Teaching Notes - Music Teachers Association's Podcast

Send us a textIn Episode 121, Patrick meets Leanna O'Brien, from the Soaring Scarves Academy in California, who teaches music using movement and scarves, to help students really internalise great works by Tchaikovsky and Grieg, amongst others (0:43)We also meet the new MTA President, James Manwaring, to find out about him as a musician and teacher, and to see what he hopes to achieve in his tenure as MTA President (19:56). And outgoing MTA President Catherine Barker has a message for all music teachers (35:40).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://soaringscarvesacademy.comhttps://manwaringmusic.blog/about-me/#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a text2025 MTA CONFERENCE SPECIALIn Episode 120, Patrick visits the 2025 MTA Conference, held at Trinity Academy, Bristol. He meets ABRSM Chief Examiner and Jazz trumpeter Mark Armstrong, to find out more about Mark's CPD session, ‘Jazz in the Classroom' (04:31), and chats to Founder and President of MusicFirst, Dr Jim Frankel, about his Key Note speech, ‘The Impact of AI on Music Making and Learning' (22:12).Plus, Patrick chats to various exhibitors at the Trade Fair, including representatives from Aspire Organs, Sing Up!, Coach House Pianos, Trinity College London, and Viscount Organs.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.Mark Armstrong: https://www.rcm.ac.uk/research/people/details/?id=02730Dr Jim Frankel: https://www.musictechhelper.com/about-mewww.aspireorgans.co.ukwww.singup.orgwww.coachhousepianos.co.ukwww.trinitycollege.comhttps://viscountorgans.nethttps://www.musicteachers.org/events/mta-conference-2025/ #CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a text2025 MTA CONFERENCE PREVIEW In Episode 119, Patrick chats to Liz Dunbar and Asha Bishop about the crucial balancing of creativity and academic rigour at Key Stage 3.And composer, arranger, singer, conductor and jazz musician Alexander L'Estrange discusses ways to get your choir to swing!Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://musicdepartmentresources.comhttps://www.alexanderlestrange.comhttps://www.musicteachers.org/events/mta-conference-2025/ #CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a textIn Episode 118, Patrick chats to composer Rilla Paterson about her compositions for young voices, designed to help children with sight-reading; plus the importance of notation.Julian Whittaker introduces the MTA's free ‘Mock Interview' service, for members applying for a new job, to have a practice interview with an experienced Head of Music.Plus, Jack Laidlaw, James Tuck, and Dustin Ragland explain the range of products and services provided by Ableton, including Live, Push, and Move. Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.http://rillapaterson.comhttps://childofthefuture.comhttps://www.musicteachers.orghttps://www.ableton.com #CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a textIn Episode 117, Patrick chats to Dr Jonathan Savage about significant changes in the world of Music Education, the relationship of Music Hubs with schools, and new BBC Bitesize resources.And the MTA's Head of Growth and Operations, Caroline Robinson introduces the 2025 MTA conference, including the CPD sessions, the mentoring and training, the keynote speakers, and details of tickets.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.ucanplay.org.uk/https://tinyurl.com/JonathanSavagehttps://www.musicteachers.org/events/mta-conference-2025/#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a textIn Episode 116, Patrick is joined by Maria Thomas from The Music Workshop Company, to find out about their range of schools workshops, including historical music, and a very interesting workshop using cutlery!Editor of Gramophone Magazine, Martin Cullingford, tells Patrick all about the Survey ‘Growing Musicians, Shaping Lives', aiming to find out about music teachers' day-to-day lives in the profession.And Mark Aitchison tells Patrick all about the European Day of Music in Schools, which enables teachers to watch videos of music-making from schools all over Europe.