British Trombone Society Trombone Day

The British Trombone Society’s 2025 Trombone Day will take place at Wells Cathedral School on Sunday 2 February. The day is for all trombonists, and will feature ensemble playing session with:

  • Matthew Lewis, Yamaha Artist and Principal Trombone of the BBC Concert Orchestra
  • Richard Watkin, Principal Trombone of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
  • Wells’ own BTS Trombone Teacher of the Year (2023), Tom Lees
  •  If this wasn’t enough, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Trombone Ensemble will be joining us for the day, along with their Head of Brass and former Principal Trombone of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Ed Jones.

Open to all ages and abilities, this event is FREE for BTS members, and just £10 for non-members.

Nurturing Creativity in the Early Years Conference

Devon Music Education Hub and Take Art invite you to join us for an inspiring conference focused on the transformative role of music in early childhood development. Featuring a keynote address by Dr Susan Young and a series of hands-on workshops, delegates will explore the ways in which music, movement, and the arts can support young children’s cognitive, emotional, and social growth. Expert facilitators will provide practical, research-based strategies for using music to enrich early learning environments and foster creativity, self-expression, and imaginative play.

This conference offers music educators, early years practitioners, childminders, and students the tools and inspiration to integrate music and movement into everyday learning experiences. Whether through song, musical play, or storytelling, attendees will leave with practical techniques to create music-rich environments that spark curiosity and lay the foundation for a brighter future for young learners.

Training Objectives:

  • Explore strategies for creating music-rich environments that encourage exploration, self-expression, and play.
  • Learn practical techniques for incorporating music and the arts into early years education.
  • Understand the impact of music on early childhood development, including cognitive, emotional, and social growth.
  • Develop skills to inspire creativity and foster a love of music in young children.

Hub Networking Events

Join us for a series of inspiring and informative music networking events!
Devon Music Education Hub invites you to connect, collaborate, and create at our upcoming Hub Networking Events, designed especially for schools, Visiting Music Teachers, Hub-supported partners and anyone interested in finding out more about music education.

What to expect:

  • Warm welcome Enjoy tea, coffee and cake whilst listening to musical performances from talented young people from the local area.
  • Meet your Local Music Development Lead A chance to meet/consult with the Hub’s Music Development Lead for your geographical area. Discover how they can support your music work.
  • Strategic Direction Learn about the Hub’s strategic direction and how it aligns with national aspirations. Have your say on how should develop our Local Plan for Music Education.
  • Programme of events and training for the year Get an overview of forthcoming events, workshops and professional development opportunities.
  • Develop new partnerships Explore opportunities for collaborative working and build new partnerships that will enrich the musical experiences of the young people you work with.

Whether you’re looking to network with fellow educators, gain insight into the future of music education, or simply enjoy some great performances, these events are not to be missed. We look forward to seeing you there!

  • 4-6pm Tuesday 21 January 2025 | Plymouth Music Zone, Plymouth
  • -6pm Thursday 23 January 2025 | Jamming Station, Totnes
  • 4-6pm Tuesday 28 January 2025 | The Venue, Barnstaple

Early Years Music CPD: Connecting and communicating through musical play

Sophie Fox from Magic Acorns joins our Strategic Lead for Early Years Music, Charlotte Gibbs, for this online CPD session for anyone working with 0-5 years olds. This online session will take place from 2-4pm on Friday 24 January 2025 delivered via MS Teams.

This online session will explore ways we can create sensitive conditions for connection and interaction with babies and very young children. We will consider ways we can facilitate creativity, enable positive relationships through attuned adult-interaction and celebrate expression through musical play. We will look at some videos together to reflect on what we might see and to relate it to our own practice with very young children.

Through sharing a range of different strategies from a variety of sources we will discuss possible approaches to creating musical play environments that fosters connection and communication. Facilitated by Magic Acorns’ Director Sophie Fox, Sophie is an early years arts, music and play specialist, performer and producer. She loves to crawl around on the floor with babies and hang out with very young children

To reserve your place, please complete the following booking form. Please note that while this opportunity is being offered on a fully subsidised basis, we reserve the right to apply an administrative charge of £50 if you fail to attend having booked a place. If you book a place but are no longer able to make it, you must let us know in advance of the session.

