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The commission from Rhinegold with NMC Recordings is near completion. I was able to visit Music Sales and interview Judith Weir for the video that will accompany the resource on her work and it struck me that as a whole the commission will reveal some powerful yet practical composing advice for young people. Judith made…

Fanfare 2016 webpages are now live! It was a pleasure to work with the Learning & Participation department to develop new resources for teachers and students.  http://www.roh.org.uk/learning/schools-and-colleges/fanfare  The webpages include: Fanfare 2016 resource pack – this is an updated version from the one handed out at the CPD workshop (also attached as a PDF) Fanfare…

I spent the morning going through the four main specifications with a group of teaching colleagues from other schools. It was good to spend the time (nearly 4 hours) discussing and spotting some intriguing similarities and differences between the boards.  The set work and unfamiliar balance is one I’m particularly concerned with: Edexcel gives 85%…

Asking a pupil to come up with a rhythm or a melody can be very intimidating. They have complex musical ideas swimming in their heads yet they might not possess the technical or notational capabilities to share these ideas with others. For me, the biggest hurdle in composing is getting the ideas and sharing them…

My first Inspire Event for Teach Through Music focused on the transition to KS4 Music; well, more than that in fact. How do we ensure all pupils taking KS3 are prepared to continue into KS4? Is GCSE the only route after KS3? Typically 8% will carry on – quoted by Keith Evans in his provocative…

It was great to meet a group of music teachers who attended my new course for Keynote, ‘Creativity and Imagination in GCSE Composition’. I was thrilled to be invited to write such a course; initially it felt rather daunting but it soon became apparent that I could draw on many previous experiences. Many teachers feel…

I’m very pleased to a Fellow for Teach Through Music – a year of fully subsidised professional development, support and inspiration for KS3 Music in London.  Official enrolment for Teach Through Music is now open, and with 75% of the quota already filled, you will need to register quickly to secure a place. Visit www.teachthroughmusic.org.uk…

I’m excited to be joining the Fellows who will support the enrolled teachers on the Teach Through Music professional development programme commencing this autumn. One reads so many ‘sermons’ by academics about the virtues of music education but finally a programme exists that gives a voice to those who ensure music thrives in the classroom.…

Here is my review from the Vivace Chorus’ 16 November 2013 concert, where I gave the pre-concert talk.  Jeremy Backhouse, conductor of the Guildford-based Vivace Chorus, never ceases to craft interesting programmes and last Saturday we were treated to the pairing of Haydn and Karl Jenkins in a choral concert at Guildford Cathedral. Haydn’s ‘Mass…

Originally posted on Steven Berryman: Haydn’s last visit in 1794-95 [to Great Britain] had marked both the climax of London’s public concert life and the beginning of its decline. The founding of the Philharmonic Society in 1813 by a group of professional musicians was a rare flash of light in an otherwise sombre scene. Although…