It's a new year and a new era for Music Teacher. Most obviously, there's a new face on this page – hello! You may have seen my name throughout the magazine in the past and I'm excited and honoured to be taking the reins of the magazine as it joins the Mark Allen Group. I'm very grateful to both Claire Jackson and Alex Stevens for their support and guidance during my time as editorial assistant and assistant editor, and I aim to build upon the fantastic work that they have done for the magazine.
I strongly believe that this magazine has an important role to play in providing a platform to those who will help shape the future of music education. To this end, you will find an account of this year's Music Mark conference written by a young musician (page 35) and a student's perspective of the Royal College of Music's (RCM) master of education programme (page 36). I want this magazine to be a place to celebrate and champion the diversity of music, a place where music educators can learn and share new ideas, and a place for us to stand up for the subject.
Back in October, the House of Lords held a debate on music education that was led by a Tory peer: Lord Black of Brentwood, chair of the RCM. While there are a great many things that Black and I disagree on, I'm glad that we can find common ground on such an important topic. I'm also pleased to report that Black is following up on his speech by meeting with music teachers, which you can read more about on page 45. The impression that I left that meeting with, was one of a person who was prepared to listen and find real solutions to some of the problems that music education is facing.
This issue focusses on world music and touring, the perfect tonic for getting through these cold winter months. In these pages, you will learn about the history of music from India (page 24) and southern Africa (page 32) and more – knowledge that might inspire you to look beyond Europe for your summer music tour (page 27).
If you're looking for inspiration a little closer to home, our cover story this month looks at WOMAD UK (page 16). It's an exciting festival that celebrates world music and encourages children to come along and take part, with several hundred different workshops and activities on offer. The festival is an exuberant outpouring of colour and sound, using music to unify and uplift.
