w/ Liam Callan.

In November 2022, I attended the AMIS Music Educators' conference to present the keynote address. I encouraged the audience to think about their journey to international school music teaching and to reflect on the unique stories that we each bring. We all come to music education from a variety of angles and inevitably this feeds directly into how we teach our students.

Liam came up to speak with me straight after the keynote. He began to share a little of his story and it got my attention immediately!

That's because Liam is one of the few international school music teachers I've met that identifies as a Third Culture Kid (TCK). There is plenty of research into TCK's, including the seminal work by Van Reken, Pollock & Pollock (2010), and Liam and I explore what this means to him. This is truly fascinating!

The conversation then turns to how Liam is approaching music education from this lens. Having grown up in American international schooling models around the world, Liam finds himself at the crossroads between traditional US-style band-based programs and the student-centred approach of the IBDP. Drawing on his current context of Hong Kong, Liam consciously taps into his students interests in music production, luthiering, C-pop & J-pop, but also creates space to build a jazz-centred school band. Liam uses a 'music as paint' analogy to provide a rationale for centring his curriculum in jazz harmony. This was cool food-for-thought!

This episode will delight all music educators who are looking for some fresh perspective. Liam is eloquent, fun and a genuinely nice bloke. He is clearly passionate about what he does, but carries a layer of humility and self-reflection to each of his ideas. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

Learn more about Liam's work by visiting his website: http://www.liamcallanmusic.com

Jump on our website: https://mtiis.co for more information about this organisation or visit https://chriskoelma.com to get in touch with me!

This episode was recorded live at the FOBISIA Music Teachers' Conference at Bangkok Prep International School, Thailand. 

I speak with three wonderful music educators currently working in international schools in the Asian region.   Delphine Hastwell is the head of infants music at Tanglin Trust School, Singapore where she has worked for 20 years! In her time, Delphine has witnessed some amazing changes to her school, the music curriculum and her surroundings.   Emma Jones has worked at Dover Court International School, Singapore for 4 years and has made it through a turbulent time with COVID restrictions. Emma's answer to my favourite question: "what makes a 'good' International school music teacher" is brilliant - you have to hear it!   Tara Berryman has just started her 2nd year teaching at Regents International School, Bangkok. Tara surprises us all with her intimate connection to international schooling, not only as a teacher, but throughout her childhood as well. Tara provides fresh insights into what it means to teach music in an international school for those who are new to their role.  

This is the first time that we've taken the MTIIS podcast on the road and it was great fun. 

A special thank you to the team at Bangkok Prep International School for providing space for this discussion.  

To join our community, visit: https://mtiis.co

This episode is dedicated to exploring musical theatre in international schools. 

I speak with John Prignano, the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Development & Education at MTI (Music Theatre International) - https://www.mtishows.com

John was a professional broadway dancer before beginning at MTI and knows a thing or two about musical theatre education! MTI is known as one of the leading organisations for licensing musicals to international schools. Their resources are spectacular and their support is second to none. 

John and I discuss the role of musical theatre in International schools and dig deep into the power of developing a strong program at your school. We explore some of the resources available through MTI and also the best ways for international school teachers to find support with producing shows. This is an episode not to be missed for international school music teachers looking to build their musical theatre programs!

International school music teachers should reach out to Adam Deremer for any questions about show licensing, school accounts etc. Adam can be reached at: [email protected]

For all other info about what MTI offers, please visit: https://www.mtishows.com

Alison Armstrong has worked as a music educator in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Switzerland, Laos, Thailand and now Uzbekistan. 

Drawing on influences from all of these experiences, Alison represents a new wave of international school music educator. Unconstrained by tradition, Alison delves into the experiences of her students to create music programs that are truly communal.  In this episode, we explore the ways that Alison's personal reflexivity around her own music learning has informed her approach to music education pedagogy. 

Alison recounts her various experiences in international schools to draw a thread to show how tapping into student interests and cultural contexts creates incredibly powerful musical communities. I particularly loved her description of "the jam"! You'll have to listen to find out what that is all about. 

Using music technology, hybrid ensemble work, culturally diverse music styles and an "album club" all feature in this episode! It's a fun one.  

Alison is most active on twitter: @alisonmusicblog

Listen to more episodes at: https://mtiis.co

Andy Gleadhill is well-known on the international school music education scene, especially in the Middle East and Asia. Andy has worked with hundreds of international school music teachers over the years, specifically in the area of culturally unique styles of music focusing on drumming and percussion. He has produced books and resources to support teachers and presents workshops and speaks at conferences around the world.   

In this episode, Andy begins by sharing some crazy stories about how he traveled the world to learn a diverse range of musical styles. Andy then explores how he got involved with working in international schools and discusses his approach to teaching 'world' percussion styles. This launches us in to an exploration of the debated concept of "world music" where Andy gives the listeners some wonderful food for thought for how to approach this idea in the international school music education context. We then pivot to Andy's latest project looking at how music can impact student wellbeing. Andy provides a rationale for why international school music teachers should think about music and wellbeing and provides some fantastic practical ideas for how to engage with students on this.  Andy loves working with international schools and shares ways that we can get him on board in our schools.  

