
Teaching Notes - MTA Podcast
Teaching Notes, the Music Teachers' Association's podcast, covers all aspects of Music Education, both in the UK and beyond. Interviews with Music Teachers sit alongside chats with industry professionals and education experts. Plenty of CPD, discussion, and reports from conferences and Expos. A must-listen for every Music Teacher! Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.
Latest episodes

Jan 18, 2024 • 47min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.92 - Francesca Christmas & Toby Davies (Trinity College), David Gray, Robin Harrison (Maestro Online)
Send us a textIn Episode 92, Patrick chats to Francesca Christmas and Toby Davies from Trinity College London about their Awards and Certificates in Musical Development, Digital Theory Exams, AI, and more;David Gray talks about his primary curriculum, his online resources, training for primary music specialists, and makes the case for ukuleles;And Dr Robin Harrison, director of Maestro Online, introduces their masterclasses, practicing resources, and the new Pop Piano grades.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.trinitycollege.comhttps://www.youtube.com/musicwithmrgrayhttps://www.the-maestro-online.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Jan 5, 2024 • 34min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.91 - Janet Fischer (Live Music Now), Dr Anna Mariguddi, Keith Sykes (Lewisham Music)
Send us a textIn the first episode of 2024, Patrick chats to Janet Fischer about the excellent work done by Live Music Now, bringing music to those without previous access.Dr Anna Mariguddi discusses her recent research into informal music learning in primary schools.And Keith Sykes from Lewisham Music chats about their award-winning project connecting music and young people’s mental health, Front Line Young Minds.Presented and produced any Patrick Johns.http://www.livemusicnow.org.ukhttps://research.edgehill.ac.uk/en/publications/exploring-the-potential-of-informal-music-learning-in-a-perceivedhttps://lewishammusic.org/impact/front-line-young-minds/https://vimeo.com/user185753531© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Dec 14, 2023 • 33min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.90 - Zac Moxon, Sarah MacDonald
Send us a textIn the last episode of 2023, Patrick meets Zac Moxon, Winner of the 2023 Outstanding New Teacher of the Year at the Pearson National Teaching Awards. They chat about his department at Chiswick School, the curriculum, and the secret to putting on over 50 concerts per year!Plus, organist, composer and Director of Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge, Sarah MacDonald, discusses Christmas carols: composing, arranging, and writing descants, plus barriers faced by female composers, choral directors and organists.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns. https://www.teachingawards.com/award-winner/zac-moxon/https://encorepublications.com/Preview/MacDonaldCarolsofourtime.pdf© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Dec 1, 2023 • 36min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.89 - Dr Kirsty Devaney, Jimmy Rotheram
Send us a textIn Episode 89, Patrick chats to Dr Kirsty Devaney about her research into barriers faced by female composers, including young people’s perception of what it means to be a composer.And Mr Primary Music Education himself Jimmy Rotheram discusses all things primary, with guidance for non-specialist teachers, including dos and don’ts.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://kirstydevaney.comhttps://tinyurl.com/AddressingGenderInequalitywww.youngcomposersproject.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Nov 16, 2023 • 38min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.88 - Jason Poulston, Sophia Allen (Friday Afternoons), Randye Jones
Send us a textIn Episode 88, Patrick meets Jason Poulston, the music teacher behind the fantastic resource Music Homework, which does exactly what it says on the tin!Sophia Allen from Britten-Pears Arts introduces their newly-commissioned songs as part of Friday Afternoons, and the Big Sing!And singer, author, educator and researcher Randye Jones discusses Spirituals: their origins, the use of difficult terminology, and dialect, and Spirituals' place in the Music Classroom.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.www.musichomework.co.ukhttps://brittenpearsarts.org/friday-afternoons/themes/new-releases-2023https://brittenpearsarts.org/take-part/schools/big-singhttps://spirituals-database.comhttp://randyejones.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

13 snips
Nov 2, 2023 • 37min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.87 - Paul McCreesh (Gabrieli Roar), James Manwaring, Paul Clark (Clod Ensemble)
Conductor Paul McCreesh discusses the Gabrieli Roar project, while composer Paul Clark introduces Ear Opener. James Manwaring previews the Music Teacher Monday webinar on teaching harmony at Key Stage 5. They explore composition, repertoire for young people, and the power of arranging in music education.

Oct 19, 2023 • 34min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.86 - Catherine Barker, Music Minds Matter, ABRSM Exams
Send us a textIn Episode 86, Patrick finds out what's in the new edition of the MTA's Ensemble magazine, with MTA president, Catherine Barker.He chats to Joe Hastings, from the charity Music Minds Matter, set up to provide a free 24/7 counselling service for musicians and music teachers;And Ali Bowen-Davies and Lincoln Abbotts from the ABRSM explain the process that leads to the development and creation of new syllabuses for instrumental and vocal exams.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.www.musicteachers.org/publications/ensemble/www.musicmindsmatter.org.ukwww.abrsm.orgMusic Minds Matter: 0808 802 8008© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Oct 5, 2023 • 33min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.85 - Dice Wood, Laura Hailstone (Music Mark), Paul Blaylock
Send us a textIn Episode 85, Patrick meets Dice Wood, author of the teaching blog Grab and Go Guides, and chats about how to say No to excess workload, how to reduce time spent marking homework, and the message that homework sends to students.Laura Hailstone from Music Mark introduces their annual conference, being held in November.And Paul Blaylock discusses his highly successful approach to the KS3 curriculum, offering tips and insights.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://grabandgoguides.blogspot.comhttps://www.musicmark.org.uk/events/music-mark-annual-conference-2023/https://twitter.com/Paul_Blaylock© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Sep 21, 2023 • 44min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.84 - Alex Aitken, Music Monsters (Lauren Elliott), George Fenton
Send us a textIn Episode 84, Patrick chats to Alex Aitken about his enormous new resource, Mastering A Level Music, focussing on the Edexcel course.Lauren Elliott from Music Monsters introduces the wonderful work they do with young musicians from the age of three upwards, using play to teach the piano and theory.And film and TV composer George Fenton looks at this year's GCSE Film Music Composition Briefs (from Eduqas and Edexcel). George also offers some insights to the art of film composition more generally, and gives some tips for aspiring film composers.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://masteringalevelmusic.co.ukhttps://www.musicmonsters.co.ukhttps://georgefenton.com© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org

Sep 7, 2023 • 44min
Teaching Notes - MTA podcast - Ep.83 - Rachel Shapey, Leanne Sedin, Adam Saunders, Dan Francis
Send us a textIn the first episode of the new academic year, Patrick chats to Rachel Shapey about her new book, co-authored with Nate Holder, Listen and Celebrate, written to help teachers to enrich and diversify music at Key Stage 3.Leanne Sedin and Adam Saunders tell Patrick all about their new project, The Music Teachers' Choir, set up to get music teachers together to sing, every month.And independent music consultant Dan Francis chats about the relationship between what's learnt in the music classroom, and what's learnt in instrumental/vocal lessons, and how the two can overlap more.Presented and produced by Patrick Johns.https://www.icancompose.com/new-book-listen-celebrate-ks3-by-nathan-holder-and-rachel-shapey/https://musicteacherschoir.com/© Music Teachers' Association www.musicteachers.org