Forest Arts Music Hub

Towards the end of 2018, Jimmy Rotheram made headlines after being shortlisted for the Global Teacher Prize. His nomination comes following the spectacular work that he has done in improving the standards at Feversham Primary Academy in Bradford. He has developed tried and tested programmes for developing the musicianship and pedagogy non-specialist teachers to help provide the best music education experience for as many children as he possibly can.

Feversham Primary Academy is famous around the world and Jimmy’s work there has taken him to Sweden, Norway, Australia (this July), to the finals of the Global Teaacher Prize in 2018, and to advise the House of Lords, ABRSM, the Benedetti Foundation and Music Teacher Magazine. He has also worked with a wide range of organisations, including the BBC, Oxford University, The Royal Philharmonic Society and the Arts Council.

He writes regularly for Teach Primary (https://www.teachwire.net/authors/jimmy-rotheram/) and other publications. His book with Andrew Davidson, “Primary Curriculum Basics – Teaching Primary Music” will “drop” in 2024.

Jennifer Redmond

Jennifer Redmond has worked in the broadcasting industry for over 20 years, across many different BBC brands and content areas including BBC Radios 3 and 4, Blue Peter, Entertainment and Factual, specialising in interactive content and audio production. Jen is currently a Producer for the BBC Philharmonic, responsible for Digital and Learning, which involves devising school, family and community concerts and workshops, and producing digital content for BBC platforms. She has recently Executive Produced the series Musical Storyland for CBeebies featuring the musicians of the BBC Philharmonic. The series follows the success of the BBC Philharmonic’s film The Musical Story of the Gingerbread Man and is the first time an orchestra has ever been commissioned to make a series of films for network television. Jen studied clarinet at the Royal Northern College of Music.

Zoe Challenor

B’Opera Founder and Director Zoë Challenor spent eight years as Choral Director and Singing Teacher at Trinity Laban Conservatoire Junior Department in London. Her work with WNO ranges from opera workshops with children, to co-creative songwriting with refugee families, to mentoring emerging workshop leaders. She writes, performs, and teaches singing and ITM Alexander Technique.

B’Opera are partners on the Birmingham Early Years Music Consortium, whose Youth Music funded project Sounds of Play aims to improve music provision for birth to 5-year olds and their families in the city.

Zoë’s CPD sessions for the Consortium have included So You Think You Can’t Sing? aimed at encouraging greater confidence in our own voice.

She is a regular panellist and speaker at conferences such as the Family Arts Campaign, advocating for families, as well as talking about B’Opera’s energetic stance on equality and inclusivity. She recently took up the role of online mentor on the CME:EC course at CREC.

B’Opera are regular Visiting Artists at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, working with newborn babies on the Neonatal Surgical Ward, and under fives throughout the hospital, and provide weekly workshops, relaxed concerts, and specially created shows for babies and toddlers.

As part of a recent Arts Council Developing Your Creative Practice grant, Zoë created MotherVoice [1] – a community for those who mother, to gather and share experiences, then transform them into music for their little ones.

B’Opera is founded on the desire to bring people together around a shared experience of beauty, illuminating what we have in common.

Rebecca Denniff

As a community musician, and founder/director of Flash Company Arts, Rebecca spends her days working with people of all ages, delivering and facilitating inclusive music making and empowering other aspiring community musicians to do the same. She leads community choirs on a weekly basis, delivers training sessions for a variety of organisations, and sits on the NYMAZ Early Years Network steering group. Community music is Rebecca’s passion, she believes that music enhances lives and over the years has seen relationships forged and communities brought together in astonishing and lovely ways.

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