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.music-workshop.co.ukhttps://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8151878/Growing-Musicians-2025-surveyhttps://eas-music.org/eudamus/© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a text~ 2025 MUSC & DRAMA EXPO SPECIAL ~In Episode 115, Patrick visits the 2025 Music & Drama Expo, to attend CDP sessions, and chat to exhibitors about new Music Education products. Ifeanyichukwu Ezinmadu introduces SymphoMe, which uses AI to help give students detailed feedback on their performances in between lessons. (1:08)Award-winning Jazz pianist, composer and educator Nikki Yeoh shares some of her steps to teaching improvisation, and to help students (and teachers!) overcome the fear! (5:28)Dr June Fileti, MD of the International School of Musicians, chats about their new approach to performance assessment, allowing students to choose their own repertoire. (16:40)Rachel Hawker, Director of Education at Rocksteady Music School, chats about her CPD session, ‘The Power of Games to Supercharge Children's Musicality'. (25:21)And, Heart FM presenter Simon Beale chats about the Music & Drama Education Awards, which he hosted, and about his love for 80s music. (36:17)Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://symphome.comhttps://www.gsmd.ac.uk/staff/nikki-yeohhttps://www.internationalschoolofmusicians.orghttps://www.rocksteadymusicschool.comhttps://www.heart.co.uk/radio/shows-presenters/simon-beale/http://musicanddramaeducationexpo.co.ukhttps://musicdramaedawards.com/MDEA2025/en/page/home-page #CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a textIn Episode 114, Patrick chats to Music Teacher Dylan McCaig about being a recent ECT, and about Early Music both within the curriculum, and as part of co-curricular activities.MTA Operations Manager Laura Bendy shares details of her new role at the MTA, as well as an important announcement.And looking towards the Music and Drama Education Expo, Patrick meets Thomas Gregory, to find out why we all need more chaos in our classrooms!Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.www.instagram.com/dylanmccaigmusichttps://www.musicteachers.org/events/mta-conference-2025/http://thomasgregory.co.ukhttp://musicanddramaeducationexpo.co.uk#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a textIn Episode 113, Patrick catches up with ‘That Music Improv Teacher', Mike Wright, to find out about Mike's on-going work to promote improvisation as a standard part of music teaching (01:01).Professor Derek Aviss OBE discusses the psychology of performance, including overriding the brain's natural reaction to the fear and stress of performance, with details of a forthcoming webinar from the Royal Society of Musicians (20:28).And MTA President Catherine Barker explains the huge amount of work that the MTA does for music educators everywhere, including much behind the scenes (31:33).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://mwrightmusic-education.comhttps://www.rsmgb.org/whats-on/healthy-teachershttp://www.musicteachers.org#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects #thatmusicimprovteacher© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a textIn Episode 112, Patrick meets singer, teacher, and vocal health expert, Dr Jenevora Williams, to discuss ways to recognise, manage, and prevent any issues with students' – or teachers' – vocal health (0:34).Plus, conductor Nic Chalmers introduces ways of engaging young people with opera, including some of his work with the Royal Opera House, and chats about his marathon Christmas Carolling at the Royal Albert Hall with the National Youth Choir (12:11).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.nicholaschalmers.com https://jenevorawilliams.comhttps://linktr.ee/jenevorawilliamshttps://www.musicanddramaeducationexpo.co.uk/speakers/jenevora-williams#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a textIn Episode 111, Patrick chats to Alex Aitken about GCSE and A Level composition and set works, including ways to teach them, their place within a course, and the barriers faced by teachers and students (00:53).Editor of Music Teacher magazine, Phil Croydon introduces the forthcoming Music & Drama Education Expo and Awards, to be held in January 2025 (17:19).And singer, song-writer and New England fiddler Lissa Schneckenburger discusses the importance of aural awareness, ways to teach it, and her online course ‘Learning By Ear' (29:06).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://alexaitken.co.ukhttps://masteringalevelmusic.co.ukhttps://www.musicanddramaeducationexpo.co.ukhttps://musicdramaedawards.comhttps://lissafiddle.com#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Send us a textIn Episode 110, Patrick chats to Aileen Douthwaite from the Music Publishers' Association, about the Every Copy Counts campaign, highlighting the legality of photocopying music in copyright, and logging it to help publishers, authors and composers (00:45).Alex Parsons and Liz Dunbar offer some Composition Hacks for students struggling to get going with a new piece, in extracts from their recent MTA webinar (11:35).And choral conductor and singer Edward Caswell chats to Patrick about rounds and canons, and SingCircle, a new book containing 111 of these perfect miniatures, which he has co-authored. He explains the book's origins, how to teach rounds and canons effectively, and just why they are perfect for students of all ages and experience (19:59).