Sponsored by Faber Music
Friday 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm
L309
Practice makes perfect…or does it? This fascinating workshop improves the quality and effectiveness of practice by helping teachers motivate their pupils to get the best out of the time between lessons. Paul Harris offers a wealth of ideas and strategies that will bring a greater understanding to all of how best to use those precious hours. He also challenges and dispels a number of presently held opinions on what makes for effective practice. An ideal presentation for teachers with students who are not fulfilling their potential, or who have talented pupils with low motivation.
After studies at the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London, Paul Harris has now
established an international reputation as one of the UK's leading educationalists.
He studied the clarinet with Professor John Davies, winning the August Manns Prize for outstanding
performance, composition with Timothy Baxter and conducting with Maurice Miles. He then went
on to study music education at the University of London where he was a pupil of Professor Keith
Swanwick.
He now has over six hundred publications to his name mostly dealing with a vast array of subjects
mostly concerning music education. His Music Teacher's Companion (co-written with Richard
Crozier), won the UK's MIA Best New Book award and his series 'Improve Your Theory!' the Music
Teacher Best Print Resource Award. In addition he has written many works ranging from countless
short education pieces to seven concertos, a ballet and a children's opera. He has also co-authored
(with Anthony Meredith) major new biographies of Sir Malcolm Arnold, (Malcolm Arnold: Rogue
Genius), Malcolm Williamson, (Malcolm Williamson: Mischievous Muse) and Sir Richard Rodney
Bennett.
He writes regularly for many of the major international music magazines, including Music Teacher,
BBC Music Magazine, the ABRSM's Libretto, and the American ICA journal, and is in great demand
as a workshop and seminar leader and adjudicator in the UK, and across the globe. Paul has also
undertaken research into specialist music education for the highly talented (the clarinet prodigy
Julian Bliss number among his pupils), an interest that has taken him to many musical institutions
around the world.
He performs regularly, often in his voice, two clarinet and piano ensemble with Kathryn Knight, Jean
Cockburn and Bethany Philips.
He is an examiner and adjudicator and is frequently asked to take part in national events including
the Chamber Music for Schools Competition, Music for Youth, the BBC Young Musician of the Year
and Classic FM's teacher of the year. In 2006 Paul Harris's commitment to the music of Malcolm
Arnold led to the establishing of an annual Malcolm Arnold Festival in the composer's hometown of
Northampton. Under his directorship, this exciting festival explores and celebrates the music of one
of the great British composers of our age through a packed weekend of concerts, lectures and films.
He has created and continues to develop Simultaneous Learning, his highly acclaimed approach to
instrumental and singing teaching which has found support all over the world. Paul's innovative
teaching techniques combine thoroughness, imagination and practicality, which are the defining
qualities of his outstandingly successful work.