Team
Peter Smalley is proud to lead the Music and Performing Arts Trust as its Chief Executive. Originally a trumpet player, composer and educator, he came to work in the county in 1993 as Head of Brass, and is still here.
As lead partner of the Northamptonshire and Rutland Music Education Hub, NMPAT employs over 200 teachers and music facilitators. Here, you will find some members of the leadership and administrative teams, who are based at our site on the Kettering Road, Northampton.
Read Biography
Margaret Adu Sarpong
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Read Biography
Claire Anderson
Claire is Head of Keyboard and also runs the theory classes at Kettering Road. Her journey with NMPAT began with the County Junior Orchestra in 1983 and she was pleased to return in 2008 as a piano teacher.
Outside of work, Claire can be found on the side of a rugby pitch – either watching the Saints, or one of her sons – or practising some yoga.
Read Biography
Laura Bendy
Laura oversees the organisation of NMPAT’s annual concert season alongside working across a range of communication areas, including branding, email marketing, social media and website management.
Outside of work, Laura enjoys regular cheese and wine evenings with friends.
Read Biography
John Bickerdike
John has worked within music education in Northamptonshire since 1999, as an instrumental and classroom teacher. He is a graduate of Birmingham Conservatoire, with a BA(Hons) and MA in music performance. Formerly Head of Music at Manor School, Raunds, he assumed the role of Head of Brass at NMPAT in 2022.
John has been a member of Desford Colliery Band since 1995, working with the country’s finest brass players and conductors.
Read Biography
Julie Clark
Julie has been in the administration team since moving to Northampton in 2005, after many years working in the hospitality sector.
She never imagined being with NMPAT for so many years! However, with the challenge of promotion to Office Manager in 2017, and with the evolution of NMPAT and what we offer, not to mention changes to technology, there is never a dull moment.
Outside of work, Julie enjoys village life, which includes long walks with her whippet – and husband!
Read Biography
Rachel Coles
Rachel is here to support the small group teaching and First Access project delivery in schools, she is also the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Champion for the organisation.
Formerly Head of Brass and Head of a Saturday Centre, what she loves most about her job is the opportunity to learn alongside young people as they grow and flourish.
Read Biography
Leisa Cooke
Leisa graduated from Hertfordshire Musical Theatre School in 1994 and went on to perform in London, in various fringe productions and shows, before running pubs for 10 years. She is still very active in theatre, performing and volunteering for Sharnbrook Mill Theatre and Bonkers Theatrical in Kettering.
Leisa also volunteers for Models for Heroes, raising awareness of the benefits of model-making on mental health and those with PTSD within the military and Blue Light employees.
Read Biography
Nigel Corbett
Nigel started learning trombone with NMPAT, as a student, in 1994, leading to several years as a member of the County Youth Brass Band. Alongside his career as a practising accountant, Nigel has also taught in one of our Saturday Centres since 2007.
Nigel is still a keen trombonist and plays in a number of local groups. He is also an avid follower of Formula 1!
Read Biography
Anna Denny
Anna raises funds from “other” sources, including securing grants and donations. She has been going to Wellingborough Centre, on and off, since first picking up a violin, aged 7.
After leaving the County Youth Orchestra, at the same time as Malcolm Tyler, in 1992, Anna worked variously in Theatre and with Orchestras, before returning to Northamptonshire, taking on an allotment and a cat, raising two daughters, and becoming Musical Director of the Bozeat Windmill Singers.
Read Biography
John Draper
John is a product of the NMPAT music system having played French Horn in the County Youth Orchestra until he left school. He went on to study Classical Guitar at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. As Head of Guitar, he coordinates the team of guitar and ukulele staff as well as our County Guitar Ensembles.
John’s interests include cycling and playing loud rock music!
Read Biography
Neville Evelyn
Neville joined NMPAT in April 2022 and his role includes overseeing building maintenance and managing site facilities. After training in engineering, Neville has worked in a wide range of industries including beer, spices, UPVC windows, shoes, and now music. He might not say it was his first love, but he does enjoy listening to music in his spare time.
Read Biography
Liza Field
Liza joined NMPAT in September 2022, as Director of Learning & Development, and has oversight of consultancy and support for schools, Curriculum Music, Saturday Music and Arts Centres, CPD for both school and NMPAT staff, the Certificate of Music Educators, Teacher Training Programme & Music and Wellbeing projects.
Born in Scotland, Liza developed a love for music from opportunities at primary school and then playing violin for regional and national orchestras. Following university in Newcastle and Durham, she entered the teaching profession in 1999 and became Director of Music in a large Cambridgeshire secondary school in 2001, before joining Cambridgeshire Music in 2017.
Liza is passionate about enabling access to good quality music and arts education for all young people.
Read Biography
Beth Gifford
Head of Strings and co-director of Zingaresque, Beth (she/her) (BMus hons, PGCEi) studied Viola at the Birmingham Conservatoire, taught for 8 years with Camden Music Service and has a PGCEi in Group Instrumental Teaching as a member of Music Master’s first Musicians of Change cohort.