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://everycopycounts.co.ukhttps://mpaonline.org.ukhttps://www.musicteachers.org/online-events/oxford.ly/3AAnnvt #CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 109, Patrick chats to BBC Radio 3 presenter Linton Stephens about the BBC's new Ten Pieces, each of which has been written by a female composer (0:55).Alex Parsons introduces a new series of webinars from the MTA, providing crucial CPD for teachers (09:06).And Si Tew from Digit Learning explains the range of products they offer, including their joystick-driven instrument, CMPSR, their notation system Arrow Notes, plus Global Sound Culture (13:38).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/ten-pieces https://www.musicteachers.org/online-events/https://digitlearning.co.uk#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 108, Patrick chats to Michelle Robinson from Loughborough University about the special relationship between student and teacher in instrumental and vocal lessons, also looking at ways to develop it (0:54).And Gary Spruce discusses the complexities of instrumental music teaching, as featured in his new book 'Instrumental Music Teaching: Perspectives and Challenges', the uniqueness of whole class instrumental tuition, and teacher retention (11:20).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.Survey: https://tinyurl.com/MTMRQSurveyInstrumental Music Teaching: Perspectives and Challenges: https://tinyurl.com/GarySpruce#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In episode 107, Patrick meets the Winner of Visiting Music Teacher 2024 (Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards 2024) Helen Minshall, to chat about her work, teaching brass instruments across Lancashire (1:08).Plus, Dr Anthony Anderson discusses curriculum design, looking at differences in how curricula are perceived by music teachers and SLTs (16:46).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.bbe.org.uk/brass-foundationshttps://www.facebook.com/Minshallmusicltdhttps://musicteacherconference.com/curriculummusic2024/en/page/homehttps://www.bcu.ac.uk/health-education-and-life-sciences/staff/education-and-teacher-training/anthony-anderson#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 106, Patrick chats to recorder player Ali Walker about Sing Up's new complete scheme of learning for KS1 and KS2 recorder, 'Play Recorder' (0:52).And Dr George Waddell, from the Royal College of Music, discusses assessment in music, focusing on performance science, preparation for a performance assessment, and external factors that can affect assessors' opinions (18:20).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.singup.org/music/play-recorder https://performancescience.ac.uk/team/waddell/© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 105, Patrick finds out all about the new AI-driven assessment app, Assessify, created by Rob Reich-Storer from Rhythmstix (0:54).Rachel Topham from Faber Music chats about the new Faber Music Teachers' Community, designed to help bring instrumental/vocal teachers and the publisher closer together (12:20).And Maddy Barnes and Peter Tamblyn talk about the great education work done by English Touring Opera (25:27).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.Assessify: http://rhythmstix.co.uk/assessify/ Faber: https://www.facebook.com/share/VrWH5myoZX3PRR6D/English Touring Opera: https://englishtouringopera.org.uk/our-work/learning-participation#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 104, Patrick chats to Music Education Consultant (and former National Lead for Music for Ofsted), Mark Phillips, about the start of Year 7, including the value (or lack of value) of baseline tests, questionnaires, and tests of aural perception, such as the Bentley Test.Plus, MTA President Catherine Barker reflects on the 2023–24 academic year, and looks to the future for Music Education.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.Mark Phillips: https://x.com/englishcadenceMusic Mark article: https://tinyurl.com/MarkPhillipsArticle#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 103, Patrick chats to Jane Mitchell about the Aurora Orchestra's latest resource, Discover Beethoven, which uses the Sixth Symphony as a way into orchestral music for young musicians.Hattie Fisk, co-chair of the Music and Drama Education Awards judging panel, gives an overview of the 2025 Awards, and encourages everyone to get voting.And Dr Bushra El-Turk and Dr Joel Bell introduce The Alternative Conservatoire, a new course for young musicians, post-18.