Early Years Music CPD: Musical Storytelling

Rachel Thame from Hub partner organisation Moor to Sea Music Collective joins our Strategic Lead for Early Years Music, Charlotte Gibbs, for this online CPD session for anyone working with 0-5 years olds. Rachel’s session titled ‘Musical Storytelling’ will explore playful approaches to encourage children’s own songs and musical stories.

To reserve your place for any of these sessions, please complete the following booking form. Please note that while this opportunity is being offered on a fully subsidised basis, we reserve the right to apply an administrative charge of £50 if you fail to attend having booked a place. If you book a place but are no longer able to make it, you must let us know in advance of the session.

Firebird Creative Composition Music Workshop

The workshop will explore and devise new music to retell the magical story of The Firebird.

Guided by Kip and Pat, participants will create a sound world that tells the legendary tale of good and evil with its cast of Prince Ivan, the evil sorcerer Kashchei and the magical glowing Firebird.

This will be a great opportunity for young people to discover the creative process of building live music, taking ownership of the collaborative experience and sharing their work with the local community, with a performance of the newly devised work at 12.15pm.

The workshop is aimed at ages 8-16 years who attend without parent/guardians
Participants are welcome to bring their own instruments, but this is not a requirement as there will be a selection of instruments provided.
Please bring your own drink / snack

This workshop forms part of a weekend of concerts, talks, masterclasses and workshops exploring the world of classical music at the beginning of the 20th century, and is curated by Torbay Symphony Orchestra.

Torbay Symphony Orchestra – Fire, Myth and Magic concerts and talk
6.30pm Pre-concert Talk with the orchestra on Lili Boulanger’s ‘D’un matin de Printemps’ – book tickets for the talk here
7.30pm Saturday 30 November – Fire, Myth and Magic evening concert.
2.30pm Sunday 1 December – Fire, Myth and Magic afternoon concert (families are especially welcome) Book tickets for the concerts here
Puppetcraft Workshop:
On Saturday there is a shadow puppet workshop for families with master puppeteer John Roberts (Puppetcraft). Find out more and book here
Dance and Choreography Workshop:
For 14 – 21 year olds with Kay Crook, Artistic Director of the Chhaya Collective. Find out more and book here
Piano Masterclass:
On Sunday morning there is a piano masterclass with renowned piano teacher Kate Miller. Book Observer Tickets here

 

Kip Pratt

Kip Pratt MA, PGCE has been working in music for over 35 years as a teacher, violinist, music leader and lecturer. He spent 10 years teaching music education at Plymouth University, from where he has a Masters Degree in education. He has worked for Teignmouth Learning Community as a music leader and as an Associate with Devon and Torbay Music Education Hub, for whom he is currently leading the Let’s Play Singing Games project for young children. Kip also works with Elfyn Jones and Patrick Saturley on two ongoing music education projects, 7 Days Of Music and SonoritiesKip has been instrumental in organising five MIX music festivals for Devon school children and eight Children’s Music Festivals in Teignmouth.

In 2019 he wrote and directed the music for The Sea Cycle in partnership with Elfyn Jones, a musical extravaganza for 6 schools, based on seafaring stories of Teignmouth. He also works with Sonopera devising large scale singing projects for school federations. He teaches whole-class instrument work in schools, and offers story telling workshops with creative composition. Kip is a ceilidh dance caller with The Blue Jewel Ceilidh Band, and a member of the Lyric Chamber Orchestra.

Patrick Saturley

Patrick Saturley BA (Hons), PGCE grew up skateboarding around Torquay before studying Music at Dartington College of Arts. His career as a musician and teacher began in Europe, teaching in Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, and Northern France. Having returned to Devon in the late 1990s, his focus since then has been Music Education at Secondary School level. For 24 years he was Director of Music and later Head of Performing Arts at Teignmouth Community School (TCS), where he built a successful, community-led, Music and Performing Arts Department.

Patrick led the team in numerous community projects, concerts, musicals, and international tours, and took responsibility for the continued progress of the GCSE, Vocational and A-Level courses. Alongside his work at TCS, from 2014 – 2023 he was Lecturer and Subject Lead for the PGCE Secondary Music at Plymouth University, training, nurturing and assessing music teachers of the future. Currently Patrick is Music Specialist for South West Teacher Trainer (SWTT) and the External Examiner for the Secondary Music PGCE at Bath Spa University. Having stepped away from the classroom in the Summer 2022, Patrick continues to spearhead engagement with Music in the South West through his work with Sonopera and as a freelancer; most recently with the Community and Identity Project with the Ivy Academy Trust. He continues to teach and play the classical guitar, as well as arranging music for the guitar and ensemble.

