Space to Thrive: Meeting communities where they are
In this session, Berkshire Music Trust will share practical insights from their Space to Thrive project, which launched in January and was designed around the simple but powerful question, ‘What happens when we truly meet communities where they are?’.
What key themes will be discussed?
- Community-led music education
- Inclusivity
- Youth leadership
- Power sharing
- Relevance
- Adapting provision to local needs
What are the learning outcomes and key takeaways?
- Understand practical approaches to community-led practice, embedding youth voice, lessons from challenges, and adapting inclusive principles for diverse contexts.
This session will be of particular interest to:
- Those seeking to foster inclusive, relevant, and community-driven music education.
Interactions
- Group discussion
- Audience Q&A
Speakers
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Ella Foster
Berkshire Music Trust
-
Jamie Read
Berkshire Music Trust
Ella Foster
Berkshire Music Trust
Ella Foster is an experienced arts and music education leader with a strong track record in strategic development, partnership building, programme growth, and community engagement. As Senior Leader for Partnership, Progression and Development at Berkshire Music Trust, she leads work that connects children, young people, and communities with high-quality musical opportunities, while developing innovative partnerships that broaden access and participation.
With over a decade of experience in music education, Ella has worked across a number of Music Hub organisations, including Berkshire Music Trust, Bristol Beacon, and Durham Music Service. Throughout her career, she has been committed to creating sustainable and inclusive opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with music, whether through schools, community programmes, ensembles, early years provision, or targeted inclusion initiatives.
Alongside her strategic leadership, Ella is an experienced music educator and singer who remains committed to the transformative power of teaching and lifelong learning. She believes that outstanding teaching requires continual professional development and reflective practice, and she champions the growth and development of both learners and colleagues.
Jamie Read
Berkshire Music Trust
Jamie Read is a charity and arts education leader who has spent 18 years working in inclusion and removing systemic barriers to access for young people from under-represented backgrounds. Honoured with a Fellowship of St George’s House, Windsor Castle, in recognition of his leadership within the arts education sector, Jamie became Community & Inclusion Manager for Berkshire Music Trust in 2024. In this role, he has helped to shape the Trust’s inclusion strategy and has led more than 20 projects designed to widen participation in music-making.
Jamie’s professional experience includes 13 years as Artistic Director & Head of Voice at READ College | Access to the Arts, as well as serving on the Singing Faculty at Italia Conti, the world’s oldest drama school. He was a Vanguard Assessor and Advisor to the Vocal Health First Aid programme and currently serves as Chair of Trustees for the Charlie Kristensen Foundation.
Having performed at the National Theatre, in London’s West End and internationally in musical theatre and as an actor, Jamie’s passion for giving people a voice, both literally and metaphorically, led him to undertake a PGCert and later a PGDip in Voice Pedagogy through Voice Study Centre. He subsequently presented his research in London, Barcelona and Berlin. Alongside his work at Berkshire Music Trust, Jamie continues to run a busy professional voice studio and is an accomplished choir conductor, leading the choir on several tour dates with Gareth Malone in 2025 and conducting for Downton at Christmas at Highclere Castle.
