WORKSHOPS & TRAINING
Workshops
Tom has been leading and delivering music workshops since 2012 and is involved in a wide variety of musical projects. These include workshops on drumming, samba, djembe, brass, songwriting and recording, as well as interactive concerts. He creates a fun and inclusive atmosphere where all participants are involved and feel valued.
Tom is very experienced in working with students with a variety of needs such as SEND (Special Education Needs and Disabilities), EBSD (Educational, Behavioural and Social Difficulties) and students in Pupil Referral Units. He has worked in schools that specialise in these types of provision all over the UK, including a year-long placement as Musician in Residence at Priory Woods School, Middlesbrough.
Tom’s Previous Clients
What Kate says…
‘In school or adult workshops Tom manages to strike the perfect balance between fun and discipline, gaining the trust and respect of the group while building a rapport that transcends the standard teacher/pupil relationship. He will always notice when someone is struggling or has disengaged and finds ways to offer support without drawing attention to the individual. Tom is my ‘go to’ person when I know there is a challenging participant in the group!
I work with many different practitioners and keep coming back to Tom because he’s reliable, adaptable and fun to work with, but most of all because he obviously cares about the work he’s producing and the people he’s working with.’
Kate James, Project Manager In2 Darlington
What Adam says…
‘We have worked with Tom on many projects, both long and short. The most notable of these has been a year-long Musician in Residence post. Tom is a fantastic musician and, more importantly, an approachable, calm, creative, reliable, friendly and flexible professional. He understands the needs of and next steps for our learners. His residency culminated in a final performance led by Tom and his band and it was fantastic to see the progress that our learners have made not only in music, but also in their self confidence and ability to work as a team.’
Adam Featherstone, Priory Woods Special School, Middlesbrough
Tom works as a mentor for musicians who are beginning to deliver music workshops and projects within their communities and can be booked to observe, advise and train others on their delivery and structure.He offers feedback, advice and critical analysis, drawing on his experience and personal training within the field.
Tom has mentored and trained students and alumni to many of the UK’s leading conservatoires, including the Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal Welsh College of Music, the Royal Northern College of Music and Leeds College of Music, as well as the universities of Oxford, Manchester and Newcastle.
Training and Mentoring
What Bryony says…
‘From day one of being mentored by Tom I felt my confidence as a practitioner and music leader grow and flourish. He helped me to see my own strengths and find clear ways to help the participants shine, all the while supporting me to be a better and more skilled leader. I hope to one day be able to pass on the confidence and nurturing of skill that he gave to me.’
Bryony Bainbridge - Folk Musician, Singer & Composer. Tutor at Sage Gateshead and member of ‘Matfen Trio’
What Henrietta says…
‘Tom's mentorship, fantastic humour and amazing support helped me grow in confidence and ability for delivering workshops to SEND school children. His knack of being able to instantly read a room, and to connect with students to deliver the highest quality and extremely fun music sessions, was hugely inspiring.’
Henrietta Hill, viola
What Will says…
‘Tom mentored me as part of my year-long residency at Seven Hills School in Sheffield. Tom offered excellent guidance and advice throughout the project, helping me with musical decisions such as arranging and performing different tunes as well as showing me ways to improve certain parts of my delivery. Tom was great to work with and having someone with so much experience in the field was a huge help to me’
Will Fletcher - Musical Director at Valley Music
What Iwan says…
‘Tom was our mentor for a Live Music Now residency in Hull last year. This was the first residency of this kind that we had done and, therefore, the advice that Tom was able to give allowed us to bring focus and structure to our individual sessions and to the project as a whole. Tom had very good suggestions for musical activities and how to lead them and also about how to deal with a few tricky situations that happened during our residency.’
Iwan Owen - Pianist, RNCM alumni