Dr Steven Berryman is Executive Director of the National Centre for Arts Education. Former President of the Chartered College of Teaching and a Visiting Fellow at King’s College London (both the Music Department and the School of Education, Communication and Society), he is a nationally recognised leader in arts education whose career spans school leadership, teacher development, policy, research and practice.

Award Winning YolanDa Brown is the premier female saxophonist in the UK. Her music is a delicious fusion of Reggae, Jazz and Soul. As a broadcaster she presents across BBC Radio and TV, and in 2018 filmed her own music show for Cbeebies; “YolanDa’s Band Jam”. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts by the University of East London and in January 2018 she was appointed Chair of Youth Music.

Mark studied at the RCM and was a professional musician for ten years appearing on BBC television and radio, Classic FM and featuring in numerous tours and international performances. In 1997 he retired from rock and co-founded Charanga to develop new ways to support young people’s music learning. Over 100 music services and hubs are now working with Charanga, combining its digital provision, products and services with their own on-the-ground offerings to increase teachers’ confidence and ability to teach music.

Peter is Head of Music and Arts for Brighton & Hove’s award winning SoundCity music hub and is currently Director of Our Future City, the Cultural Education Partnership for Brighton & Hove that seeks to improve the lives and life-chance of children and young people through cultural and creative skills. He also sits on the Arts Council England Music Education Hub advisory board.

Dr. Kirsty Devaney is a Birmingham-based composer, educator and researcher. After graduating from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in 2013, she established the ‘Young Composers Project’, which aims to offer a space for young music-creators to explore ideas and receive regular personalised support.

Philip Flood is an experienced arts and music education and industry consultant with over 30 years’ expertise in business planning, strategic development, income generation, evaluation, and organisational change across the music and arts sectors. He is a passionate advocate for the arts and culture, combining a deep understanding of the sector with strong leadership and mentoring skills.

He is Chair and Non-Executive Director at PMLL (Printed Music Licensing Limited), part of the Music Publishers Association Group, a Trustee at Music Mark, an accredited Executive Coach, and a qualified Mental Health First Aider. He was previously Director at Sound Connections, following senior management roles at the London Symphony Orchestra and Spitalfields Music. He started his career as a music workshop leader and qualified secondary music teacher, progressing to be head of department at a large Further Education College in north London.

Clients include Arts Council England, Bristol Beacon, Britten Sinfonia, British Council, English Heritage, Faber Music, Independent Venue Week, Music Generation Ireland, Music Mark, Music Masters, the Musicians’ Union, Music Masters, Paraorchestra, Rocksteady Music School, the Royal Albert Hall, and Wigmore Hall. He also has extensive experience supporting Music Hubs and Services, Local Authorities, music education charities, orchestras, venues, and festivals.

Nick Howdle Is Leader of Wiltshire Music Connect, the Music Education Hub for Wiltshire. He’s been around a bit and previously worked in London with Sound Connections and Youth Music. He served on the Music Manifesto Partnership & Advocacy Group (helping shape the 1st National Plan) and other strategic stuff. Nick’s CPD happens on most working days and outside of work he is also, in no particular order, a parent, allotment-ist, guitarist, singer and songwriter.

Sharon Jagdev Powell has been a Trustee for the Music Education Council since February 2022. Her vision for the Music Education Council is to influence and implement change to enable access and improve outcomes in music education for all.

She is a Leadership Coach and has embedded music and a Theory of Joy into her practice. Sharon also works as a Music Education Consultant and she amplifies the voices of underrepresented people, celebrating creativity by embracing the power of music.

Sharon’s career in music education spans 30 years and she began as a secondary music teacher. She then project-managed Musical Futures Nottingham and developed an inclusive approach to curriculum music for Secondary schools. Sharon has also worked as Hub Leader, Programme Manager and Education Lead for a Music Industry charity.

Maruša has recently finished a PhD at the School of Psychology, University of Sussex, supervised by Professor Robin Banerjee. Her PhD research was based on collaboration with the Southern Music Hub Alliance and has primarily focused on unpacking the experiences of inclusive music-making for children and young people traditionally less likely to participate in formal music education. Maruša takes part in many of their inclusive music projects, as a musician as well as a researcher, as she strongly believes creativity should be a vital part of everyone’s education and upbringing.

Neil Phillips is the Connect Programme Director at Young Sounds UK. A former professional rock musician, he retrained as a youth worker and has worked in a range of settings delivering programmes designed to support young people facing barriers, including those in the criminal justice system and young carers.

Neil oversees the Connect programme at Young Sounds UK and leads on the delivery of the Department for Education funded Music Opportunities Pilot, coordinating the work in 22 Music Hub regions and additional partners ABRSM, BBC Orchestras, Music Mark, Music Masters, the National Youth Orchestra, Open Up Music and Liverpool Philharmonic.

Judith Robinson has extensive experience of working in music education settings over the last 30 years, ranging from teaching in primary and SEND schools to delivering education programmes for leading UK arts organisations. She is currently Head of Education at Sound and Music.

Michael Summers is Head of Durham Music Service. Working in over 330 schools. He leads training and for schools and staff across the region.

Jonathan has over 25 years experience working with young disabled people in music education. He has played a key role in developing accessible accreditation opportunities in music and worked extensively as a trainer and mentor for musicians and teachers in school settings. In his current role as Programme Manager for Open Up Music he oversees the Open Orchestras programme, with nearly 60 orchestras running in special schools across England and Wales.

Bridget Whyte became CEO of Music Mark in 2017. She started her career at Arts Council England before going freelance, working with over 50 music & music education organisations. Key clients included Youth Music, the Department for Education (DfE), and she was a Strategic Advisor to the British Council, setting up and managing their World Voice Programme which supported the use of singing as a tool for learning in over 20 countries. As Music Mark’s CEO, Bridget is in demand as a keynote speaker, advocate and advisor at a national and international level. Most recently she supported the Welsh Government on writing its National Plan for Music Education which was published in May 2022, was part of the Department for Education’s English National Plan for Music Education Expert Panel, and has now joined its Hub Monitoring Board.