Meet our This Is Not A Rehearsal Steering Group

This Is Not A Rehearsal is Music Mark’s newest campaign launching on Earth Day, 22nd April 2024. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the Climate Crisis within the Music Education sector and give you the tools and knowledge to make sustainable changes that help protect our planet. To ensure the campaign is relevant to our members and the sector, we have set up a steering group to help guide our work. Read on to find out who each member is, and why they wanted to get involved!

Music Mark is at the start of its sustainable journey, and we’d like you to join us. Click here to sign up for the This Is Not A Rehearsal newsletter that will delve into a different sustainable topic each month.

Meet the Steering Group

Dan Somogyi

My name’s Dan Somogyi. I head up SoundStorm, lead partner of the BCP Music Hub, serving the second biggest conurbation in the South West, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. We work with over 100 schools and 50 strategic and delivery partners in our Hub. SoundStorm celebrated its 20^th birthday in 2022 and, scarily, I’ve been here from the start. I’m also a composer and recording musician myself, when I get the chance. One of the bands I play in, Far Flung Collective, grew out of an education project looking at common challenges of coastal communities in the Scottish Outer Hebrides and southern England, including the impact of climate change.

The climate emergency is here and an increasingly existential concern for us all. The people it will impact most, of course, are today’s young people, including my children, though we’re all feeling and seeing its impact already. I think music hubs can make small, positive steps to reduce their environmental footprint. But, perhaps more importantly, music can potentially give voice to the growing concerns of the younger generation and potentially have a significant impact in lobbying, pressuring and calling out the politicians who should be doing much more than they are at present – and also those businesses and private individuals who continue to pollute our environment. Hence me joining this group. It needs to be a long-term project which begins now.

Sharon Jagdev Powell

My name is Sharon Jagdev Powell and I am the Interim Head of Leicestershire Music. I am delighted to be part of this steering group as I believe everyone has a responsibility to work towards a more sustainable society to address the Climate Crisis in the  Music Education sector and beyond.

Together, it is vital that we raise awareness about environmental issues, incorporate sustainable practices and promote eco-friendly initiatives. Music education can play a significant role in this and by empowering the voice of our Young People we can highlight the importance of conservation and reducing carbon footprints. I hope that by being part of this steering group I can support the next generation to make sustainable choices in their musical practices and everyday lives.

Hannah Mears-Young

I work at the English Folk Dance and Song Society as Programme Manager for the National Youth Folk Ensemble.

The climate crisis is something that is so prevalent in all of our lives and most importantly in the lives of the young people we work with. We want to be able to continue showing our young people that we are listening to them and that we want there to be tangible change in our work. We feel one of the most practical ways of doing this is by working together and for the greater good which is what drew me to the steering group. I’m excited to be able to continue to give our young people a voice and platform on which they can express their concerns and anxieties whilst we strive for real widespread change and development on climate policies within our sector.

Helen Mead

I’m Helen Mead and I work for Portsmouth Music Hub as their inclusion lead as well as teaching SEND, Primary curriculum and WCET.  I also work in a primary school in Winchester for a day a week and lecture in primary music at Winchester University.

I’ve joined the steering group as I am passionate about engaging young people and our workforce with environmental issues. I feel that a positive engagement with the environment and a solutions-based approach is what is needed. Even the smallest changes are steps in the right direction!

David Francis

I lead Music Partnership North – the Music Hub for Northumberland and Newcastle.

In my non-work life, I’m also a campaigner/activist and elected councillor with a focus on environmental and social justice. I’ve joined the steering group in order to learn from colleagues and young people about how we best re-imagine music education and opportunities to ensure that they’re accessible to all, whilst living up to our commitment to a net-zero future.

Ruth Roberts

My name is Ruth Roberts and I am the Senior Lead (Operations) at Kent Music.

I have joined the This Is Not A Rehearsal steering group as I am very interested in sustainability and am keen to work with MusicMark and colleagues from other music hubs to explore how we can reduce the carbon footprint of our collective operations and how we can raise awareness of the climate crisis among our students and customers.

Pili Araujo Lopez

I work at Dorset Music Hub as a Music Area Leader and Inclusion Project Manager. Unfortunately, I don’t spend a lot of time with children and young people anymore, I mostly work through partnerships with schools, charities, freelancers and other organisations who share our vision which is To build an inclusive music education culture where all children and young people are valued and where they can see their hub providing a range of diverse and relevant musical opportunities and progression pathways.

I have been a community advocate for sustainability and creating a more human planet for many years, both in Spain and the UK, last year for example I was a Climate Justice Oxfam campaigner at WOMAD. I believe that the music education sector has a role in motivating and encouraging the younger generation to speak out and take creative action on the Climate Crisis.

Helen Cordina

As Operations Manager at Orchestras for All, I have been working to raise awareness of the role our charity can play in becoming more sustainable. I facilitate a Green Committee that brings together members of our Youth Board, Trustees and management team to feed expertise and accountability into our environmental management processes. I have joined the steering group to collaborate with and learn from others to advocate for inclusive and impactful solutions to the Climate Crisis in Music Education.

Zoe Bizicki

Currently, I volunteer at UK Youth Climate Coalition on the Communications Working Group. I’m working remotely while living in Nicaragua, with my responsibilities including graphic design, social media management, and contributing to our campaigns. I joined the steering group because I am extremely passionate about both music and climate change, so was interested to be involved in a meaningful project at the intersection of the two. I want to be as involved with the climate justice movement as possible and help steer it in the direction it needs to go.

Danya Jayasinghe Rushton

We all need to be concerned about climate crisis as it affects all of us. As a student pursuing the goal of becoming a professional musician, I wanted to join the This Is Not A Rehearsal steering group to help transform music education and address the climate crisis, which significantly impacts our environment and future. I hope that by working together we can bring about change and come up with ideas and strategies to support inclusive and sustainable learning for everyone, as well as creating a greener future.