Fill in the survey now!

Alison Armstrong returns to the MTIIS podcast after 2 years (she featured in Episode 9) to let us know how things are progressing for her and her team at Tashkent International School, Uzbekistan and to ask for YOUR help with a project she is working on.

We know that designing a new music department space, completing renovations or getting things setup in a new school can be a difficult job. Often we don't know where to start or have trouble communicating our ideas to senior leadership and end up with sub-par spaces, resources and designs. Sometimes this is due to building standards or funding, but often it's due to a lack of information available to effectively communicate what we want!

So, Alison has developed a survey to help gather data and create a resource for the community!

She is looking for international school teachers working with students between the ages of 11-16 and with an interest in using breakout practice rooms during general music classes.

If this is YOU, please listen to the episode on then complete the survey below to help Alison create an incredible resource!

⁠Fill in the survey now!⁠

Get in touch with Alison:

Links and resources from this episode:

Thank you to the episode sponsor Trinity College London.

It can sometimes be tricky to navigate the world of music exams for international school students - but Trinity College London love to help make this whole process a lot easier!

Trinity works worldwide to support the music education of hundreds of thousands of students with assessments across a wide spectrum of styles, including Classical, Jazz, Rock & Pop and theory of music. 

If you’re looking for music exams for your students that are super flexible, learner-centred and come with plenty of local on-the-ground support, then Trinity College London could be the perfect option for your international school setting.

Trinity is kindly giving away their ‘Bitesize Theory’ eBook to the MTIIS community! To get your free copy, usually valued at 9GBP, head to https://resources.trinitycollege.com/mtiis

Adam Ockelford is Professor of Music and Director of the Applied Music Research Centre at the University of Roehampton, London. Adam and his colleagues developed the Sound Of Intent framework, a model of musical development that sets out how we all engage with music, from children in the early years to older people with dementia, from those with profound learning difficulties who are still learning to process sound, to others who are regarded as advanced musicians in their culture.

I was introduced to Adam via Anna Gower (you can listen to Anna's MTIIS podcast episode here), an international school music teacher in Bangkok who recently completed a self-directed course looking at the Sound Of Intent framework. Anna raved about the framework, the course, and Adam's approach and knowledge. We knew we had to get Adam on the show if possible!

Many of us may have had some piece-meal training in special education needs, and often it is quite general and unrelated to the music classroom. This is your chance to hear from one of the world's foremost experts in this area!

In this episode, we explore:

There is so much for everyone in this episode! A massive thank you to Adam for sharing his knowledge and expertise with our community 👏🏻

PLEASE check out all of the links below

Get in touch with Adam:

Links and resources from this episode:

Desta Olds is a Performing Arts Teacher at the International School of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Desta joins the long list of cellists that we've had on the MTIIS podcast - this is purely a coincidence of course 😅!

Originally from the USA, Desta worked in South Korea and Hong Kong before joining ISPP a few years ago. Desta came to the recent Big Gig Japan (hosted by Canadian Academy Kobe and delivered by the team at Musical Futures International and MTIIS) and was such a vibe! She was a fantastic presence at the event and we wanted you all to meet her as well!

In this episode, we explore:

A mega thanks to Desta for sharing her insights in this episode! See below for lots of links and ideas, including Desta's amazing blog chronically her international school music teaching journey so far.

Get in touch with Desta:

Links and resources from this episode:

Thank you to the episode sponsor Trinity College London. It can sometimes be tricky to navigate the world of music exams for international school students - but Trinity College London love to help make this whole process a lot easier!

Trinity works worldwide to support the music education of hundreds of thousands of students with assessments across a wide spectrum of styles, including Classical, Jazz, Rock & Pop and theory of music. 

If you’re looking for music exams for your students that are super flexible, learner-centred and come with plenty of local on-the-ground support, then Trinity College London could be the perfect option for your international school setting. 

As you can see in the image above, Trinity is kindly giving away their ‘Bitesize Theory’ eBook to the MTIIS community! To get your free copy, usually valued at 9GBP, head to ⁠https://resources.trinitycollege.com/mtiis⁠

Asta Hodgson is the Head of Music at Prince of Wales Island International School in Penang, Malaysia.