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://auroraclassroom.co.ukhttps://musicdramaedawards.comhttps://www.fabermusic.com/freebooksforteachershttps://thealternativeconservatoire.org #CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 102, Patrick chats to Professor Martin Fautley about music education over the last 40+ years.What was it like in the late 1970s?What have been the most significant changes?Which trends might make a comeback?What are the challenges linking Key Stages?And what are the biggest challenges in music education in 2024?Martin concludes with a series of powerful messages to all those involved in music education: head teachers, heads of department, teachers, parents, students, and more.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://drfautley.wordpress.com#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 101, Patrick finds out all about Liz Dunbar's incredible new online subscription resource, Music Department Resources, packed with complete schemes of work, cover lessons, and much, much more (01:13).Nate Holder introduces the 2024 Why Music Festival, to be held on 25th and 27th June 2024 (19:43).And jazz pianist, teacher and university lecturer Sam Leak discusses perfect pitch, absolute pitch and melody triggers: whether these can be taught or are just natural gifts, and different approaches to teaching aural awareness to students (23:01).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.http://musicdepartmentresources.comhttps://www.nateholdermusic.comWhy Music Festival: https://t.co/s4Yn0hO0NJhttps://www.samleak.com#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

MTA 2024 CONFERENCE SPECIALIn Episode 100, Patrick reports from the 2024 MTA Conference, held in Queen Anne's School, Caversham.Composer Errollyn Wallen OBE discusses her approach to composition, in a Fireside chat with Patrick, recorded live at the conference (33:53), and former MTA President Simon Toyne reflects on what has changed in Music Education since his first interview in Episode 1, in 2020 (11:38). Plus, from the Trade Fair, Patrick meets Music Leaders UK (01:06), The London College of Music Examinations (21:37), and The Ear Academy (25:35), and speaks to teachers Sully Ososanya (06:50) and Joanna King (31:23) about their first MTA conference.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.musicleadersuk.comhttps://lcme.uwl.ac.ukhttps://www.ear-academy.comhttps://www.errollynwallen.com#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 99, Patrick chats to Mark Llewelyn Evans, from the ABC of Opera, about their work bringing Opera into Primary education, with books and workshops (0:56);Pauline Black gives a preview of her and Simon Purcell's MTA Conference session, The Jazz Mindset, looking bringing Groove into the classroom (14:21); And Nate Holder discusses his new book, If I Were a Racist, expanding on his 2020 poem of the same name, and challenging what music we teach, why we teach it, and how we teach it (21:03).Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.http://academyofbarmycomposers.com/https://twitter.com/akapaulineblackhttp://nateholdermusic.com/ © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 98, Patrick chats to the Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, Caroline Nokes MP, about their recent report, Misogyny in Music, looking at ways that misogyny can appear amongst school-age musicians, and its wider implications.Oli Rose, Director of Global Development for the Lang Lang Foundation, introduces their Keys of Inspiration scheme, providing whole suites of free pianos and resources to disadvantaged schools.And composer Dr James Olsen, from the Society for Music Analysis, discusses music analysis, notation, what 'musical literacy' means, and introduces the Society's forthcoming summit in July.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.Misogyny in Music Report: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmwomeq/129/report.htmlLang Lang Foundation: https://www.langlangfoundation.org/programs/keys-of-inspiration/Society for Music Analysis: https://www.sma.ac.ukMTA Conference: https://www.musicteachers.org/conference/© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 97, Patrick meets Mike Simpson from Inspire Works, to talk about their Drumbeatable programme, using group drumming to help young people overcome mental health challenges, and how the power of group music has been scientifically proven to help. Trumpeter Kay Charlton chats about improvisation in lessons, whole class instrumental tuition, and her excellent new resource, Dinosaur Stomp, published by Warwick Music.And trombonist and teacher Nathaniel Dye chats about his recent award, about remaining in the classroom despite significant health challenges, running the London Marathon whilst playing the trombone, how to keep students in ensembles, and the crucial transition from Year 6 to Year 7.