The Musicians’ Union (MU) has announced details of its 6th biennial Teachers’ Continued Professional Development Weekend, which runs from 27-28 October 2018 at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.
Open to both MU members and non-members, the event offers the opportunity for musicians who teach to participate in a wide range of workshops, debates and presentations with colleagues from across the sector and the UK.
Highlights include:
- A keynote speech by producer, songwriter, DJ, multi-instrumentalist and orchestral composer, Nitin Sawhney, addressing broad themes of creativity in music-making and introducing new and unexpected ideas for delegates to use in their musical practice
- Sessions addressing key political and cultural developments affecting music education, including:
- a discussion on the so-called ‘gig economy’ and its implications for music teachers, including the importance of knowing about the key markers of employment status and what teachers’ rights are regarding contracts, terms and conditions
- a career development debate, offering ideas on how to grow a teaching business in an increasingly challenging jobs market
- access to one-to-one sessions with a team of mentors, covering everything from careers and funding to life skills
Themes include:
- Diversity in music education. How can music teachers include a broader range of learners and how might the workforce be made more inclusive? A panel discussion will address these points and there will also be presentations on:
- working with people with disabilities
- musical projects for refugees
- musical projects for people with dementia
- Practical teaching advice, including:
- a talk on performance health, covering risk factors when playing different kinds of instruments and offering transferable techniques from sports and dance training
- sessions on the importance of looking after mental health
- sessions on Early Years music-making provided by Sound Connections‘ London Early Years Music Network (LEYMN)
There will also be workshops on Trinity College London‘s Certificate for Music Educators (CME) qualification and Trinity Laban’s Teaching Musician programme. Trinity College London will give an additional two sessions on its Rock & Pop and Arts Award qualifications.
Booking is now open here. For queries or information on subsidised hotel rooms, please email teachers@themu.org.
The MU Teachers’ Continued Professional Development Weekend
