On June 12th I was proud as punch to compere an event, as part of the London International Music Show, which took the Musical Futures project on to another level. First up, was Estelle Morris, who has always been a great advocate for what the programme has tried to achieve: more kids enjoying their music in school, and remaining active participants, for longer.She was able to chart the progression, from less than 60 schools adopting the approaches in its first in 2006, to around 1000 schools currently.

Next up, I was able to announce that Sting had become the global patron for Musical Futures. It's a great choice, I think - as a former teacher, he's got a pretty good insight into the challenges facing practitioners.

But the main event was the publication of the 2nd edition of the free Teacher Pack. This has been put together by Abigail D'Amore, the Musical Futures National Co-ordinator, and what a fantastic job she's done. The initial response from teachers has been highly positive, and it's a tribute to Abi.

At his point we had some live music from some young musicians from Harrogate Grammar School, who were great.

Finally, I was able to accept a cheque from Joe Lamond, CEO of NAMM, in Carlsbad California, on behalf of the Australian Music Association. NAMM's generous support will enable Musical Futures to be piloted in Australia next year. I'll probably be going out there in February 2010 to advise them on setting it up.

As Project Leader, I've been involved in the design and development of the project. Now, as advisor, I get to see all the good stuff that's happening as a result of Abigail's efforts. This event was one of the most enjoyable days in my professional career, and it certainly doesn't constitute work.