Launch of call for submissions to Connect: Resound Remote Music Learning Festival 2021

Music teachers, academics, Hub managers and music education firms invited to share their innovative practice, case studies & perspectives

We are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting the Connect: Resound Remote Music Learning Festival 2021 for music education professionals from 17 to 21 May 2021. We are now launching a call for submissions, inviting those in the sector to put forward their ideas for innovative learning events that can take place in an online space.

As Emily Penn, Connect: Resound project manager, explains, “Over the past year, there has been a huge surge in interest and confidence in online music learning, prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. We’ve also seen enormous leaps in innovation, in terms of both music education practice and digital technology. Our Connect: Resound project has been pioneering digital music education for over 6 years but now it feels like we’ve reached a really pivotal moment in virtual music learning. We’re excited to host a dedicated Remote Music Learning Festival to celebrate success, explore challenges, take stock and identify new opportunities for growth and collaboration.

“We are inviting music teachers, academics, Hub managers and businesses in the sector to submit their ideas for learning events across our four themes. We’re interested in content such as case studies, academic papers, presentations, workshops and practical sessions.”

The core audience for the learning festival is those working for and with Music Education Hubs (in England) and similar music education services across the UK and beyond, as well as musicians, music practitioners, policymakers, artists, arts organisations and academics with an interest in this field.

The four key themes to be explored across the week of the conference are:

  • Teaching Music online
  • Making Music online
  • Creating and Curating Online Music Experiences
  • The Future of Online Music Education

Visit http://bit.ly/festival_submissions for further details about each theme of the Festival plus a link to an online form to make a submission. The deadline for submissions is 26 February 2021.

 Please note that NYMAZ will be able to provide a flat fee for contributions to enable participation – for instance, for freelancers, small charities or those organisations which have been significantly impacted as an organisation by Covid-19. These details must be given on the submission form.

Notes to editors

Connect: Resound is the pioneering project of youth music charity NYMAZ. It has been exploring the use of online digital technology to increase access to instrumental lessons and live music experiences since 2014. We have worked with schools, Music Education Hubs and arts organisations across the country to develop the sector’s skills and confidence in delivering music education online. We also offer free membership of the NYMAZ Remote Music Learning Network which supports and connects professionals with an interest in online music education.

Initially we concentrated on using digital music education to overcome the challenge of rural isolation. However, our remit has extended as it become increasingly clear that online approaches could surmount other barriers to access too, from mental health issues to excluded children.

For further details on the project see www.connectresound.org.uk (online music tuition) and www.connectresound.live (online music experiences).

To join the Remote Music Learning Network, visit www.nymaz.org.uk/for-professionals/remote

NYMAZ’s Connect: Resound programme is made possible thanks to support from Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Youth Music.