Curriculum Leader of Music at Northstowe Secondary College
In our 'My Work' series, we get to know the people who make Meridian Trust what it is, hearing from colleagues across our schools and central team about their roles, the projects they're leading, and the difference their work makes across the Trust. This time, we spoke with Ben Mulholland, Curriculum Leader of Music at Northstowe Secondary College (NSC) who shared how his work across the Trust encourages students to engage and enjoy music.
Ben, tell us about your role – what are you responsible for and what difference does your work make to the Trust?
I’m responsible for Music at Northstowe Secondary College (NSC) teaching Key Stage 3, GCSE, and A-Level Music. I oversee all our peripatetic lessons and staff, and I lead all our extra-curricular music clubs. I also arrange public concerts throughout the year for our students to perform at and I collaborate with other Performing Arts staff on our annual whole-school musical.
I’m a strong believer that everyone has the potential to be musical, and consequently I approach lessons with the achievement for all value firmly in mind. Whether students are already competent musicians or taking their first steps on their musical journey, a large part of my role involves encouraging students to be involved in music, nurturing their creativity and self-expression; ultimately helping them develop into the best musicians they can be!
I do this by encouraging all students to get involved in music, regardless of their ability. I write bespoke arrangements of pieces for students to perform in our extra-curricular clubs and in class, ensuring music is accessible and supportive of beginning music students while more able music students feel stimulated and appropriately challenged. The result is a music department built on inclusivity of a diverse range of musical talent.
While a huge amount of my work is done in lessons, a substantial part of my job takes place outside the classroom. By extending the boundaries of learning through leading extra-curricular clubs, arranging performances both in and out of school, encouraging uptake of peripatetic lessons and collaborating with other schools, I’ve seen how students’ engagement, enjoyment and enthusiasm for music changes from being a passing interest to considering music to be as important as oxygen (something I thoroughly agree with!).
Can you tell us about a stand-out moment for you at work?
It’s tricky to choose just one! The NSC Concert Band getting invited to perform at the prestigious Cambridge Jazz Festival was a real pinch-me moment. From starting the band from scratch with just three students when I joined the school, to seeing our students fill the stage and completely knock their performance out of the park, it was a hugely proud moment and an experience I hope stays with the students for many years to come.
I also have to mention MTJO, Meridian Trust Jazz Orchestra; a large instrumental ensemble made up of students from across the Trust who come together each year to perform at the annual Meridian Trust Arts Festival finale. I arrange all the parts and send them to students in advance, then we meet and rehearse during the day of the finale before performing in the evening. Audrey Caldwell (Trust Director for Performing Arts) initially encouraged me to start MTJO during my first year here. I’m delighted that it has gone from strength to strength, and has become a staple of the annual Arts Festival. Each year, I’m in awe of the standard of the student musicians involved and how much they continuously raise the bar.
The Arts Festival finale is always a special event, but last year’s event felt extra special. Performing in Northstowe’s then recently opened Sixth Form centre, MTJO combined with the Meridian Trust Choir plus a community choir as well as musicians from my own band Mulholland Jive to perform the opening number of the evening (a joyfully robust version of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In from the musical Hair). The consequent euphoric sound that filled the atrium was testament to the power of music through collaboration between different schools and community. It was a joy to be a part of.
Tell us about something you’re excited to work on at the moment.
With this year’s GCSE coursework and exams out of the way, the focus now turns to our end of term performances. As well as collaborating with staff and students from across the Trust at the aforementioned Meridian Trust Arts Festival finale on 8th July, we also have our own ‘Summer Spectacular’ music showcase on 15th July. This is a great way to mark the end of the school year, and it is also an opportunity to highlight the constantly growing number of talented musicians we now have in school. Seeing students playing instruments and singing on stage with increasing confidence and proficiency makes the many hours of after-school rehearsals, late nights arranging music and the Rubik’s Cube of events management all worth it!
What’s coming up for you in the future that you’re excited to work on?
We’ve just announced that the next NSC production will be A Christmas Carol. As this isn’t a musical, I’ve set myself the challenge of writing original songs and music to accompany the script. Despite that being a slightly daunting task, I’m really looking forward to composing music that I know our students will make sound fantastic! When I did my PGCE many years ago, the course was called ‘Musicians in Education’ and was based around the idea that students should see their music teacher as not only an educator, but also a musician who practises what they preach. This has stuck with me and played a big part in my teaching career. I’ve composed a lot of music for the NSC Concert Band and MTJO to perform previously, but this will be my first attempt at writing a musical! It’s exciting for me to try something new and hopefully it’s exciting and inspiring for students to learn and perform music written specifically for them.
In addition to this, the winners of the NSC’s first ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition won a slot performing at The Junction in Cambridge in September. It’s heartening to see how much music at NSC has grown over the last few years to the point that we had so many excellent bands participate in the competition. It will be an incredibly proud moment watching our phenomenally talented winners performing at such an iconic venue. After that, I’ll have to start planning the next event!