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.inspire-works.co.uk/school-healthhttp://kaycharlton.co.ukhttps://bowelcancerbucketlist.com#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 96, Patrick chats to composer David A Stowell about recent his Music & Drama Expo talk, ‘Music Composition: Tips and Tricks for those Extra Marks', discussing the process of composition in schools.Abi Marrison (Music Mark) and Colin Stuart (ISM) talk about Can Do Music, a joint campaign with the ISM, Music Mark and the MTA, with its huge numbers of resources.And David Mason from Viscount Organs introduces the business, and chats about the recent development of technology in organs, and the ranges available for schools.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.dastowellmusic.com/https://candomusic.orghttps://viscountorgans.net/#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

**2024 MUSIC & DRAMA EXPO SPECIAL**Patrick reports from the 2024 Music & Drama Expo, chatting to  exhibitors Take It Away, and Darbar Academy. Plus, interviews with two of the Expo's presenters:Deirdre Waller-Box from Brass Bands England, talking about her seminar 'Performance ready in one session'Tim Bennett-Hart, CEO of RSL Awards, discussing 'AI: the challenges and opportunities in assessment'And Patrick at the Music & Drama Awards, Patrick finds out about the work of  Lifetime Achievement Award winner Sally Daunt; and goes backstage to meet the Awards' presenter, actor and author Cerrie Burnell.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.Expo: https://www.musicanddramaeducationexpo.co.ukTake It Away: https://takeitaway.org.ukBrass Bands England: https://www.bbe.org.ukDarbar Academy: https://www.darbar.org/academyRSL: https://www.rslawards.comAwards Winners: http://tinyurl.com/MDEd2024Sally Daunt: https://twitter.com/sallydauntCerrie Burnell: https://cerrieburnell.co.uk© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 94, Patrick meets Liz Stafford, to chat about some of the big issues in Music Education today, and the forthcoming Music Education Solutions Conference.Gill Davies announces the MTA's own Annual Conference to be held in May, including details of the trade fair, CPD, Key Note speakers, and how to get tickets.And Lesley Tyler previews her Music and Drama Education Expo seminar “A thematic enquiry curriculum for KS3”, discussing innovative ways to link all Key Stage 3 subjects in schools with a common theme.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://musiceducationsolutions.co.ukhttps://www.musicteachers.org/conferencehttps://www.musicanddramaeducationexpo.co.uk© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 93, Patrick meets Sarah McWatt from Amp (formerly NYMAZ), and Vic Holmes from Note Weavers, to discuss the work they do for primary music in the North of England, and find out about their forthcoming Early Years Music Conference, focussing on inclusivity.And Vanessa Wilson-Best explores “exclusivity at GCSE”, focussing on technology as the great leveller.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.tinyurl.com/AmpNoteWeavershttps://www.nymaz.org.ukhttps://www.noteweavers.orghttps://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nymaz-and-note-weavers-early-years-conference-tickets-753894056417?aff=oddtdtcreator© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 92, Patrick chats to Francesca Christmas and Toby Davies from Trinity College London about their Awards and Certificates in Musical Development, Digital Theory Exams, AI, and more;David Gray talks about his primary curriculum, his online resources, training for primary music specialists, and makes the case for ukuleles;And Dr Robin Harrison, director of Maestro Online, introduces their masterclasses, practicing resources, and the new Pop Piano grades.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.trinitycollege.comhttps://www.youtube.com/musicwithmrgrayhttps://www.the-maestro-online.