Guildhall School to host 'Strengthening Music in Society' conference

Thursday, September 30, 2021

The conference will provide an opportunity for those working in the music sector to share research into the social impact of music-making and the performing arts

On 16 December 2021, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama will be hosting a conference, convened by the Institute for Social Impact Research in the Performing Arts in association with Conservatoires UK, the Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC)and SEMPRE.

The event will be presented by Jess Gillam MBE, saxophonist, broadcaster and Guildhall School alumna, and will be the first opportunity for those working in the music sector to unpack and respond to a major AEC report that marks the culmination of their four-year project "Strengthening Music in Society" (2017-21).

Professor John Sloboda, Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Professor Helena Gaunt, principal of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, said: 'This will be an important opportunity, in what we hope will be the wake of the pandemic, for key representatives from UK conservatoires and the wider music industry to meet in person and work on current and future directions.

'Many challenges facing the sector are longstanding, and the last 18 months has increased the urgency to resolve them. We feel privileged to be able to contribute an internationally informed stimulus for the sharpest collaborative thinking and problem-solving that our sector can muster.'

The conference was prompted by the waves of social changes that occurred as a result of Covid-19, Brexit, and in response to social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo.

Over the course of the day, a set of projects or initiatives to be taken forward will be identified, addressing key issues drawn from the report. The conference also aims to ensure a broad cross-section of the sector is present and able to network on the day, something that has not happened in recent times due to the pandemic. Whilst the main constituents for the conference are UK conservatoires, the invited guests will include representatives from key organisations within the UK classical music industry, the UK music education sector, research organisations and special interest groups.

Confirmed speakers include:

Professor Helena Gaunt, Principal of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama –Helena will give a keynote presentation highlighting key issues and questions that are raised in the AEC report.

The following will respond to the report offering perspectives from across the sector:

Ankna Arockiam, PhD candidate at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and founder of Shared Narratives – the student perspective
Diana Salazar, Director of Programmes at the Royal College of Music – the pedagogic perspective
Professor Graham Welch, UCL Institute of Education Established Chair of Music Education – the research perspective
Linda Begbie (Development Director) Manchester Collective – the employer perspective
Gillian Moore, CBE, Director of Music, Southbank Centre, London – the Industry perspective
James Njoku-Goodwin, CEO, UK Music – the Government & Policy perspective