What do you love most about teaching Music? 
I love that it’s so creative!  I love that our students come up with something different every time – even when I teach the same thing, the outcome is often different.  I love that music blurs the boundaries of the classroom – running choirs and orchestras and organising concerts and workshops is a great part of my job.  And I love having discussions with students about composers and works that inspire us.  I still learn a huge amount from those that I teach; it’s very humbling.  Music is amazing! – Mrs Ward

The way in which it unlocks and unites people. Thoughts, emotions, friendships and potential. Music helps us to express things that words can’t, which is so crucial for many young people. I really enjoy sharing my passion and excitement for the subject – from renaissance to rock ’n’ roll, I just love it all. – Miss Parry

Is there a Musician or composer that you look up to as a role model and why?
The American conductor Marin Alsop is brilliant.  She has overcome a lot of stigma to get where she is and has worked wonders to promote women in music and also LGBTQ+. – Mrs Ward

Aretha Franklin – not only an absolutely incredible and resilient musician, and the ‘Queen of Soul’, but a woman who made monumental changes to society through her activism for civil rights and women’s rights. – Miss Parry

What musician would you most like to perform with? 
Just one?  David Bowie. He had about eight different eras, so each performance would be totally different. – Mrs Ward

Stevie Wonder. I adore him and his music, and his live performances just look so fun. – Miss Parry

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in teaching Music?  
I had two wonderful music teachers at school (who I’m still in touch with) and I absolutely loved A Level music!  I was also incredibly lucky to have some wonderful musical opportunities and to have been surrounded by some top musicians and music educators.  After I’d studied music at university, I did a master’s degree in ‘Music in the Community’, which is working with music and others. It was such a natural progression from there into teaching music.   – Mrs Ward

My English teacher at school. Her kindness, wisdom and encouragement shaped me into the person I am today. When I was at university, I did a lot of outreach work in local secondary schools, particularly working with pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, and I discovered my passion for working with young people. I decided at the age of 20 to embark upon a career in teaching. – Miss Parry

What is your Desert Island disc? Something that you find yourself returning to over and over again. 
I absolutely cannot pick one piece.  I love choral music – Britten’s opera Peter Grimes and Wagner’s Die Walkure and Carmina Burana by Carl Orff.  I also love Prog Rock (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Dream Theatre) and folk (Elephant Sessions and Katherine Priddy).  Or maybe I should just pick ‘Sweet Child O’Mine’ by Guns N’ Roses… – Mrs Ward

Anything by Thomas Newman (film composer – Finding Nemo/Dory, American Beauty, Shawshank Redemption, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel etc.) – his music is so fresh to listen to, even if you’ve heard it a hundred times before.  – Miss Parry

If you hadn’t gotten into teaching Music, what would you be doing now?  
Horticulture.  Or something to do with French!  I lived in France for a year and I loved it.  – – Mrs Ward

I think I would have gone down the composition/orchestration route, but I’m also interested in the sector of children’s social care. Anything with music or people – a combination is a bonus! – Miss Parry