Remembering Nathaniel Dye (1987–2024)
2nd February 2026
Music Mark is saddened to read of the passing of one of its Champions, Nathaniel Dye MBE, last week. Nat, a passionate music educator, performer, and advocate for accessible music-making, passed away nearly a week before he was to host an event at Kings Place following a courageous battle with terminal bowel cancer.
Born with a deep love for music, Nat studied Bass Trombone Performance and Studio Composition at the University of Birmingham, then completed his teacher training at the UCL Institute of Education. His teaching career began in secondary schools, including Enfield Grammar School, where he taught future Mercury Prize and Brit Award winners from Ezra Collective.
After travelling the world with a plastic trombone, Nat found his true calling in primary education. As Head of Music at an Inner London State Primary School, he built a thriving programme that grew to include whole-class instrumental teaching, five choirs, and a fifty-strong orchestra. His leadership and vision helped the school earn the 2023 Music and Drama Education Award for Outstanding Music Department.
Beyond the classroom, Nat was a proud Music Mark Champion, actively campaigning for accessible music education and inspiring others to value the joy and importance of music at every level, even amid his illness.
Nat’s legacy lives on in the countless children, colleagues, and supporters he inspired, highlighting his profound influence on the broader music education community and reinforcing the importance of continued support.
We will pay further tribute to Nat in the coming weeks, but for now, we have today published his speech given at our 2025 Annual Conference, which ends with these inspiring words:
‘If we continue with the simple aim of producing the musicians of the future, we will have done our part… one teacher alone can’t change the world. But I am certain there is value in changing even a tiny part of it.’
