The Illuminate Women’s Music concert series, run by and featuring composer Dr Angela Slater continues its 2023 UK tour with two further concerts in spring:
17 March, 1pm, Barber lunchtime concert series, Elgar Concert Hall, University of Birmingham Free, no booking required
14 May, 7.30pm, Music in the State Chamber, Southwell Minster, Notts Free, no booking required
Nikhil Dally, Principal of Stepping Notes Music School, has announced his spring programme of face-to-face, hands-on workshops, Teaching Musicianship Through Singing and Movement. Nikhil believes passionately that music is meant to be made by real people, singing and moving together in real time and real space - not online! Aimed at teachers of children aged 2 to 9, workshops can be booked separately or together. They will take place in Egham, Surrey:
17 February 2023: Pulse & Rhythm 3 April 2023: Pitch, Scale, Melody & Harmony 2 June 2023: Metre, Phrasing & structure
For further information, please go to www.steppingnotes.com and click on the menu for “Teaching training courses”, or ring Nikhil on 01932 363624, or e-mail [email protected]
Peter Falconer selected for Making Music's Adopt a Music Creator 2023
ISM member Peter Falconer has been selected to take part in Adopt a Music Creator 2023. The scheme, run by corporate members, Making Music in partnership with Sound and Music pairs emerging music creators with leisure-time music groups for a year to create new and inspiring pieces, leading up to a premiere performance, recording and radio broadcast.
Honorary Doctorate for Dr Frankie Williams
Leading music educator Dr Frankie Williams received the award of Honorary Doctor of Music from Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), during a graduation ceremony in Cambridge.
Dr Williams studied music at Nottingham University, followed by a PGCE at Birmingham University, and later a MA then Doctorate at the Institute of Education at UCL. She is also a Finzi scholar.
After graduating, Dr Williams’ first teaching role was at the prestigious Queenswood School in Hertfordshire, where her passion for music and performance created immediate impact. Dr Williams was soon offered the Head of Music role at a large comprehensive school in Luton. It was here that she first endorsed music as a core subject for children and young people, particularly for those who had no previous experience of live performance.
Dr Williams staged the first-ever amateur performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar”, and later set up and ran a Saturday morning music school for local youngsters. As an advisor in Bedfordshire in the 1980s, Dr Williams championed the introduction of computers and music in schools. She was a major influence in establishing music therapy services within education across Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire, and worked for many years to connect schools with music therapy professional practice.
Dr Williams co-founded and conducted the Bedfordshire Junior County Youth Orchestras, and as Vice Chair of the National Association of Youth Orchestras, she helped set up the largest season of concerts on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She co-founded the European Association of Youth Orchestras and advised on the education elements of many arts projects including the BBC Proms. Dr Williams also worked on some ground-breaking projects with the Royal Opera House and Glyndebourne Opera House.
Dr Williams said: “It’s an amazing honour. I’ve known ARU for many, many years and to be awarded this alongside a lot of people I really admire and have huge respect for has been a really great thing for me.”
Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of ARU, said: “Dr Williams has a unique understanding of the therapeutic power of music, of its ability to enhance quality of life. And she has enjoyed an extraordinarily active career, bringing her unique energy, enthusiasm and expertise to a wide range of projects and communities.“
