Rob Nash's blog

If you haven't yet seen Anne Bamford and Paul Glinkowski's impact evaluation of the wider opportunities programme then I heartily recommend that you read it (at least the summary!). Entitled 'Wow, it's music next' it describes the programme as 'generally of a high international standard', and as receiving ' widespread support form pupils, parents. headteachers and local authorities'.

Last week I fought my way through the snow to go to the Victoria Hall in Hanley to hear the National Youth Orchestra's Winter Concert. The 160 strong orchestra performed a challenging programme under the title 'Fireworks and Dynamite' consisting of Rachmaninov's 'The Rock', Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony. They were superb and showed the incredible standard of musicianship that, working with a dedicated professional team (the current Principal Conductor is Vasily Petrenko), they have reached. My only disappointment was the number of empty seats.

I have recently been privileged to be invited to attend one of the School Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. What a fantastic illustration of the incredible activity going on daily in our schools, music centres and beyond! It set me thinking, however, as to how many people beyond the music education sector really know about all this work and, in particular, the impact that we know music has on the lives of individual children and young people and on school communities.

NAME has registered as a partner for the DCSF Year of Music - Tune In. Launched by Ed Balls at the beginning of September, the Year of Music has an exciting ambition - to bring together and showcase the wide-range of music-related experiences available to children and young people across the country, and to encourage each one to get involved in music.

What a fantastic conference we enjoyed this year in the setting of the University of York! With a theme of Musical Development, keynotes were delivered by Lincoln Abbotts, Tony Knight and Katherine Zeserson and the wide range of exciting breakout sessions provided a really stimulating start to the academic year.

It was great to see so many of you gathered together, and lots of new faces that we hope to get to know more in the coming months. A report from the conference will appear on the site soon!!

Welcome to the redesigned NAME website. After two years of seeking people’s opinions, planning and development work, here we are with a new look and a refreshed logo.

We hope you find the new site easy to navigate and use and that it provides, you, the NAME members with the services you require from your subject association. For the first time you can become a member and buy publications simply, online. And if you are not a member, then why not join now!!