Each year, Avid is proud to sponsor, along with Yamaha, the Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year competition. Run by the UK’s most listened-to classical music radio station, the Music Teacher of the Year competition sets out to recognise the most exceptional music teachers in UK schools across six categories (primary, secondary, special educational needs, peripatetic, new music teacher, and a special lifetime achievement award).
Teachers are nominated by their head teachers, parents or students, and each year representatives from Avid, Yamaha, Classic FM and leading educators meet to narrow down the nominations to a short list and, eventually, to winners in each of the six categories. The winners are revealed at the Music For Youth Schools Proms in the Royal Albert Hall in London each November, and this year’s winners were announced at last week’s three concerts. Each winning teacher wins equipment from Yamaha and £1000 worth of music education software from Avid for their school. Read on for the names of the winners.
This year’s winners are as follows:
- Primary School Music Teacher of the Year: Kathryn Smith of Silkstone Common Junior and Infant School, Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- Secondary School Music Teacher of the Year: Sheila Cornall of Wycombe High School, Buckinghamshire
- Peripatetic/Private Music Teacher of the Year: Fran Sixsmith of Warrington Schools’ Arts and Culture Service
- Special Education Needs Music Teacher of the Year: Sheila Oglethorpe, a teacher who has specialised in teaching music to dyslexic pupils
- New Music Teacher of the Year (Special Award): Matthew Hunt of Kingstone High School, Herefordshire
- Lifetime Achievement Award: John Hall of Norton Knatchbull School, Kent
You can watch brief interviews with several of this year’s winners at the Classic FM web site.
Many congratulations to all of this year’s winners! On behalf of everybody at Avid we thank you for your tremendous work with your students, and hope you get great use and enjoyment out of your prizes.