Beginning with her formal music training as a cellist, and subsequent music teacher training focusing on Dalcroze, Asta then completed a dissertation looking at how entrainment interventions impact prosocial behaviours in early years children. This is such a cool study! Asta has so many practical and strategic ideas for how to integrate Dalcroze, strings and play-based music learning together.

In this episode, we explore:

A massive thanks to Asta for sharing her insights and providing some valuable challenges and inspo for the community. Get in touch with Asta or grab some links to resources mentioned in the episode below.

Get in touch with Asta:

Links and resources from this episode:

Teaching Resources:

Dalcroze Societies:

Further Reading:

Other links:

Kerry Wickersham is an Apple Distinguished Educator and the Head of Music and CAS Coordinator at Sotogrande International School in Spain.

He has spent 20 years in Spain and has developed some incredible opportunities for his students. In fact, as you'll find out in this episode, many of these opportunities have been led by his students.

In this episode, we explore:

Please take a minute to check out the links below! Some amazing resources and inspiration for your events!

Get in touch with Kerry:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerry-j-wickersham-9167592a1/

Links and resources from this episode:

El Cañuelo - songwriting trip and playlist

Building the Sotorox stage + setting up the event

This is Sotorox! video

The Coalition To Honour All Learning website

EPISODE SPONSOR:
This episode is brought to you by AIM - the Australian Institute of Music. AIM is Australia's first, and only creative institute entirely dedicated to music. AIM has more than 50 years of experience in the industry, empowering over 6,000 artists, and teaching them the tools and knowledge to hone their skills and find their place in the music world.

We often get asked by international school music teachers for fantastic institutions for further study for students, especially in the wider Asian region. Instead of having students go to the US or UK to study Western music, many students are now opting for AIM due to timezone similarities and the epic lifestyle of cities like Melbourne and Sydney.

If you have students who are looking to study diploma, bachelor’s, or master’s degree courses in classical or contemporary music performance, composition, creative technology, musical theatre, or arts and entertainment management, then AIM is a brilliant option. You can find everything you need at https://aim.edu.au

"I had to revisit my philosophy...I had to rewire my brain"

Anastasia Mousouli was trained to sing and play the flute in a rigid and formal setting. It allowed her to become a professional flute player and perform in some incredible contexts. However, as Anastasia entered the international school music classroom, it became clear that some considerable unlearning might need to happen to provide access to music and support as many students as possible. What ensued was a period of incredible growth, transformation, and new experiences in just about every educational setting. Anastasia has taught early years, elementary, middle school, high school, tertiary, band, choir and El Sistema. 

She's now based at Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona and teaches early years and elementary/middle school choir.

In this episode, we explore:

Anastasia is such a passionate educator who epitomises what it means to transform one's practice to help better support student learning. We hope you enjoy this episode!

Get in touch with Anastasia:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anastasia-mousouli-86916131/

Links and resources from this episode:

International School Brussels: https://www.isb.be

North Western - Master of Music Education degree: https://www.music.northwestern.edu/academics/degrees/mm/music-education

Kindermusik: https://www.kindermusik.com

Musik Garten: https://www.musikgarten.org

Internationally small schools by ECIS: https://ecis.org/intentionally-small-schools/

UDL (mentioned in the list of professional learning experiences): https://www.understood.org/en/articles/universal-design-for-learning-what-it-is-and-how-it-works

This episode is brought to you by AIM - the Australian Institute of Music.

Jeff Tollefson is the Fine Arts Director at Colegio Menor Quito in Ecuador.

I first heard about Jeff during my interview with Jefferson Aranda for Episode 17 of the MTIIS podcast. Jefferson spoke super highly of Jeff and referred to his mentorship numerous times during the conversation. So, after a few back and forth messages via LinkedIn, it became clear that it would be a great idea to speak with Jeff about his work and life in Ecuador. 

Jeff provides a bounty of ideas and insights and demonstrates an example of what it means to relearn, unlearn and self-reflect as an international school music teacher. Jeff has found a sense of place in his role and epitomises the incredible reflexivity that we find in many long term international school-based music teachers.

In this episode, we explore:

Please enjoy this wide-ranging and inspiring interview with a wonderfully experienced member of our international school music teaching community.

