Inspiring Futures

Leaders working in the music education sector must operate within increasingly complex educational, cultural, and community landscapes. Alongside maintaining high-quality musical provision, leaders are expected to navigate funding pressures, workforce development, inclusion agendas, partnership working, cultural strategy, and systemwide change.

This advanced leadership programme is designed for experienced leaders working in all areas of the music education sector, such as:

• Music Services
• Arts and Cultural Education Partnerships
• Local Authority Music Provision
• Trust-wide Music Leadership
• Regional and Community Music Organisations
• Schools

Participants will be supported in strengthening their leadership capital and capacity as strategic and system leaders while remaining grounded in the artistic, educational, and social purpose of music education.

Across three inquiry-based sessions, participants will explore:
• Strategic leadership in complex systems
• Leading culture, people, and partnerships
• Sustaining innovation, influence, and impact

The Community will meet termly throughout the next academic year with each session combining professional dialogue, systems thinking, reflective leadership practice, and applied strategic planning, the sessions are designed to create space for high-level thinking, challenge, and collaborative inquiry between experienced leaders.

Overview:

Aims:

• Strengthen strategic leadership capability in music education contexts
• Deepen understanding of system leadership and influence
• Support sustainable and values-led leadership
• Strengthen leaders’ ability to navigate complexity and change
• Develop collaborative and partnership leadership approaches
• Enhance long-term strategic thinking and organisational impact

Dates:

• 6 October, 2026
• 2 February, 2027
• 28 April, 2027

Who should attend:

This programme is intended for people working at the head of their organisation, such as Chief Executive Officers, Directors and Heads of Service.

Accessibility

• Technology: Zoom.
• Captioning: AI-generated.
• Breakout rooms: No (However this session will be interactive).
• Recorded? TBC.

If you would like to request presentation slides, questions and provocations in advance of the session, please get in touch with us by emailing info@musicmark.org.uk. Speakers may decline sharing this information on the basis of protecting their intellectual property or for other reasons and we cannot therefore guarantee availability for all events.

We are aware some people use AI bots in Zoom meetings to support with note-taking or use this technology to make events more accessible to them. We support this, though ask you to notify us by email if you intent to do this, so we can distinguish between legitimate aids and apps and those which are not.