The Folk Educators Group is the national networking group for folk arts educators from across England and beyond. Established by the English Folk Dance and Song Society in 2011, the Group is a growing network committed to promoting high quality folk arts education and supporting the practitioners who deliver it.
It exists to provide peer information and support, and to encourage dialogue with the wider worlds of culture, learning and participation. The Folk Educators Group also offers other organisations a platform through which to consult, or inform, a committed group of folk arts educators.
The Folk Educators Group is for all practitioners involved in folk arts education in any context including those working in schools, with youth groups, in adult learning and/or community settings. Although aimed at folk arts educators in England, practitioners from across the UK and beyond are welcome to join.
I'm very impressed by the strength and breadth of knowledge shown by the many passionate, talented and dedicated folk music practitioners. It feels like, while there may be challenges ahead for traditional education, there are many great educators ready to take things on board!
Pete Taylor, Singing Project Coordinator, Sheffield Music Hub
Folk Education Development Days
We run three FREE Folk Education Development Days a year. These are dedicated full-day events packed with professional development opportunities, information sharing and networking. They take place at different locations around the country and are for anyone who is working in or interested in folk arts learning and participation.
Details will be available in due course
The most recent Folk Education Development Day took place Online (via Zoom) on Friday 13 November.
Theme: Inclusive Folk Arts and Disability
The Folk Education Development Day Online was a free informal conference for anyone involved or interested in the folk arts (music, song, dance, storytelling, visual and digital art, and craft). It was for people working across generations, both formally and informally in community, school, museum or other settings.
Speakers for the day included:
- Folk singer Rosie Hood - presented her work on music-making skills, creativity and using folk songs/tunes with children and young people in SEND schools, including her work with Live Music Now and experience of resuming in-school work during the Covid-19 pandemic
- Folk dance caller Jane Bird - on the challenges and joys of adapting and creating new social folk dances for participants with learning disabilities and SEN, in settings such as Aylesbury Gateway Club and Family Ceilidh Oxford
- Inclusive Folk team at EFDSS, Esbjörn Wettermark and Emmie Ward, with Nick Goode and Alice Barnard - on creative music-making sessions using a story-telling framework, with young people with learning disabilities and complex needs, including recent online sessions.
- Miryam Solomon, Programme Coordinator at Drake Music, the leading national organisation working in music, disability and technology – presenting Drake's approach to increasing the disabled music leader workforce and sharing learning from Drake’s recent Emergent Trainee Scheme, which included a trainee with the London Youth Folk Ensemble.
- Pete Sparkes, Artistic Director, Drake Music Scotland – presenting their work of creating opportunities for disabled musicians and working with partners to make music education more inclusive, with a focus on their MusicSPACE at Home programme and inclusive group, Equilibrium, which takes Scottish Traditional Music as inspiration.
- Sarah Jones and Rachel Elliott - with an update on news from the English Folk Dance and Song Society and the National Youth Folk Ensemble.
Over 60 people joined us for action-packed day of presentations, practical sessions and discussions. The day was thought- provoking, informative and enjoyable, and encouraged knowledge-sharing, discussion and networking.
Presented by the English Folk Dance and Song Society’s (EFDSS) Folk Educators Group.
Join the Folk Educators Group
Membership of the Group and attendance at the Folk Education Development Days is free. As a member you can access the members’ only Facebook site, which allows you to share good practice, advertise job opportunities and get in touch with other members.
To register, please complete the online registration form
For more information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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