On 27 and 28 October 2018, the Musicians’ Union will host its sixth biennial Teachers’ Continued Professional Development Weekend, at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. The event is open to both MU members and non-members, offering the opportunity for musicians who teach to participate in a wide range of workshops, debates and presentations with colleagues from across the whole of the sector and the country.
The cost per day is £25 for MU members and £50 for non-members, which hopefully makes it an affordable CPD investment for teachers. There are also discounted hotel accommodation deals available for attendees.
Working with the team at Trinity Laban, we have aimed to create a useful, balanced and inspiring programme of sessions across the two days which should appeal to teachers in whatever settings they work in, beginning with our keynote speaker, Nitin Sawhney. Nitin is one of today's most distinctive and versatile musical voices, and his talk promises to address broad themes of creativity in music-making along with some new and unexpected ideas for delegates to introduce into their musical practice.
One theme across the two days will be diversity in music education. How can we include a broader range of learners, and how might the music teaching workforce be made more inclusive? A panel discussion will address these points, and we will also hear from practitioners who work with people with disabilities, offering insight and support for music educators in this field. Other areas of inclusivity will include presentations on musical projects for refugees and people with dementia – emphasising the vast range of activities educators are involved in, and an important reminder of the power of music.
Practical teaching advice is another important strand over the weekend. This will include a talk on performance health, a useful area of knowledge for any music teacher for themselves and for their pupils. The session covering this will discuss risk factors when playing different kinds of instruments, and will offer valuable, transferable techniques from sports and dance training – with the aim of preventing injury and promoting healthy learning. There will also be sessions on the importance of looking after mental health, and early years music-making will be covered too, with two sessions provided by the London Early Years Music Network, an active group of practitioners who are supported in their activities by the music education charity Sound Connections.
There will also be workshops on Trinity College London's Certificate for Music Educators qualification, now widely available around the UK, and Trinity Laban's Teaching Musician programme, a more in-depth course involving research and higher-level reflective practice. Trinity College London will give an additional two sessions on its Rock & Pop and Arts Award qualifications, both of which will be fun, informative and practical. The two Trinity-named institutions – the exam board and the conservatoire – both work closely with the MU, and we are delighted to be collaborating with them both at this event.
Finally, we have included some sessions addressing key political and cultural developments affecting music education. One of these will discuss the so-called ‘gig economy’ and its implications for music teachers – namely the importance of knowing about the key markers of employment status and what your rights are regarding contracts, terms and conditions. Related to this will be a career development debate, offering ideas on how to grow your teaching business in what can feel like an increasingly challenging jobs market; and delegates will also have access to one-to-one sessions with a team of mentors, covering everything from careers and funding to life skills throughout the two days.
Attending a CPD weekend is, of course, about more than just what happens in the sessions. It's also about meeting people, making connections and having fun through music-making. There will, therefore, be opportunities for group singing at the end of the first day, leading on to live music, drinks and canapes, all included in the cost of attending.
At the MU we understand and appreciate the importance of having relevant, affordable and useful CPD opportunities for teachers. We hope very much to see you there.