Book Andy to come to your school and learn more about Andy's work here:  

Website: http://www.andygleadhill.co.uk 

Shayok Banerjee is an enthusiastic and innovative international school music educator from India. Shayok began learning the Hindusthani classical music tradition (vocals) before delving into a range of Western styles in his teens. After forming various fusion bands and groups, and after working as a professional musician in a range of contexts, Shayok then began on a path towards teaching the IB. Shayok became enamoured by this fresh approach to music education and hasn't looked back! He now specialises in teaching IB music from a unique perspective that draws on his understanding of musical fusion, music technology and music production techniques.  

In this episode we discuss Shayok's journey to international school teaching, we learn some useful terminology around Indian Classical Music (including some important context about how it is learnt), we hear Shayok perform some examples of Indian/Western fusion, and get some pro tips for how to include simple music tech tools (looping, Cubase and Bandlab) and Indian classical ideas into our lessons. Topics such as improvisation, jamming and chord identification all come to the surface!  

Shayok loves to share his ideas and can be contacted via the following channels: 

Website: https://shayok.myportfolio.com

Links to other content referenced in this episode:

I began offering Rockschool (RSL Awards) exams for my international school students when I couldn't find options for them via more traditional examination routes. Using RSL Awards resources were a brilliant way of incorporating a contemporary approach into a school culture where music exams were placed on a pedestal.  

In this episode, I speak with Rockie Siew about his experience working with international schools in Malaysia and Brunei. We speak about his background as a musician/teacher and how he began working to encourage international school music teachers to adopt RSL Awards resources. The conversation then turns to a deep dive into what RSL Awards can offer international school music teachers with Alistair Platt who is the current Director of Business Development at RSL Awards. This part of the discussion includes exploring new innovations to music examinations that can impact the entire creative and performing arts departments in international schools!    

Rockie and Alistair are keen advocates for pop and rock music education and are excited about where international school music departments are heading with their music provision!  

Get in touch with them both via social media channels or the RSL Awards website here:  https://www.rslawards.com 

Other contact options: 

RSL Awards International email address: [email protected] 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rslawards/

Alistair - https://www.linkedin.com/in/alistair-platt-3544a4/

Rockie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rockie-siew-794569118/

Twitter: Search for RSL Awards in your region 

Facebook: same as above!  

Links to content in this episode: RSL Learning Platform: https://www.rslawards.com/rsl-learning-platform/ 

Listen to more podcast episodes and sign up to our community platform via our website: https://mtiis.com/

Simon Green is the current Head of Secondary Music and Catherine Frisbie is the current Head of Primary Music at Bangkok Prep. I had the privilege of sitting down with both of them to discuss the upcoming FOBISIA Music Teachers' Conference on November 24th and 25th, 2022.  

We begin by learning a bit about the unique journeys to international school music teaching that Simon and Catherine have experienced. We then attempt to answer one of my favourite questions: 'what does it mean to be a 'good' international schools music teacher?'  The conversation then moves on to an exploration of the the exciting conference! Simon and Catherine share some insight around what participants can expect from the conference, some of the key workshops being offered and how you can get involved.  

This is an inspiring short episode for those interested in building networks and delving into ideas around the power of collaboration in the international school music teaching context.  

Learn more about the FOBISIA Music Teachers Conference: https://www.fobisia.org/conferences/music-teachers-conference 

Get in touch with Simon or Catherine via the Bangkok Prep website: https://www.bangkokprep.ac.th

Listen to more episodes and connect with like-minded music educators: https://mtiis.com

William Thompson is Director of Education with Chamberlain Music. He is an experienced music educator who is one of those people that all international school music teachers should know. His understanding of curriculum, pedagogy and music education philosophy informs every element of his work in his current role as a consultant. 

William works with international school music teachers from around the world to help them design and build world-class and truly effective music education spaces, including classrooms, practise rooms, recording studios, recital halls, concert halls, and theatres. He also specialises in setting up networked Apple-based music tech solutions in schools.  William's approach is all about building connections within the international school music ed community. I met William over 10 years ago and in that time I've been able draw on his expertise and advice multiple times - it saved me (my school) time, money and headaches!  

In this episode, William shares some brilliant advice for international school music teachers who are looking for help with designing music ed spaces. He shares his 3 top tips for those interested in setting up a recording space and also shares some crazy stories from his past projects.  

Chamberlain Music is very happy to deal direct with school enquiries about the supply of equipment and instruments - they ship orders to most continents. They also supply many local distributors in countries across the world, and schools may prefer to use this route to access their products. Whichever way a school prefers to source equipment, Chamberlain Music is happy to provide advice and support. Contact William for more information on the best solution for your school.  

Get in touch with William:

Listen to more podcast episodes via our website: https://mtiis.com/

In this special bonus episode, Keith Montgomery and I begin by discussing his background as a international school music educator. Originally from the Pacific North-West of the USA, Keith worked in Egypt for 13 years and London for 13 years. He has some great stories! Keith is now the Executive Director of the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS), an organisation that provides a network of support for music programs in international schools all over the globe through the presentation of professional conferences, academic workshops, and ensemble festivals.

Keith and I discuss the upcoming AMIS Music Educators' Conference in detail. This year, the conference is being hosted by the American School of The Hague on the 12th and 13th November.

Keith outlines the vision of the conference, as well as what participants can expect from the 50+ workshops on offer!

This is more than just a pitch for the conference. We dig into what it means to be an international school music educator and how we can find connection and identity through collaboration in our global community. If you're able to get to Europe in November, do consider joining the party!