MDEE 2024: head of content picks

Whichever sessions you choose to attend at the Music & Drama Education Expo, you’re guaranteed to come away feeling inspired and energised, with a two-day schedule packed with some of music education’s best speakers and innovative thinkers. To help you plan your visit and for a flavour of what’s on offer, here are just a few recommendations:

– THURSDAY 22 FEBRUARY

What does an inclusive ensemble look like?
Sarah Share
10.15am, The Workshop

The National Plan for Music Education states that ‘a high-quality music education is the right of every pupil’, and ‘it should be inclusive of all, regardless of additional needs’. This workshop will share case studies of inclusive ensembles within Leicestershire, discussing their vision, planning and delivery.

Exploring international approaches to ukulele education
Paul Mansell
1.15pm, The Workshop

This session aims to provide participants with insights into the international trends and approaches to teaching the ukulele, focusing on the instructional methods employed in Hawaii and the United States. It will also examine how these methods can be applied to effectively teach children in UK schools.

The National Plan for Music Education and the future of music hubs
Hannah Fouracre, Samantha Martin, Stefano Pozzi
1.45pm, Keynote Theatre

Arts Council England and the Department for Education present how the new music hub programme will ensure high-quality music education opportunities and experiences for all children and young people in England and improved collaboration, learning and career progression for the music education workforce, including how you can get involved.

Mental health: teachers at the frontline
Chris Walters, Claire Cordeaux, Ed Harlow, Norman Beecher
3.15pm, Seminar Theatre

This panel will look at the mental health of our students and how teachers can support them while also supporting ourselves. The panel will explore a range of issues that students are experiencing, discuss where a teacher’s support begins and ends, and also look at self-care for teachers.

– FRIDAY 23 FEBRUARY

Sounds of uncertainty: what might AI mean for the future of music education?
Phil Castang MBE, Barry Farrimond-Chuong, Robert Laidlow, Zakiya Lemming, Tee Peters, Chris Walters, ChatGPT
12.30pm, Keynote Theatre

The Music Education Council presents a panel discussion exploring the impact of AI on the future of music education. The panel will discuss how AI can augment traditional musical engagement, composition, performance and instruction. It will explore ethical considerations, potential job displacement and preserving human artistry while delving into the promises and perils of this innovative partnership.

Dyslexia and music: upbeat approaches
Mich Mazzocco
2pm, Seminar Theatre

This session, aimed at Early Years and primary teachers as well as SEND specialists, will briefly outline the neuroscientific links between rhythm and speech processing, and how dyslexia may affect our sense of the beat. It will also touch on the latest research into therapeutic musical activities, with lots of practical demonstrations.

Embedding creativity in composing in the KS3 curriculum
Sally Nicholson
2pm, Sharing Lab

A tension exists between teaching the rules of composing and helping students to think creatively. However, research shows students can discover composing concepts naturally through playing with sound. This session will explain the teachers’ role in facilitating creative musical discovery and present a variety of creative starting points.

What is youth leadership and how is it intrinsically linked to more inclusive music-making?
Beth White, Chloe Morgan
3.45pm, Keynote Theatre

Led by two alumni of National Orchestra for All, who now work with Orchestras for All as trustees and Youth Board chairs, this session offers a rare opportunity to hear from young people themselves about how youth leadership has a direct impact on, and is intrinsically linked to, inclusive music-making.

The 2024 Music & Drama Education Expo takes place on 22 and 23 February at the Business Design Centre, London. View the programme and register FREE