Music Mark Summer Term Music Teaching CPD Day
Our termly online CPD Day for music teachers - this term focussing on jazz and improvisation.
Our summer term online CPD day for music teachers from member organisations focusses on jazz and improvisation - suitable for beginners and experts alike - plus afternoon discussion groups for teachers. Watch live or sign up to receive recordings of the morning sessions.
The day starts with jazz pianist Nikki Yeoh, with an inspiring talk about her route into jazz and ways to approach improvisation as a player and teacher.
Next up is a workshop with Issie Barratt of National Youth Jazz Collective, who will look at practical ways of using improvisation in your teaching to develop musicianship.
In the afternoon we'll have a short introduction to the updated 'A Common Approach' for music teachers (launching that week), followed by a chance to talk to fellow teachers taking 'A Common Approach' as a starting point.
9.30-10.30am Nikki Yeoh
Recognized as one of the most ground-breaking contemporary jazz composers and pianists of her generation, Nikki has worked with the likes of Courtney Pine, Billy Cobham, Sir George Martin, Nigel Kennedy, The Roots and Neneh Cherry.
As a teacher and educator, Nikki teaches piano at The Camden School for Girls and Portland Place School, runs jazz ensembles for Camden Music and is a mentor for Music for Youth. She was also the Musical Director for the finalists of the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2020, and will shortly join Guildhall School’s Music Education Islington team to develop jazz and improvised music provision for Islington children and young people.
Yeoh won Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year in 2017 and in 1999 was a semi-finalist at the piano competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Her new composition ‘Nucleus’, commissioned by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, will be premiered in 2022.
Her own experiences – starting to compose at the age of 5, sitting in the hallway at her Nan’s council flat in 1978 in Islington on a pile of A to Z’s in order to reach the piano keys – as well as learning her skills as part of Weekend Arts College (W.A.C) at the pioneering Jazz Workshop led by Ian Carr, inspire and underpin her music education work.
11am-12.30pm Issie Barratt, National Youth Jazz Collective
Issie is the Executive Artistic Director of the National Youth Jazz Collective, and is a multi-award winning internationally active composer, arranger, conductor, baritone player, record producer and educator. Ranked by BBC Radio 4’s Women in Music Power List 2018 as one of the 40 most influential women in the music industry, Issie has performed at a majority of leading venues and festivals in Northern Europe. South-East India, Central America and the east coast of Canada. Known for her genre-fluid approach to composition, her diverse catalogue of commissions includes works for orchestra, big band, choir and chamber ensembles, often featuring internationally acclaimed soloists.
Issie runs her own three ensembles – A 21-piece jazz orchestra, Meinrad Iten Quartet and her ground-breaking ensemble INTERCHANGE (championing the music of women jazz composers performed by a diverse collective of female improvisers) and is the founding Director of Fuzzy Moon Records with a catalogue of 15 CDs championing a roster of over 100 performing artists.
Issie's session will introduce practical ways to develop musicianship through methods drawn from jazz and improvisation education.
1.15pm-1.35pm Introduction to the refreshed 'A Common Approach'
Twenty years since the original 'A Common Approach' guide for instrumental teachers was published, we are launching the refreshed version. Catherine Brentnall, who has coordinated the production of this new resource, will give a brief introduction to the updated guide.
1.35pm-2.35pm Teacher discussion groups
A chance to talk to fellow teachers in instrument/ specialism-specific groups, led by facilitators including members of the 'A Common Approach' working group - taking the new guide as a starting point but with space to ask questions and share advice on the other teaching topics on your mind too.
2.35pm-3pm Final Q&A following discussions
A chance to ask final questions about 'A Common Approach' or get advice/ share experiences more broadly with the group.