The school open day is a terrible curriculum designer

A school preparing for an open day faces a legible demand. The visiting family gets five minutes at the music room. There had better be something recognisably impressive onstage. Perhaps a fast pianist, a clean choir or a jazz band with a reliable solo.

The problem begins when that showcase makes decisions all year. Rehearsal hours accumulate around students who can carry the programme. Risky arrangements get cut. A child who attempts something hard and fails visibly is now somebody’s scheduling issue.

Show the process as well as the result. Run a five-minute open rehearsal. Play eight bars. Have a learner explain why a part was removed. Play the revised bars. Show the work of a group that made an original backing loop beside the advanced piano performance. These are things families can actually ask about when deciding what their child would do in the programme.

The same test applies to school brochures. Instead of counting medals alone, give one example of a task a beginning student completes. How long do they get to work on it? Who do they play with? Does every child perform or record something? A school that can answer these questions has more to offer than a deceptively tidy stage.