Music for Education & Wellbeing

In this episode, I talk with Sam Chaplin, community choir leader for The Choir With No Name, workshop leader, singer-songwriter, jazz trumpeter, pianist, composer and arranger. We discuss: how community choir leading is ‘caught rather than taught’; the four Cs of connection, confidence, congratulations and the catharsis of ‘singing it out and the song on Sam’s new album inspired by this; the value...

 In this episode, I talk with  Rachael Perrin, a co-founder of community music organisation, Soundcastle, which runs projects in the south of England, coaches and trains music practitioners across the UK, and has an online community to support them. We talk about bringing together the music and social care worlds and wanting to find ‘other uses for music’; their Musical Beacons work with families...

 In this episode, I talk with head vocal coach for X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, Annabel Williams. Annabel talks about her route into vocal coaching, gives some insights into the support given to TV talent show contestants and shares some tips and advice for vocalists. She goes on to talk about her The Vocal Coach app for singers of all levels wanting to develop their voices, or use singing f...

In this episode, I’m talking with JB Rose who is a soul vocalist, recording artist, and vocal tutor at three charities (Heart and Soul, Clean Break Theatre Company and Second Wave Youth Arts where she’s also an Associate Director). JB has supported Chaka Khan, and worked with the likes of Coolio, Omar and Junior.  Alongside all of this she also has an impressive scriptwriting and songwriting caree...

In this episode, I talk with Helen Brookes, Head of Whole Class Instrumental Teaching for Services for Education Music Service, Birmingham which leads the music education hub for the city. It’s part of the Services for Education charity, which provides a range of services to schools from school-centred initial teacher training to school improvement consultancy. We talk about the services’s progres...

In this episode, I’m talking with pioneering and award-winning jazz musicians, educators, and producers Janine Irons MBE and Gary Crosby OBE, who together run the music education and development charity Tomorrow’s Warriors. We talk about their routes into music and their work addressing barriers to music and the music industry for young people facing barriers to progression in the music industry –...

In this episode, I’m talking with Roz De Vile, CEO of Music Masters, a music education charity that runs group music making programmes in five London schools, teacher training, and has developed ‘I’m In’, a diversity tool and process to help music organisations to be more inclusive and better reflect the society we live in. This episode was recorded in December 2020 and before the new January lock...

In this episode, I’m talking with Catherine Birch, who is a senior lecturer in Community Music at York St John University. She is currently researching, how trauma-informed approaches can benefit community music practice, through singing and songwriting work with women prisoners as part of the York St John Prison Partnership.

In this episode, I’m talking with Ije Amaechi, Victoria Port, and Ross Lanning: music tutors working for Hertfordshire Music Service, part of a local authority in the UK. They specialise in working with young people who face barriers to music education, particularly those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

In this episode, I’m talking with Laura Hassler, Founder and Director of Musicians Without Borders. It’s a charity based in Amsterdam that uses the power of music for peacebuilding and social change, particularly in areas of war and conflict ||| There are many reasons why you’ll be interested in Musicians with Borders. From its early beginnings as a bus full of musicians bringing music to refugee...

In this episode, I’m talking with Ollie Tunmer of Beat Goes On. Ollie teaches STOMP-style body percussion and samba drumming to all ages, including in schools from primary to secondary, and to teachers. In primaries, he’s developed Body Percussion with Literacy, working with literacy specialist Pie Corbett, and his sessions recently moved online during lockdown.

In this episode, I’m talking with Malaki Patterson, who is Gloucestershire-based music producer, community musician, music manager, and creative director. Malaki has helped to achieve much change in the county, to support young people facing barriers in access to music and progression routes into the industry.

Sally Cathcart of The Curious Piano Teachers, shares how they’re continuing to provide services and support to piano teachers, and piano teachers to young people, during lockdown.

Stuart Birnie of Services for Education Music Service Birmingham, shares how they’re continuing to provide services and support to young people during lockdown.

Steph Dickinson, of Pie Factory Music, an East-Kent creative youth charity, shares how they’re continuing to provide services and support to young people during lockdown.

Emma Coulthard, of Cardiff County and the Vale of Glamorgan Music Service , shares how they’re continuing to provide services and support to young people during lockdown.

Neil Phillips, of Awards for Young Musicians, shares how they’re continuing to provide funding and support to young people and those who teach and mentor them, during lockdown.

Helen Murray, of Nottingham Music Hub, shares how they’re continuing to provide support and services to young people during lockdown.

Ben O’Sullivan of The Music Works, a Gloucestershire-based community music charity shares how they’re continuing to provide support and services to young people during lockdown.

In this episode, I’m talking with Bev Foster, Founding Director of Room 217, a Canadian social enterprise that uses music to change the culture of care || Bev started the organisation with her husband Rob, after experiencing first-hand the power of music for her dying father || It now provides music training for care staff as well as research-informed products like conversation cards, music books,...

In this episode, I’m talking with Elle Williams, a classically-trained guitarist who previously worked as a music tutor in mainstream schools, and now specialises solely in one-to-one music lessons with disabled people and those with additional needs || We talk about: the lack of music tutors working one-to-one with disabled people, particularly young people with moderate or profound and multiple...

In this episode, I’m talking with Paul McManus, CEO of the Music Industries Association (MIA), the trade body for the musical instrument industry. The MIA work in a number of ways to support music education for all ages, and recently in October 2019, held the first of what will now become an annual conference focused on music education and the music industry working together. The MIA also has a ch...

In this episode, I’m talking with Jimmy Rotheram of Feversham Primary, Bradford. Jimmy is the teacher who was thrust into the spotlight to tell the story of how music contributed to transforming his school. He’s a great example of how one person with a mission and a story can get noticed and listened to - and can make a difference through music education advocacy.

In this episode, I’m talking with Ruth Jones, who is a youth arts specialist, trainer, music development manager and bass player, as well as being an experienced arts and music development manager currently working with Arts Awards and Wiltshire Music Connect || We discuss the value self-employed people bring to the sector and the challenges they face || Ruth shares some tips about being clear on...

In this episode, I’m talking with Liv McLennan, who is a community musician and a specialist in early years music || We discuss what parents and carers can do to introduce music to their pre-school child, and share some ideas for making music with babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers || We talk about || keeping it simple - thinking of music as communicating using what’s available to you daily || be...