Winners announced for Music & Drama Education Awards 2023

The winners of this year’s Music & Drama Education Awards have been announced, with community operas, healthcare-based music projects and inclusive theatremaking leading the way across all categories.  

The Music & Drama Education Awards celebrate the work of organisations, initiatives, charities, schools and individuals making innovative work and helping make music and drama education as inclusive, progressive and dynamic as possible.  

Collaborative projects performed particularly well at this year’s awards, with several musical organisations applauded for their work in the healthcare sector. Live Music Now’s pioneering Lullaby Project was given a high commendation in the Excellence in Primary/Early Years category, pairing new mothers with musicians to write a lullaby for their babies. Music for Good’s ‘Music Prescribed for Wellbeing in a GP Surgery’ won the Rocksteady Award for Progressive and Inclusive Music Education meanwhile, exciting the judges by bringing music into a space where it doesn’t usually belong. 

Schools and individual teachers and educators were championed for their commitment to students’ learning, engagement of previously disinterested pupils and development of inclusive projects, reaching out into the community to create music and theatre across boundaries. 

Awards were also given personally by the editors of Music Teacher and Drama & Theatre magazines directly, each to an individual or organisation of their choosing. Harriet Clifford, former editor of Music Teacher, gave her editor’s award to Stephen O’Regan, for the Ukraine Music Hub, an organisation set up to provide one-to-one music tuition to Ukrainians who have recently arrived in the UK. Drama & Theatre’s editor Freya Parr paid tribute to Vamos Theatre, the UK’s leading full mask theatre company, which has helped increase access to theatre, particularly for those with learning difficulties, sensory issues and audio impairments. 

The winners were announced at a live ceremony in London presented by Classic FM presenter Aled Jones.  

The winners were chosen from a pre-announced shortlist, with several organisations and initiatives given high commendations for their work.  

The jury was chaired by Harriet Richards and Freya Parr, editors of Music Teacher and Drama & Theatre magazines respectively, and was made up of a range of leading voices from the worlds of music and drama education. The music categories were judged by Rose Delcour-Min, education and equalities officer at the Musicians’ Union; Steven Bryant, head of music at 2022 Best Music Department winner Ullswater Community College; Hannah Fouracre, director of music education at Arts Council England; violinist and educator Mahaliah Edwards; and Rachel Hawker, director of education at Rocksteady Music School.

The drama judges joined them for the crossover categories, before taking over for the drama categories. The drama jury included James Clarke, head of drama at Twyford CofE School and 2022 Inspirational Teacher Award winner; education consultant and writer Patrice Baldwin; Steve Ball, chair of the Drama and Theatre Education Alliance; Alex Lipman, senior director of drama and music at 2022 Best Drama Department winner Claremont High School Academy; and Vishni Velada Billson, director of Open Court at the Royal Court Theatre.  

The full list of winners:  

Outstanding Musical Initiative 

Winner: Opera North, for Opera North Big Sing: The Water Diviner’s Tale 
Highly commended: Surrey Music Hub, for Music Connects 

Outstanding Music Education Resource  

Winner: Out of the Ark Music, for Sparkyard 

Excellence in SEND (Music & Drama) 

Winner: West Midlands Inclusive Choir 

Excellence in Musical Theatre 

Winner: Garsington Opera, for ‘Dalia’ 

Excellence in Primary/Early years (Music & Drama) 

Winner: Nate Holder, Helen MacGregor, and Collins Music, for ‘Listen and Celebrate’ 
Highly commended: Live Music Now, for Lullaby Project 

Outstanding School Music Department 

Winner: Nelson Primary School, Newham 
Highly commended: The Bourne Academy, Bournemouth 

Francesca Hanley Inspiration Award 

Winner: Rebecca Beavis 
Highly commended: Gillian Mott 

Instrumental/Vocal Teacher of the Year 

Winner: Daniel Johnston 

The Rocksteady Award for Progressive and Inclusive Music Education 

Winner: Music for Good, for 'Music Prescribed for Wellbeing in a GP surgery' project 

Drama Inspiration Award 

Winner: Nina Lemon 
Highly commended: Tommy Robinson 

Outstanding Drama Education Resource 

Winner: We Teach Drama, for ‘Think Like a Lighting Designer’ 

Outstanding Drama Initiative 

Winner: London Bubble Theatre, for ‘Playing Safe’ 

Outstanding School Drama Department 

Winner: St Mary’s College, Hull 

Lifetime Achievement Award 

Winner: Norton York 

Lifetime Achievement Memorial Prize

Winner: John Thomson  

Music Teacher Magazine Editor’s Award 

Winner: Stephen O’Regan, for the Ukraine Music Hub 

Drama & Theatre Magazine Editor’s Award 

Winner: Vamos Theatre 

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