Battle of the Bands 2025

Devon Music Education Hub are delighted to be working with R&K Systems and Music In Devon Initiative (MIDI) to present the Devon Secondary Schools Battle of the Bands 2025.

Bands and aspiring artists from secondary schools/settings across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay can apply to join us at one of our regional heats, where they will get feedback on their performance from music industry professionals – our regional heats will take place at the following dates and locations:

  • Tuesday 4 February 2025 | Petroc College, Barnstaple
  • Thursday 6 February 2025 | King Edward VI Community College, Totnes
  • Tuesday 11 February 2025 | Uffculme School, Cullompton
  • Thursday 13 February 2025 | Plympton Academy, Plymouth

A selection of bands will be invited to the Battle of the Bands Final at Exeter Phoenix on 25 February 2025, and could win the chance to professionally record their music and perform at high profile festivals.

Devon Music Education Hub would like acknowledge the generous support of our host schools for supporting these events.

Early Years Music CPD: Songs for Musical Learning

Responding to the Department for Education’s National Plan for Music Education, Devon Music Education Hub are offering a range of support for EYFS settings and early childhood practitioners…
  • FREE loans of specialist early years musical instruments and equipment available to schools and settings.
  • FREE video resources to equip early childhood practitioners to support musical play.
  • FREE in-person and online CPD sessions, as well as workforce development opportunities for Early Years Music specialists.

This term our CPD offer is themed around the topic ‘Songs for Musical Learning’ with practical, in-person sessions being offered on the following dates and locations:

  • 2.30-4.30pm Monday 4 November | Barnstaple Library EX31 1EL
  • 2.30-4.30pm Friday 8 November | Plymouth Music Zone PL1 4NQ
  • 2.30-4.30pm Friday 15 November | Cullompton Community Centre EX15 1JX

To reserve your place for any of these sessions, please complete the following booking form. Please note that while this opportunity is being offered on a fully subsidised basis, we reserve the right to apply an administrative charge of £50 if you fail to attend having booked a place. If you book a place but are no longer able to make it, you must let us know in advance of the session.

Jo Lihou

I’m a fully qualified Music teacher and Musician. I hold a BA(hons) Music degree from Cardiff, a Masters in Creative Arts in Education (Distinction) from Exeter University, and a PGCE from the University of Wales Institute Cardiff. I also have over a decade of classroom and private Music tuition experience.

I offer private Violin lessons, Music Theory lessons, and GCSE Music tutoring.

As a classroom teacher I have a track record of excellent results in vocational Music qualifications and GCSE Music. As a private Violin/Music Theory tutor I have a 100% pass rate with ABRSM exams and encourage students to play for their own enjoyment as well as make the best sound.

I began my own musical journey by learning the violin aged 4. I was taught using the Suzuki method and have since studied this extensively producing a degree dissertation on the successes and challenges of the model. I did not learn to read notation until much later. I recognise that notation is an important part of learning to play an instrument or appreciate Music but that a musical ear, enjoyment and competency are also equally, if not more, important.

Violin is my principal instrument and I play in a local Symphony Orchestra and String Quartet. I also play Piano, Guitar, Bass, Viola, Cello, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Sing, and am an excellent Tambourine player!

I can sometimes be found coaching the upper strings at Devon Youth Orchestras as well as helping develop young musicians at open mic nights and local events.

I believe that tailoring content/activities to suit student strengths and target their areas for development is vital. I have experience of teaching students with extensive physical and learning needs and have helped them to achieve their potential. Knowing the student and their goals, strengths, and preferences is important to delivering a high quality learning experience.

Please do contact me with any queries or questions.

Christmas at Princesshay!

Devon Music Education Hub are delighted to offer young musicians from schools across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay the opportunity to perform at Princesshay shopping precinct in Exeter this Christmas. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the musical talent of our young people and share some festive joy with Christmas shoppers.

We will provide the following equipment:

  • Small stage (4m x 4m) – please consider the size of the stage when applying
  • Keyboard, stand, amplifier and stool
  • Microphones and small PA
  • A device to play backing tracks from via a USB or phone/tablet

You will need to bring any other equipment that you need with you! Strictly no drumming allowed at this particular event.

All types of musical performances are welcome but, due to the impact on local residents, drumming and other louder activities may not be appropriate.