity’s Awards and Certificates in Musical Development (ACMD) qualifications simultaneously – the largest cohort ever to be put forward. The charity’s Chief Executive, David Rees, shares their experiences of running the project that led to entering this phenomenal number of students for the qualifications, and what it means to the learners who took part.
Mini Musicians
Mini Musicians was an inclusive music teaching intervention based on the Sounds of Intent framework, delivered between January 2023 and July 2025 focussing on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Key Stage 1 (KS1).
The project was devised by MMF working alongside Professor Adam Ockelford from the Sounds of Intent charity and delivered in partnership with Sing Up and The University of Roehampton. Mini Musicians was made possible by generous funding from Merton Council. The Mini Musicians pilot programme was delivered in ten Merton primary and special schools and culminated in July 2025 with a two-day Key Stage 1 festival involving most of the c.650 children that were part of the project.
Research study
Year 1 children, in both mainstream and SEND contexts, were taught general musicianship skills by specialist practitioners in half-class groups before going on to learn to play the melodica (a wind-blown keyboard instrument) alongside their classmates in Year 2. Pupils’ progress was carefully tracked across the two years by researchers from the University of Roehampton and correlated against a wide range of other academic and demographic data.
Throughout the project, pupils were filmed responding to simple musical activities presented to them by a friendly practitioner in a series of short, pre-recorded videos. These ‘musical games’, as the pupils knew them, were designed using the Sounds of Intent framework and became progressively more complex throughout the activity, which provided researchers with a highly detailed view of each child’s musical development.
Assessment methodology
Researchers meticulously coded over 500 hours of video data, which was collected across 15 months of delivery with approximately four assessments per-child. This data was collated and analysed to produce a Sounds of Intent level indicator for each child in the programme, based on their highest level of achievement throughout the project. This data was, in turn, converted into an ACMD level and submitted to Trinity College London alongside a sample of video evidence for moderation.
By utilising a video stimulus, it was possible to deliver the assessments en masse whilst ensuring a child-centred approach. For some pupils, particularly those with additional needs, this method of assessment was less effective and so – thanks to the flexibility of the awards – it was possible for practitioners to complete observations of individual pupils throughout the programme ensuring that every child’s musical development was recognised.
Celebrating achievement, inclusively
246 pupils were entered for an ACMD qualification. Thanks to the exam’s inclusive nature, pupils in both mainstream and SEND settings were able to celebrate their achievements with the same nationally recognised accreditation.
MMF’s Chief Executive, David Rees, recalled:
‘It was such a joy to deliver the certificates to each of the schools and, in some cases, hand them out directly to pupils in their assemblies – you could see how proud their teachers were and how proud the children were of themselves.’
Next steps and conclusion
MMF continues to work with Sounds of Intent and a researcher from Anglia Ruskin University to further develop the assessment framework that was used in the Mini Musicians study.
Since September 2025, four more Merton schools have joined the Mini Musicians programme and a legacy project is being delivered in six of the original ten pilot schools, focussed on developing non-specialist class teachers’ confidence and ability to deliver the Mini Musicians scheme themselves.
The ACMD qualifications provide a flexible assessment framework and accreditation scheme to enable all learners to celebrate their musical development and achievements. What was interesting about how this was used in Mini Musicians was applying the assessment en masse in both SEND and mainstream settings, levelling the playing field and enabling pupils of all abilities and needs to shine.
About MMF
Merton Music Foundation is an independent charity music service and consortium member of the London Southwest Music Hub. Established in 1991, the charity’s vision is a borough where music resonates along the corridors of every school and echoes throughout the community – a place of aspiration, inclusion and ambition that supports every child’s creativity.
Find out more about MMF and the Mini Musicians programme or contact minimusicans@mmf.org.uk.
Are you interested in seeing how Trinity’s Awards and Certificates in Musical Development can be used to support your students? Find out more here.
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