The winners of the 2024 Music & Drama Education Awards have been announced, including the winner of a new category: Outstanding Music Education Print Resource.
Run annually by Music Teacher and Drama & Theatre magazines, the Awards celebrate the work and initiatives of schools, organisations, charities and individuals in both music and drama education.
Several projects were applauded for their scalability and reach this year, with Ex Cathedra’s ChoirMaker winning the Outstanding Music Education Resource category and Bloomsbury’s Lit in Colour project winning the Outstanding Drama Initiative award.
Schools and individual teachers and educators were championed for their commitment to students’ learning, the engagement of previously disinterested pupils, and the development of inclusive projects, reaching into the community to create music and theatre across boundaries.
Awards were also given personally by the editors of Music Teacher and Drama & Theatre magazines, each to an individual or organisation of their choosing. Phil Croydon, the editor of Music Teacher, gave his editor’s award to Nathaniel Dye, recognising his outstanding commitment to music education as a teacher, ensemble leader, speaker and new writer, in spite of an ongoing battle with cancer.
Drama & Theatre’s editor Hattie Fisk paid tribute to The Creative Space, a multi-sensory drama studio that provides a substantial programme of immersive theatre workshops, reaching children in Birmingham with Special Educational Needs.
The ceremony and judges
The winners were announced at a live ceremony at the London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, presented by acclaimed author, actor and CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell.
The judging panel was made up of prominent figures in music and drama education, including winners of previous years’ awards. You can meet the judges here.
The prize-winners were chosen from a pre-announced shortlist, with several organisations and initiatives given high commendations for their work.
This year's headline sponsors were Broadway Licensing Global and Casio Music UK.
Full list of 2024 winners
Rocksteady Award for Progressive/Inclusive Music Education
Sponsored by Rocksteady Music School
Winner: Hope Creative, Bristol Beacon
Outstanding Music Education Resource
Sponsored by Casio Music UK
Winner: ChoirMaker, Ex Cathedra
Outstanding Musical Initiative
Sponsored by The Royal Marines Band Service
Winner: Learn To Play, Olympias Music Foundation
Outstanding School Music Department
Sponsored by Music Teachers Association
Winner: School21, Stratford
Highly commended: Tattershall Primary
Outstanding Music Education Print Resource
Winner: Slap Djembe, Percussion Plus
Highly commended: How to Make Your Choir Sound Awesome, Banks Music
Instrumental or Vocal Teacher of the Year
Winner: Cathy Laney
Francesca Hanley Inspiration Award
Sponsored by Musicians’ Union
Winner: Jayne Smith
Highly commended: Jayne Barnes
Excellence in SEND (Music and Drama)
Winner: UpRising Balloon, Music Education Hubs East Midlands
Excellence in Musical Theatre (Music & Drama)
Sponsored by CASIO Music UK
Winner: Theatre Peckham
Excellence in Primary/Early Years (Music and Drama)
Winner: Listen Imagine Compose Primary, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
Highly commended: Thinking Music
Lifetime Achievement Award
Drama Winner: Danny Braverman
Music Winner: Sally Daunt
Outstanding Drama Initiative
Winner: Lit in Colour, Bloomsbury Publishing
Outstanding Drama Education Resource
Winner: Prospero, C&T
Outstanding School Drama Department
Sponsored by Broadway Licensing Global
Winner: ClassAction, Godalming Sixth Form College
Drama Inspiration Award
Sponsored by Broadway Licensing Global
Winner: Russeni Fisher
Music Teacher Magazine Editor’s Award
Sponsored by AVID
Winner: Nathaniel Dye
Drama & Theatre Magazine Editor’s Award
Winner: The Creative Space, Harry Dawes and Brays School