Get in touch with Jeff:

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-tollefson-66562548/

Links and resources from this episode:

More info about Jay Byron - https://louisville.edu/music/academics/areas-of-study/jazz/past-events/2015-jazz-fest/jay-byron-trumpeter

Chris McLeay didn't really start getting 'into' music until his twenties.

Music became an expressive outlet and tool for personal growth for Chris. 

After completing a music education degree, some time spent working with a powerful Musical Futures program in South Melbourne (Australia), and multiple other music ed projects, Chris moved into the role of Primary Music Teacher at Discovery College, Hong Kong.

In this episode, we explore:

Chris is such a fun guy. Seriously, when you hang out with the dude you can't help but laughing and joking most of the time! Chris is also a keen hiker and took me on a beautiful hike in HK when we were together in November 2023 - all avid hikers/trail runners should definitely add HK to their travel bucket list! 

We hope you enjoy this wide-ranging and enlightening episode.

Get in touch with Chris:

Email: [email protected]

Links and resources from this episode:

Ta-Da!!! Music - FREE online sing-alongs made by Chris: 
Full channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Ta-Da-cq3hx

Featured Songs:
- Build It Up - https://youtu.be/flbYa5_j-dY?si=jNHOR6Cd1hNidIJ0
- I'm a Little Robot - https://youtu.be/9Mo8Bml5rsE?si=684rjIfm1mLH5qAz
- Evergreen Desiduous - https://youtu.be/rqJG2ENqH3M?si=83q6xMjxxkkH705U

'ESF (English Schools Foundation) Schools' - 22 international school in HK: https://www.esf.edu.hk 

'What comes before phonics' book: https://www.amazon.in/comes-before-phonics-Sally-Neaum/dp/1529742250

Planbook - planning tool: https://planbook.com

Future AdHD - specific ADHD Planner: https://futureadhd.com

Musical Futures International: https://www.musicalfuturesinternational.org

Learn more about MTIIS here: https://mtiis.co

Rebecca Wade-Chung is the current MYP/DP Music Teacher and the MYP Music Subject Coordinator at the International School of The Hague in the Netherlands.

I met Rebecca through MTIIS regular contributor, Samuel Wright, and knew a podcast conversation was on the cards. 

Rebecca epitomises the evolution of an international school music teacher. Starting out as a pure string orchestra teacher, Rebecca then discovered the power of the MYP music during her time at Atlanta International School in the USA. Her time in this role was the catalyst for a large portion of this conversation, where Rebecca discusses the overall concept of international schooling in the USA, plus much more!

In this episode we explore:

Please enjoy this wide ranging conversation and be sure to check out the links that Rebecca has kindly shared below.

Get in touch with Rebecca:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-wade-chung-540728244/

Links and resources from this episode:

For more info on the images unit, please check out Samuel Wright's book MYP Music Year 4&5 from Hodder Education at: Tinyurl.com/MusicMYPbook

Link to a composition example from the 'Do images have sound?' unit:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rebecca-wade-chung-540728244_musiccomposition-ibmyp-musescore-activity-7138844184626491393-Dh4j?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

For more info on the Atlanta Tiny Doors Project, please see the following link: https://tinydoorsatl.com/

An MYP 3 example of a Middle School Ensemble based Unit task: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_angJpIK7GhFlTxW2QaFKjgBvluMQKvK/view?usp=drive_link

Also, here's a cool reflection assignment that the kids can do which is also middle school based but can easily be adjusted and upskilled for Senior High school students: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WxWdG9ymEnGeTc3ZyvxuSTuveXoc4LFm/view?usp=drive_link

EPISODE SPONSOR:
This episode is brought to you by the Unviersity of Warwick's new PGCEi iQTS program that now includes the perfect qualification to help music educators prepare to find the position of their dreams in an international school. Learn more here: https://warwick.ac.uk/cte

w/ Callahan Davenport, Adam Gaensler, Lana Skrgatic & Dylan Norcross

In this second instalment of recordings from the AMIS Music Educators' Conference in Zagreb in November 2023, I speak with 4 international school music teachers:

Each interviewee brings a super unique perspective to two central questions:

Enjoy!