Onwards and upwards: January 2022 Editorial

I am going to go out on a limb here and assume that, given the whirlwind of Christmas concerts, online nativities, mulled wine, and general merriment, you're reading this in the first week of January. If you've stuck your nose into your copy of MT earlier to avoid being asked to a) do the washing up b) take your turn in Charades, or c) go on a ‘stomp’ around the block, then you are also welcome here.

January is a difficult month for many of us; the holiday (whether you celebrate Christmas or not) is over, and a new, unknown year stretches ahead. One thing we've learnt over the last two years is that we can't predict what will happen next week, let alone in six months' time. But the unknown doesn't have to be scary – after all, monotony is boring.

Another thing we – as the music education community – have learnt is that a shake up (albeit from a devastating source) highlights the areas in which we may have become stuck in our ways to the detriment of the young people we are working with. It may also highlight the biases we unwittingly hold (more on this on p.18) and enable us to make positive changes to our practice going forward.

It is with great joy that in this issue we announce the shortlists for the Music & Drama Education Awards 2022 (p.32). These finalists represent just a few of the many projects, initiatives, and individuals who are working across the UK to ensure that music education doesn't get ‘stuck’. We would have shortlisted every entry and more if we could. I do hope you'll join us as we celebrate everyone's achievements in our glitzy London ceremony on 23 March.

Elsewhere in this issue, which has a Recording focus, you'll find Dale Wills' guide to building a studio space in your school (p.14), an update on the first year of Resonance, Dudley's state-of-the-art music college (p.23), and a look at a new selection of creative media courses designed to keep up with the demands of the industry (p.30). You'll also find a step-by-step guide to using GarageBand with KS2 (p.36), an interview with TEE, an award-winner at the Youth Music Awards 2021 (p.34), advice on how to help students with performance anxiety (p.26), and much more.

However you spent your Christmas break, and however you're feeling now, I hope you find much of interest in this month's issue, and I hope the magazine continues to support you in your teaching practice. As ever, if you'd like to send us any feedback in the form of a letter to the editor, please email me on harriet.clifford@markallengroup.com. I wish you a very happy New Year.

Harriet Clifford, editor