Summer Summit | Without music it’s not an education!

10am Arrivals and registration | Enjoy a performance from EFDSS whilst you have a coffee and pastry!
10:30am Welcome and keynote | Music Education Can Change The World, Darren Abrahams
11:25am Orchestras Live | Making the Case for Music: Social Value as a Tool for Evidencing Impact
12:20pm Lunch | Enjoy performances from local Primary School choirs before we break for and return from lunch
1:30pm Debate Panel | Music for goodness’ sake versus Music for music’s sake
2:45pm Afternoon break
3:15pm ‘Just before I go….’ Outgoing CEO Bridget Whyte reflects on her 9 years leading Music Mark
4pm Evening reception with refreshments and canapes
6pm Event close

Host | Bridget Whyte, CEO Music Mark

Keynote | Darren Abrahams, Music Education Can Change The World

We know music matters. But do we always trust that we matter? In this keynote, Darren Abrahams draws on real stories from his work at the intersection of music, trauma, and community to shine a light on something music educators do every day, often without realising it: they change the course of young people’s lives. This is a session to remind you of your power, and to send you back into the world with renewed purpose.

Making the Case for Music: Social Value as a Tool for Evidencing Impact
Becky West | Regional Producer North Orchestras Live

This session introduces Social Return on Investment (SROI) as a complementary lens for evidencing the impact of music education. Widely used across the charity, public and local authority sectors but still relatively new in cultural and educational settings, SROI translates social outcomes into an equivalent financial value, offering a way to articulate the broader public benefit of music education in language that financially minded stakeholders recognise and understand.

Debate panel | Music for Music’s Sake or Goodness’ Sake?

Join our expert panel as they explore the arguments for ‘Music for music’s sake’ and ‘Music for goodness sake’ in our ‘Cambridge-style’ debate. Beginning with opening statements, the participants will be given the opportunity to offer their rebuttals and argue their case for the purpose and benefits of music. Whilst at Music Mark, we believe that these two elements are not mutually exclusive, exploring the arguments encourages us to consider how we shape the narrative around music education and how we communicate the value we see in music to others

• Dr Kerry Bunkhall (Chair)
• Roger Wilson
• Dr Adrian Whyte
• Shiva Feshareki
• Darren Abrahams

• Venue accessibility: Information on venue accessibility can be found via their website.
• Captioning: TBC

If you would like to request presentation slides, questions and provocations in advance of the event, please get in touch with 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.