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In the first episode of 2024, Patrick chats to Janet Fischer about the excellent work done by Live Music Now, bringing music to those without previous access.Dr Anna Mariguddi discusses her recent research into informal music learning in primary schools.And Keith Sykes from Lewisham Music chats about their award-winning project connecting music and young people's mental health, Front Line Young Minds.Presented and produced any Patrick Johns.http://www.livemusicnow.org.ukhttps://research.edgehill.ac.uk/en/publications/exploring-the-potential-of-informal-music-learning-in-a-perceivedhttps://lewishammusic.org/impact/front-line-young-minds/https://vimeo.com/user185753531© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In the last episode of 2023, Patrick meets Zac Moxon, Winner of the 2023 Outstanding New Teacher of the Year at the Pearson National Teaching Awards. They chat about his department at Chiswick School, the curriculum, and the secret to putting on over 50 concerts per year!Plus, organist, composer and Director of Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge, Sarah MacDonald, discusses Christmas carols: composing, arranging, and writing descants, plus barriers faced by female composers, choral directors and organists.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns. https://www.teachingawards.com/award-winner/zac-moxon/https://encorepublications.com/Preview/MacDonaldCarolsofourtime.pdf© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 89, Patrick chats to Dr Kirsty Devaney about her research into barriers faced by female composers, including young people's perception of what it means to be a composer.And Mr Primary Music Education himself Jimmy Rotheram discusses all things primary, with guidance for non-specialist teachers, including dos and don'ts.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://kirstydevaney.comhttps://tinyurl.com/AddressingGenderInequalitywww.youngcomposersproject.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 88, Patrick meets Jason Poulston, the music teacher behind the fantastic resource Music Homework, which does exactly what it says on the tin!Sophia Allen from Britten-Pears Arts introduces their newly-commissioned songs as part of Friday Afternoons, and the Big Sing!And singer, author, educator and researcher Randye Jones discusses Spirituals: their origins, the use of difficult terminology, and dialect, and Spirituals' place in the Music Classroom.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.www.musichomework.co.ukhttps://brittenpearsarts.org/friday-afternoons/themes/new-releases-2023https://brittenpearsarts.org/take-part/schools/big-singhttps://spirituals-database.comhttp://randyejones.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 87, Patrick chats to conductor Paul McCreesh about the next Gabrieli Roar project, and about singing and repertoire for young people.James Manwaring previews the next Music Teacher Monday webinar, looking at teaching harmony at Key Stage 5.And composer Paul Clark introduces the Clod Ensemble's massive composition resource, Ear Opener, designed to support teachers and students alike. He and Patrick discuss how to start a composition, and the power of arranging in the compositional process.Presented and produced by Patrick Johnshttps://www.gabrieli.com/roar/about-gabrieli-roar/https://manwaringmusic.bloghttps://earopener.co.ukhttps://www.clodensemble.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 86, Patrick finds out what's in the new edition of the MTA's Ensemble magazine, with MTA president, Catherine Barker.He chats to Joe Hastings, from the charity Music Minds Matter, set up to provide a free 24/7 counselling service for musicians and music teachers;And Ali Bowen-Davies and Lincoln Abbotts from the ABRSM explain the process that leads to the development and creation of new syllabuses for instrumental and vocal exams.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.www.musicteachers.org/publications/ensemble/www.musicmindsmatter.org.ukwww.abrsm.orgMusic Minds Matter: 0808 802 8008© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 85, Patrick meets Dice Wood, author of the teaching blog Grab and Go Guides, and chats about how to say No to excess workload, how to reduce time spent marking homework, and the message that homework sends to students.Laura Hailstone from Music Mark introduces their annual conference, being held in November.And Paul Blaylock discusses his highly successful approach to the KS3 curriculum, offering tips and insights.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://grabandgoguides.blogspot.comhttps://www.musicmark.org.uk/events/music-mark-annual-conference-2023/https://twitter.com/Paul_Blaylock© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 84, Patrick chats to Alex Aitken about his enormous new resource, Mastering A Level Music, focussing on the Edexcel course.Lauren Elliott from Music Monsters introduces the wonderful work they do with young musicians from the age of three upwards, using play to teach the piano and theory.And film and TV composer  George Fenton looks at this year's GCSE Film Music Composition Briefs (from Eduqas and Edexcel). George also offers some insights to the art of film composition more generally, and gives some tips for aspiring film composers.