Take a sneak peek at our 2024 Annual Conference programme!

With early bird tickets for our 2024 Annual Conference closing this week, we thought now would be a great time to share a sneak peek into the conference programme! Taking place at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham on the 18th and 19th November, this year’s conference will focus on sustainability in music education and explore the actions we should be taking as a sector. You’ll have to wait a few weeks for the full session titles and speakers, but here’s an outline of what we’ve got planned. 

Day One 

Join us on Monday for a day filled with whole conference sessions, starting with a thought-provoking keynote on positive approaches to the climate crisis to kick the day off. Later, there will be a participatory session where you can explore responses to the climate crisis and the different challenges the music education sector faces with colleagues. Of course, the first day of the conference will also include an exciting performance and the conference dinner, where we’ll announce the winners of our 2024 Music Mark Awards! 

Delegates are invited to arrive from 11am to familiarise themselves with the venue and meet the Music Mark team and other delegates. This is also a great chance to get a head start on visiting our exhibitors at a quieter time. There will be refreshments available and plenty of comfortable, quiet working spaces. The Music Mark team will be on hand to provide information about what to expect from the conference and answer questions. Everyone should feel comfortable and welcome at the conference. 

Day Two 

Tuesday is bound to be a busy day, and we hope you’ll be spoilt for choice when working out which sessions you want to attend! Alongside more performances and keynote speakers, we’ll have three sets of breakout sessions, each exploring a different area of sustainability. The first group of breakouts will discuss Sustainable Learning, followed by sessions on Sustainable Workforce and Organisations, and finally, Sustainable Practice and Research. Each theme has multiple breakout sessions exploring different areas within these topics, so there’s truly something for everyone throughout the day. 

And there’s more! 

Photo credits: Rachel Cherry

As well as this busy programme of keynote speeches and breakout sessions, there will be plenty of time on both days to explore the exhibition, which will be full of Industry Partners who can support your work, and time to network with colleagues. We’ll also be running a dedicated Sustainability stand, where you can come for advice or ideas on developing your environmental sustainability. And for those who attended our 2023 Annual Conference, you’ll be pleased to hear that we’re bringing back Exhibitor Bingo, where you can be in with the chance of winning a prize if you visit all our Exhibitor Stands! 

Tickets with accommodation have now sold out, but we have secured a limited number of rooms at the venue’s sister hotel, which you can book independently. Early bird tickets close on Sunday 15th September, so don’t hesitate to book your ticket now!