Julian Lloyd Webber was in Herefordshire yesterday, attending Herefordshire Music Service’s Annual School Music Conference. The event at the Three Counties Hotel was attended by around 90 delegates (mostly Music Coordinators from Schools). The conference also included a range of workshops to support further training for the county’s school music teachers. These were provided by a vibrant mix of both national music education training specialists and experienced local trainers
Julian Lloyd Webber was interviewed for an hour by Cliff Woollard (Head of Herefordshire Music Service) in an informal setting in front of the delegates – several of whom had the opportunity to ask their own questions. The discussion covered a wide range of topics from ‘why did he decide to learn the cello’ to questions relating to ‘the national reduction of the importance of music in schools.’
Cliff Woollard said “it was tremendous privilege to interview such a famous and talented musician, who has done so much for music education in this country. He answered all of our questions and shared a wealth of advice and experience to inspire our school music teachers. We are delighted that he agreed to join us for the day and was happy to meet everyone…..and pose for numerous photos!”
The Conference, now in its third year, was established to help provide support, training and networking opportunities for school music teachers – many of whom are the only specialist music teacher in their school. The success and popularity of the conference meant that schools from Worcestershire and Gloucestershire also attended. Delegates were entertained by the talented Bosbury Primary School Choir.
From left to right - Jon Weller (Ensembles and Projects Manager), Pete Grove (School Liaison Manager), Julian Lloyd Webber, Cliff Woollard (Head of Herefordshire Music Service), Nikki Stronge (Conference Coordinator) and Roger Wiebkin (Learning and Development Manager)
Photograph courtesy of Steve Fratson Photography (www.stevefratson.co.uk)