Suffolk Music Hub Steering Group meets once every term to discuss various topics relating to the day-to-day running and ideas of Suffolk County Music Service.
The group currently consists of 11 members, some of which work for Suffolk County Council and some of which work for other local schools and external Arts organisations.
Meet the Steering Group members
Genevieve Christie - Steering Group Co-Chair - First Light Festival
Photo and bio to follow
Aly Tipping - Steering Group Co-Chair - First Light Festival
A Northerner at heart, Aly grew up loving music, playing the violin and singing. She was part of her local county music service string ensemble and orchestra, getting to travel to Italy and Paris with them; it’s only now, looking back, she realises what a lasting impression those experiences have.
She moved to Suffolk in 2008, and after completing a degree at University of Suffolk she has predominantly worked in the arts sector with organisations including: DanceEast, Eastern Angles Theatre Company, FlipSide and East Suffolk Council. In 2023 she returned to freelancing where her current clients include First Light Festival CIC and Thomas Wolsey 550 CIC.
Since 2021 she's been a governor at Handford Hall Primary School, specialising in SEND, and she has previously been a governor at Springfield Junior School, and a trustee of the Suffolk Book League and Wonderful Beast Theatre Company.
She currently lives in Ipswich with her husband & two children, plus their growing menagerie of pets including 80,000 bees! Honey! Yum!
Benjamin Chadwick - Head of Suffolk County Music Service
Photo and bio to follow
Anita Abram - Systems Lead Officer for Children and Young People (SCC)
Anita Abram has worked in early education and childcare since 1995, in the private and community sector and for Suffolk County Council since 1999. She has experience in early education and children’s services in various roles at the council, and as a Suffolk UK based arts charity director (The Curwen Print Study Centre) from 2017 to date.
Anita said, “My role is to focus the Board’s ambitions so:
- every pre-school child in Suffolk has opportunities to access high quality music provision in their early years setting;
- early years practitioners develop their skills with relevant training and support; and
- parent/carers are signposted to resources to encourage their child’s musical interests in the community and at home.”
Anita is also an independent musician, illustrator, image creator, radio presenter and founder of Every Bird Records CIC. This newly created community interest company aims to support female (and female identifying musicians) to publish, perform and produce their own music to high quality standards. Anita records under the Every Bird Record CIC Label.
Her background in early years, activism and music brings valuable artistic expertise to the Suffolk Music Hub Steering Board.
Caro Barnfield - Britten Pears Arts
Following on from Music College in her native Germany, Caro Barnfield moved to the UK to take up a role running Masterclasses at the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme at what was then Aldeburgh Productions (now Britten Pears Arts).
She has since held positions at the London Symphony Orchestra, the Barbican and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and returned to Suffolk and Britten Pears Arts ten years ago.
She is the Director, Music Programme working strategic planning across Performance, Artist Development, Community and Creative Health.
Mark Bennett - Head of Performance Partnership & Development for Children and Young People (SCC)
I work in the Education Skills and Learning Team in Suffolk County Council.
A teacher by trade, my current role allows me the privilege of working with school leaders in LA maintained schools across Suffolk and also with CEOs of trusts in Suffolk on strategic and collaborative approaches to improving outcomes for all our children and young people.
I cannot match the musical connections of other steering group members, but I did play bass in a band many years ago called Voodoozooloo.
Lois Hinsley - Suffolk One
Photo and bio to follow
Wendy James - Sidegate Primary School and Suffolk Music and Arts Alumni Trust (SMART)
I am the Executive Headteacher of Sidegate Primary School. We work closely with the County Music Service to provide a rich music curriculum for our pupils, this includes Whole Class Ensemble Teaching and group tuition for a range of instruments. I am also a trustee with SMART (Suffolk Music & Arts Alumni Trust), a charity that provides grant and scholarship funding to enable young people in Suffolk to access the arts. My daughter benefited hugely from membership of CMS youth ensembles and this has led to a successful career in arts management.
Clare Lewis - Business Support Co-ordinator, Suffolk County Music Service
Music and the arts have always been my passion and I left school at the age of 18 and started to work for Suffolk County Council - initially as a temp for a year in the Student Support and Community Education departments at the old County Hall in Ipswich.
I always wanted to work in Arts Administration and after a year, my dream job came up at Suffolk County Music Service, working in their admin team - being able to combine my love of music with administration and getting music to young people. Taking a gamble, as this was initially only a one year temporary contract, I was successful in gaining the job, and of course accepted.
21 years later I am still working in the Business Support Team at Suffolk County Music Service and love it!
Outside of work I am also an active musician in Suffolk and am regularly seen playing Flute, Clarinet and Saxophone in local pit orchestras and am a permanent member of the Saxophone section of the Ipswich Musicians Union Big Band.
Ray Travasso - Suffolk Music Therapy Services
Ray Travasso is a music therapist and has been working in children’s and adult services for over 20 years. He trained at the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre, London and graduated with a masters in music therapy in 2002. He has a background in paediatric and adult palliative care and currently works part-time as a music therapist at The Treehouse, East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices, Ipswich, Suffolk.
He is also Director and co-founder of Suffolk Music Therapy Services, an organisation that provides music therapy to children and adults across East Anglia. He is a regular speaker and has presented at national and international conferences. He is also a guest lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge) and has taught Masters students at Nordoff-Robbins (Edinburgh, Manchester and London).
Ben Ward - Don't Try Music
I started my journey in music as an artist - playing shows around the world, headlining stages at Reading Festival and SXSW, and saw my work championed by everyone from BBC Radio 1 to KEXP. I helped found Don't Try to build on what had become a lifetime of industry experience. Initially existing as a DIY label, we now offer our expertise to other artists through our agency, alongside running our own producer/mixer management roster. In the time since we have worked with over 150 acts and gone on to manage Grammy Award and Mercury Prize winning talent. Some clients are signed with major labels; others are just starting out on their own. Regardless, the ethos is to help them navigate a rapidly changing industry and meaningfully grow their careers.
