Meet John
Music BA Honours, Class of 2008
About John
Current role: Director, Association of School and College Leaders, Northern Ireland
Degree studied: BA Hons Music, 2008
Post-graduation qualifications: PGCE Music – Durham University
Describe your current role
I’m currently the NI Director for the Association of School and College Leaders. In my day-to-day work I engage with school leaders, government, statutory education bodies and commercial partners to shape education policy in Northern Ireland and nationally, provide professional development opportunities for education leaders and negotiate on their behalf in relation to terms, conditions and pay.
Before this I worked as part of the senior team in CCEA, the Northern Ireland Examinations Body, with specific responsibility for all exam papers, standards, research and data science.
This was after working for 7 years in the North East first as a Music teacher and then as a Director in a large Northumberland academy.
What did you enjoy the most about studying at Newcastle?
I found the education-related modules most engaging and enjoyable. These provided an opportunity to work on projects with peers and help prepare for my career to date. Teaching Methods, Conducting and Singing to Learn all gave me a taste of what it would be like to teach music and an opportunity to engage with local schools.
This ultimately led me to initially pursuing a path into post-primary music teaching.
The ability to perform, present, collaborate, research and communicate complex ideas in a relatable way were all embedded as part of my undergraduate study.
In what ways did your music degree at Newcastle prepare you for your current role?
My current role is probably quite far removed from my initial work as a music teacher and my career path to date has not followed the conventional route.
However, the ability to perform, present, collaborate, research and communicate complex ideas in a relatable way were all embedded as part of my undergraduate study.
I’m still engaged in making music – I first explored music technology at university and I use these skills every week through my role as Director of Music in a local church where live streaming is now very much a part of what we do.
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