Trinity Alumnus Laura Stevens Wins Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Award

In November Trinity College of Music alumnus and Greenwich local Laura Stevens was awarded the Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Award for Primary School Teacher. The award was presented by Arts Minister Margaret Hodge and Classic FM presenter Margherita Taylor at the Music For Youth Schools Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.

Laura’s prize includes Yamaha music equipment and Sibelius software for Kingswood Primary School, where she teaches. Laura was nominated by the school’s Executive Headteacher Craig Tunstall, who was impressed by her work over the last six years.

Laura took up the position of Music Teacher at Kingswood Primary in 2004, when the school had recently come out of special measures. The school has since improved year on year, achieving 'outstanding' in its latest Ofsted inspection and taking two local schools under its wing to form a Federation of schools in South East London.

Laura completed her undergraduate degree at Trinity from 1999 to 2003. She studied oboe with Stephen Nagy and took second study singing with John Wakefield. Since graduating she has worked for both Lambeth and Lewisham Music Services, taking a lead on Early Years and sharing her skills as an Associate Colourstrings Tutor.

Laura has taught oboe to pupils at all levels, from beginner to Grade eight standard, as part of her work with Lewisham Music Service. She has also organised European tours for the Lewisham Schools Concert Band and is currently Acting Head of the Service’s Saturday Centre. As a Lambeth Advanced Skills Teacher for Music, Laura is involved in outreach work, improving standards in borough wide schools.

Speaking of her experience, she says “music plays a very important role in all our schools and we believe the ethos this helps to create contributes towards our outstanding results across the curriculum. Last year I invited Trinity professor Paul Bartholomew into my schools to lead South African Singing Workshops on behalf of Mbawula, a multi-cultural ensemble fusing South African and European Big Band Jazz. We followed this up last year with a massed choir performance I organised for 180 pupils. It was a great success which we plan to repeat on a larger scale in the future!”

Photograph Simon Fernandez ©

For more information, images or interviews, please contact Miranda Harris on 020 8469 9549 or at mharris@trinitylaban.ac.uk