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://masteringalevelmusic.co.ukhttps://www.musicmonsters.co.ukhttps://georgefenton.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In the first episode of the new academic year, Patrick chats to Rachel Shapey about her new book, co-authored with Nate Holder, Listen and Celebrate, written to help teachers to enrich and diversify music at Key Stage 3.Leanne Sedin and Adam Saunders tell Patrick all about their new project, The Music Teachers' Choir, set up to get music teachers together to sing, every month.And independent music consultant Dan Francis chats about the relationship between what's learnt in the music classroom, and what's learnt in instrumental/vocal lessons, and how the two can overlap more.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.icancompose.com/new-book-listen-celebrate-ks3-by-nathan-holder-and-rachel-shapey/https://musicteacherschoir.com/© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In the final episode of the academic year, Patrick chats to Rob Reich-Storer about his music resource website, Rhythmstix, and to Katy Thomson about Ground:Ed, which offers workshops to help teachers and students harness their creativity, build awareness and self-confidence.Finally, Patrick signs off the year by chatting to MTA President Catherine Barker, about the 2022-23 academic year, current issues in music education, and what's in store from the MTA for 2023-24.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjectshttps://www.rhythmstix.co.uk/https://discovergrounded.com/© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 82, Patrick talks to Niels Bastrup and Hans Jakobsen from aural training app Ear Master, about a new feature designed to help students with the aural tests in ABRSM exams and beyond; Mark Aitchison shares his planning for the next academic year, taken from a recent MTA ECT webinar;And Dr Rebecca Berkley, Associate Professor in Music Education, at the Institute of Education, at the University of Reading, discusses music training for primary school teachers, looking at specific problems and possible solutions, including training courses.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjectshttps://www.earmaster.com/shop/product/abrsm-aural-trainer.htmlhttps://www.abcd.org.uk/training/abcd-courseshttps://singforpleasure.org.uk/product/summer-school-2023/https://www.kodaly.org.uk/training-courseshttps://www.nycos.co.uk/learn/kodaly-summer-school/https://www.voices.org.uk/resourceshttps://www.singup.org/training© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In episode 80, Patrick finds out about the Why Music Festival, curated by Nate Holder - a one-day online festival on 4th July 2023, aimed at pupils, and featuring a wide variety of speaker. (Link below.)Olivia Sparkhall tells Patrick all about her new book, “A Young Person's Guide to Vocal Health”, and talks about the importance of vocal health for young people, including the effects of bad habits. (Link below.)And Christopher Stevens HMI, subject lead for Music at Ofsted, joins Patrick to answer a few questions about what Ofsted are looking for on inspections, and to discuss the purpose of assessment in music education.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects Why Music Festival: https://lnkd.in/ecYEvnpdYoung Persons's Guide to Vocal Health: https://oliviasparkhall.wixsite.com/sparkhallo/a-young-persons-guide© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 79, Patrick chats to pianist and composer Melanie Spanswick about her graded anthology of piano books, Women Composers, exclusively featuring music by female composers.From the 2023 RiME conference, Cynthia Stephens-Himonides (Kingston University) and Meggie Young (Ohio State University) discuss their research into music teachers' self-identity when it comes to the use of technology in the classroom, both in the UK and the USA.And Jazz pianist and educator Darius Brubeck offers some insights into teaching Jazz, improvisation, and Jazz composition.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjects https://melaniespanswick.comhttps://www.dariusbrubeck.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

MTA CONFERENCE SPECIALIn Episode 78, Patrick reports from the 2023 MTA Conference, held in the Loughborough Schools Foundation.Greg Coughlin discusses non-traditional routes to GCSE Music, Lisa Coley introduces the range of microphones available from Sontronics, Rebecca Arnold chats about her experiences at her first MTA Conference, and Charles Price explains how to demystify the composition process, especially at Key Stage 4.Finally, outgoing president Don Gillthorpe reflects on the last two years, and incoming president Catherine Barker looks ahead to the future.Presented and produced by Patrick JohnsLinks:www.sontronics.