Hannah Baldwin (Head of Education and Lower Strings Teacher) - August 2026
#WhyMusicMatters
Give us a few personal/background details
I am delighted to be joining the Music in Action team as Head of Education and Lower Strings Teacher, following a career spanning more than 20 years in music education.
I began my teaching career in London, working across a range of schools and teaching GCSE and A-level Music. In 2012, I embraced the opportunity to work internationally, joining an international school in Guangzhou, China. During my time there, I was proud to be part of the founding team behind the International Schools Music Association of Guangzhou, bringing schools together to create richer and more collaborative musical opportunities for young people across the city.
My next role took me to São Paulo, Brazil, where I was the founding Head of Performing Arts for the senior school while also leading the primary music department. Working in Brazil broadened my understanding of South American culture and provided opportunities to support students participating in international music festivals in countries including Russia, China and the United States.
From there, I moved to Singapore as the founding Head of Music at North London Collegiate School Singapore, before becoming Director of Performing Arts. This role gave me the most amazing opportunity to develop a wide range of music and arts initiatives alongside students and colleagues. One of my proudest highlights was developing the school's annual Arts Festival, which each year enabled more than 1,500 students to immerse themselves in a four-day creative programme celebrating music, drama, art and dance.
Most recently, I have been Director of Music at The British School of Milan, leading the music department while teaching IGCSE and IB Diploma Music. After 20 years working in education, I started to feel like I wanted to try something different. Preferably still related to education and working with music. This led me to Music in Action and the wonderful work they are doing to inspire through music with children in Jersey and the UK.
Why do you think music matters so much?
When I was growing up, music gave me so many places to belong. I played in a street samba band, learned drums at a local rock school, played the flute with a jazz band, and played cello with the Lancashire Students Symphony Orchestra. Music became “my thing”. It gave me confidence, friendships, and courage to try new things. As I’ve lived and worked in different parts of the world, those musical connections have continued to help me find my place and connect with people.
That’s why I think music matters so much. It brings people together, gives us a way to express who we are, and creates a space where everyone can feel they belong. I’ve always wanted the music department to be that kind of place - one where there is a pursuit of excellence, but also warmth, welcome and a place for everyone.
Why do you think it’s important to inspire young people with music?
It is more important than ever to inspire young people through music. Growing up in a digital age, they are facing a future that we simply can’t predict. They will need to be creative, adaptable and able to think critically and figure things out for themselves. Music develops all of those skills, but it also offers something different. It gives young people a way to express themselves, to explore their emotions, to work with others and to feel that they belong to something. Growing up can be a difficult journey to navigate, and having something that: inspires you, challenges you, and gives you a sense of achievement, can make such a difference.
Music gave me that when I was young, and I know how powerful it can be. If we can give young people the opportunity to discover that for themselves, why not music?
Where are you from originally & what inspiration do you take from your current home?
I’m originally from Morecambe in the northwest of the UK, a small seaside town with a remarkable array of musical communities. From amateur dramatics and church choirs to samba bands and orchestras, there is a huge amount of music on offer. Morecambe is also an economically deprived area, with many families living in poverty. For a lot of young people, music can be a lifeline - something that can make the difference between growing up disaffected and disinterested, and having your confidence and aspirations raised. I owe a lot to music myself. The confidence I developed through it at a young age gave me the courage to embark on my own journey around the world, and I don’t think I would have had that without it.
That sense of community and belonging, and the opportunity to help young people aspire to something through music, is a big part of what inspires me to be involved with Music in Action, particularly here in beautiful Jersey. And, on a more personal note, it’s pretty exciting to be living by the sea again!
Who or what has influenced you and why?
I’ve been very fortunate to have been inspired by a number of people throughout my life. As a woman working in music, education and leadership, I’ve always taken particular inspiration from other women forging careers in what has traditionally been a male-dominated world.
My first and biggest influence was my mum. She is a pianist and violinist and encouraged my siblings and I to learn an instrument from a young age. She tirelessly came to concert after concert and, even when money was tight, always found ways for us to take part in orchestra tours, courses and workshops with the Lancashire Students Symphony Orchestra. Looking back, I realise just how much those opportunities shaped me and gave me the confidence to pursue music as a career.
I’ve also been inspired by prominent women in music such as conductor Marin Alsop and violinist Nicola Benedetti. I admire the way they have fiercely forged their own paths and, in doing so, helped pave the way for others to follow.
Another person who has had a huge influence on me is my first ever Head of Department, John Wells. He supported me through my first year as a newly qualified music teacher and taught me that patience really is a virtue, and that every child deserves access to high-quality music education. He also encouraged my passion for directing musical theatre by creating opportunities for me at school, something I still draw inspiration from today.
All of these people have influenced me in different ways, but they’ve ultimately shaped the same belief I have about music: that it should create experiences where everyone feels valued, included and inspired. I truly believe music is for everyone.
Who is your favourite composer?
When I was six, I came home from a music assembly at school and told my mum that I wanted to learn to play Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. That was the beginning of my obsession with Beethoven, and also the beginning of my search for an instrument to learn!
His music has everything I love: it is rhythmically driven, passionate and dramatic, but also incredibly beautiful and clever. I love the way his music bridges the Classical and Romantic periods, and it moves me beyond words. I genuinely love every work of his that I’ve heard or played.
I also have a real love for Piazzolla, for many of the same reasons. Performing Fuga y Misterio on the cello with a student orchestra in Miami, as part of an international school music festival, was a particular highlight for me. I loved the interaction between all the different parts and the way the cello could almost become a percussion instrument.
I’ve realised over the years that I’m drawn to music with strong rhythms, clever musical developments and soaring, passionate melodies. Beethoven and Piazzolla are very different composers, but in my mind they have more in common than you might initially think - and, importantly, they both wrote some fantastic cello lines!
What can we look forward to from you next?
Recently I relocated to Jersey and joined Music in Action. I am looking forward to getting to know the island and the people and the music. I will be working with the schools and bringing workshops and performance opportunities to Jersey’s young people. I am also looking forward to playing the cello in the occasional concert with Jersey Chamber Orchestra. Particularly my favourite Beethoven 5th (1st movement) on Saturday October 10th at the Jersey Opera House.