Sarah Mann
After completing a music degree, Sarah Mann began her career in the Music Library at the BBC. She very quickly moved to join the production department at BBC Radio 3, where she worked as Radio Production Assistant and then Presenter.
Leaving the BBC to raise a family, Sarah began work for Kent Music, teaching music to pre-school and primary aged children. During this time, she studied Kodaly musicianship and became a Colourstrings international tutor and trainer, working in a number of settings in London and the South East.
After gaining a Post Graduate Certificate in Education in 2008, Sarah became a primary school teacher and worked in a leading SEN school for several years. Within her role as class teacher Sarah was able to employ her ability for creative teaching by using singing and musical activities in all areas of the curriculum to engage, motivate and inspire learning as well as producing a positive impact on outcomes for pupils. In 2012 she was recognised as a Specialist Leader in Education for music and was invited to share her skills and expertise by offering peer-to-peer support and training, to develop outstanding and innovative practice in education.
Sarah’s journey with music and education has led to some exciting and wide-ranging projects – including leading a series of community outreach programmes with the London Philharmonic Orchestra; presenting workshops at the Royal Festival Hall for the LPO’s ‘Family Funharmonics’ concert series; establishing the annual Primary School Prom Concert in the Medway Towns; judging the coveted Medway Young Musician of the Year; and working with Pimlico Opera in their ground-breaking performance of Sweeney Todd, working alongside prisoners serving life sentences at HMP Wormwood Scrubs.
Sarah has also had the privilege of sharing her love of music education overseas and has been involved in short term projects in The Gambia (Yalding School, Farato), Thailand (Christian Care Foundation for Children with Disabilities, Nonthaburi) and in India (Bangalore) and Nepal (Kathmandu) with The Music Man Project.
In September 2017, inspired by the work of David Stanley, Sarah became Regional Director for Kent for the Music Man Project, where she and her colleagues Sue and Andy (fellow music graduates and qualified teachers) run sessions for adults in the local community and in 2019 she became a director of The Music Man Project national charity.