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 77, Patrick chats to Cynthia Stephens-Himonides and Maria Mendonça about incorporating Gamelan into curricula, particularly as a way of including disengaged young people.Looking ahead to the 2023 MTA Conference,  sneak previews of two of the sessions, with Mark Wilderspin ('How to take student compositions from good to great') and Lucinda Geoghegan ('The Kodály Approach').Plus, Naomi McCarthy from the ISM, discussing their new campaign Save Our Subjects, calling on the government to do three very important things.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying #SaveOurSubjectswww.saveoursubjects.org© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 76, Patrick chats to Vanessa Wilson-Best about current matters in music education, and she gives an overview of the forthcoming Great Escape Festival's Music Education Conference.Composer-in-association with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Gavin Higgins, introduces the BBC's Young Composer Competition.And Dr Anthony Anderson explores his recent RiME presentation, looking at the ‘telescoping' of KS3 curricula down from three years to two. Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://greatescapefestival.com/conference/music-education-2023/https://tinyurl.com/bbcyoungcomposercompetition23© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 75, Patrick chats to Amelia Parker, co-producer of BBC Radio 4's “Rethinking Music” series on music education, about the making of the series.Simon Toyne, Sophie Taylor-Denton and Caius Lee talk about the Rodolfus Foundation's Choral Courses for young singers; And Dr Anna Mariguddi gives a preview of her RiME presentation, looking at Prof. Lucy Green's model of informal learning in the current music education landscape.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001jskchttps://rime-conference.orghttps://easychair.org/smart-program/RIME2023/https://www.therodolfusfoundation.org.uk/sing© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In episode 74, Patrick chats to Kwame Bakoji-Hume from African Activites, about West African Drumming, and misconceptions about the music; the Master of the King's Music Judith Weir CBE offers some compositional tips (with James Manwaring and Liz Dunbar, from  Music Teacher Mondays); and Mark Aitchison introduces his research project, looking at long-term changes to classroom practice following the pandemic.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns #CanDoMusic #GetPlaying africanactivities.org.ukwww.judithweir.comtinyurl.com/MarkAitchisonCovidResearch© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

2023 MUSIC AND DRAMA EXPO AND AWARDS SPECIALIn Episode 73, Patrick visits the 2023 Music and Drama Expo, and chats to two of the speakers: Jessica Yuen on 'Exploring the Pentatonic', and Jazz pianist Richard Michael on 'Ingenious improvisation and arrangement techniques'. Plus, Patrick speaks to Music Leader, Nathaniel Dye, about the music provision at Nelson Primary School in East Ham, winners of the 2023  Music Department of the Year at the Awards.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In Episode 72, Patrick looks ahead to the Music and Drama Expo in February, chatting to two of the speakers about their forthcoming seminars:In "No Practice? No Problem!", violinist and teacher Georgina Leach discusses the initial importance of practising an instrument, questioning whether it is a form of exclusion, and looks at basic introduction to improvisation for non-specialists.And pianist Stephen Marquiss talks about The Anti-Racist Music Studio, and unconscious prejudice within our teaching.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

In episode 71, Patrick talks to the Chief Exec of the ORA Singers, Matt Beale, and to the General Manager, Tom Rayner, about their annual Young Composers' Scheme, encouraging students to send in their compositions for consideration.Michelle Buckman from the Musiq Group talks about their One Great Piano project, to get high-quality pianos into every school.And Dr Steven Berryman explains the benefits of joining the Chartered College of Teaching, how to become a Chartered Teacher, and talks about music education today.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns#CanDoMusic #GetPlaying https://www.orasingers.co.uk/young-composers https://www.musiqgroup.co.uk/s/One-Great-Piano-Campaign.pdf https://chartered.college © Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org