On 28-29 November we were delighted to welcome over 150 teachers from Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea and China to our second Music Teacher Conference in Kuala Lumpur! It was an action-packed event, with two keynotes and 20 practical sessions for teachers to choose from, all delivered by experts from the music education world.

The first Keynote “Teacher as Leader” was delivered by ABRSM Chief Examiner, John Holmes. This encouraged teachers to reflect on aspects of leadership in their own working practice, which include: having influence, taking responsibility, empowering others, and inspiring people. The second Keynote “Musicians and Self-care” was presented by Music Therapist, Dr Indra V. Selvarajah. This presentation highlighted the need for teachers to look after their own physical, mental and artistic health, as well as being sympathetic to these issues among their own students. The second part of the keynote highlighted their wider value as music educators and their importance in society as a whole.

“The idea of this conference is to provide an annual end-of-year get together and refresher for music teachers. Given the isolated nature of our working practice, it is a great opportunity to spend time together, make new acquaintances, share ideas and collectively learn from one another. Most importantly, it is a chance to benefit from a whole range of insightful and interactive sessions, all designed to help expand your teaching toolkit and encourage you to reflect further on your practice.” Ryan Lewis, ABRSM South & East Asia Regional Consultant.

Thank you to all our presenters for your wonderful sessions and significant contribution: John Holmes, Dr Indra V. Selvarajah, Chi Hoe Mak, Susanna Saw, Loo Bang Hean, Carolyn Lo, Jerison Harper Lee, Datin’ Kathryn Ang, Dr Andrew Filmer, Mabel Wong, Robin Lee, and Tay Cher Siang.

Finally, thank you to all the keen and enthusiastic teachers who attended this special event and look out for details of our 2020 programme, including another Music Teacher Conference! www.abrsm.org/teacher-support

Look out for more photos on our Facebook page soon.