DaCapo Music, a renowned provider of music education, aimed to revolutionise how music is taught in schools by developing a digital platform. By partnering with HeadChannel, they successfully brought their innovative music programme to life, making it accessible to students and teachers across the UK. Our solution supported DaCapo’s mission to ensure music education remains inclusive, engaging, and effective, despite the challenges facing the education sector.
The Challenge
Music education in the UK faces significant challenges, with many schools reducing or eliminating music programmes. DaCapo sought to tackle this by digitising their music curriculum, based on Kodaly and Dalcroze techniques, and making it accessible on a web-based platform for use in classrooms. However, they needed a robust system that could be easily managed by teachers, whether specialists or non-specialists, and scalable to support widespread use. This platform also needed to provide a structured, easy-to-navigate curriculum that met national requirements.
We joined the project after the initial proof of concept had been tested using a basic interactive presentation. Our goal was to take DaCapo’s vision and create a fully functional, scalable, and user-friendly platform that schools could adopt, allowing more students to benefit from their engaging, music-focused curriculum.
Why HeadChannel?
DaCapo partnered with HeadChannel because of our proven experience in creating bespoke digital platforms tailored to unique educational needs. Our technical expertise, combined with our ability to collaborate closely with clients, ensured that we could transform their programme into a digital solution that met both current and future needs. Our team’s experience in developing scalable systems, supported by agile methodologies, made us the perfect fit to deliver a platform that could evolve alongside DaCapo’s ambitions.
Our Approach
- Understanding the Vision
We worked closely with DaCapo founders, Jane Cutler and Michelle Groves, to fully understand their teaching methods and the needs of their users. Our first priority was to design an intuitive, modular system that would allow teachers to track student progress and facilitate lessons using interactive activities.
- Designing the System
We built the platform around a core set of music activities and lessons, designed to align with national curriculum standards. Each song serves as the basis for a range of activities that help students develop skills such as reading music, voice control, and understanding musical dynamics. The modular approach ensures flexibility and scalability as DaCapo expands its offerings.
- Technology Selection
We used the ABP framework to develop the backend efficiently, allowing us to dedicate more time to perfecting the user experience. The platform was designed to be managed by DaCapo, giving them complete control over adding songs, defining lessons, and adjusting content as needed. This flexibility ensures that the programme can grow alongside their evolving needs.
- Customisation and Scalability
The software supports the creation of school profiles, enabling schools to choose the right programme license and manage their own user accounts. Teachers can track their students’ progress, and the system is optimised for classroom use, whether on interactive whiteboards or other devices. The platform also includes gamified elements to engage students and keep learning interactive.
- Friends and Family Testing
We implemented a testing phase to ensure the system was user-friendly, intuitive, and effective in a classroom setting. Feedback gathered from this phase helped us refine the platform before its official launch.
Testimonial
“Working with DaCapo on this project has been an incredibly rewarding experience for us at HeadChannel. Transforming their rich music education methodology into an interactive, digital platform was a challenging but exciting task. Our team was able to deliver a solution that gives DaCapo full control over their content and programme configuration, empowering them to continuously evolve the platform in response to changing educational needs. By enabling more schools to access high-quality music education, we’re proud to have supported DaCapo in their mission to inspire the next generation of musicians.”
Kate Witko
Head of Operations, HeadChannel
The Outcome
HeadChannel successfully transformed DaCapo’s music education programme into a digital platform that enables schools and teachers to provide high-quality, interactive music lessons. The platform offers:
Full Control: DaCapo can manage and adjust the content in real-time, ensuring the programme stays relevant.
Scalability: The system allows for easy expansion into new schools, languages, and activity types.
Improved Engagement: Students benefit from interactive lessons, while teachers can track their progress and manage their learning experiences with ease.
With this platform, DaCapo is well-positioned to expand their reach and continue their mission of providing inclusive and impactful music education.
About DaCapo
DaCapo Music began as a Saturday music school in 1991, founded by Jane Cutler and Michelle Groves. Since then, it has grown into a leading music education programme, utilising Kodaly and Dalcroze techniques to foster musicality and appreciation across the UK. DaCapo aims to ensure that all students, regardless of background, have access to high-quality music education through their innovative programme.