Beth is passionate about English traditional folk arts, plays in ceilidh bands and delivers workshops and CPD nationally, independently, for The English Folk Dance and Song Society and as an ITP facilitator for Awards for Young Musicians.
Read Biography
Tim Green
Tim graduated from the University of Huddersfield in 1996, with a degree in performance and electro acoustic composition, and joined NMPAT in 2000. He has been lucky enough to lead the Percussion Team in various areas of music education for nearly twenty years and is one of NMPAT’s orchestral conductors.
Tim loves all areas of music with a particular interest in classical and progressive rock. Outside of NMPAT, he can be found walking around the county with his dog, Baloo.
Read Biography
Beth Hodgson
Beth graduated from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) in 2005 and soon discovered a passion for teaching & musical direction.
Having led the vocal team at NMPAT since 2014, Beth oversees the vocal delivery including the annual Big Sing, Primary Vocal Curriculum and County Choirs.
Outside of NMPAT, Beth can usually be found making a mess in a kitchen, walking through a muddy field or negotiating between her two cats.
Read Biography
Jason Jardine
After a long career in IT support, first in the banking sector and then with an ISP, Jason took on the role of Librarian for NMPAT in 2022. He maintains and manages the large resource of music available to County Ensembles and the wider NMPAT community. Jason last played an instrument (alto saxophone and violin) at the age of 14, though he still sings and is a member of the NMPAT Community Choir.
When not acting as a taxi service for his two teenage daughters, Jason enjoys building and painting model kits, and is a keen tabletop wargamer.
Read Biography
Daisy Jones
Daisy is our Business Administration Apprentice, helping out with general admin and learning about all things NMPAT. With a history of playing piano, she loves seeing the positive impact NMPAT has on children’s music education.
Having studied BA Hons Fine Art at the University of the West of England in Bristol, and originally hailing from Surrey, she moved to Northampton during the pandemic, and is still exploring all it has to offer! Outside of work you’ll find her at an art gallery, a gig or at the cinema.
Read Biography
Andy Kirkwood
Andy is a clarinettist. He is a member of the woodwind team, working with colleagues to provide lessons on all instruments from the woodwind family to children in schools around the county, as well as delivering whole class projects on recorder and clarinet to children in KS2.
Read Biography
Gina Kirkwood
Gina has been working in the NMPAT Office since August 2018, and before that she did some work delivering whole-class vocal projects for the Trust, across Northamptonshire. Before that, Gina taught music in a variety of schools, and before that she was a full-time classroom teacher!
Gina’s main responsibilities in the office are looking after the administration for Trinity College exams, for individual tuition, for Gordon Robinson Trust Bursaries and for the four wonderful recital teams who travel the length of this county to ensure that its children have the opportunity to listen to a live music performance.
Read Biography
Iain McKnight
Iain has oversight of all NMPAT County Ensembles and bespoke projects, including Reach the Stars, Music Therapy and the Trust’s inclusion programme, Industrious.
Iain grew up in Cornwall, where he began his musical journey, aged 11, playing the cornet. Promotion to the tuba soon followed! Following study in Manchester, Iain lived and worked in the North West until relocating to Northamptonshire in September 2022.
In his spare time, he enjoys following cricket and rugby (league… it’s a northern thing) as well as having a keen interest in politics and 20th century history.
Read Biography
Elaine Skinner
Elaine’s association with NMPAT started back in 1997, when her daughter Charlotte joined CJO, and subsequently for the next 10 years the common room became her second home, with a full taxi service to boot! More recently, Elaine returned to NMPAT as Finance Assistant and is delighted to be part of the NMPAT family, after seeing the positive impact it can have on children and young people.
When not working, Elaine enjoys spending time in Birmingham with her young grandson, who brightens up her week and keeps her smiling.
Read Biography
Lesley Smart
Lesley’s financial career started in banking, and then progressed to an accounts position in a secondary school, where she was inspired by the music teaching provided by NMPAT’s peripatetic teachers, and the concerts the students performed in, to take the opportunity to join the finance team with the trust.
When not working, Lesley enjoys trips to the theatre and is a keen bridge player.
Read Biography
Simon Steptoe
Simon started his musical career as a chorister, attending Christ Church Cathedral School in Oxford, as well as learning the piano, French Horn and clarinet. He went on to study Music at Durham University, specialising in composition and electro-acoustic/computer music techniques, receiving a Master of Music degree in 1989.
Over the following 20 years, Simon spent time studying traditional Javanese music performance practice at the Institute of Indonesian Arts in Central Java, delivering Gamelan and creative projects with community groups, schools and colleges in the north of England, teaching music in secondary schools in the UK, and as Executive Director of The Firebird Trust, in Newark.
In 2012, Simon took up his current post with NMPAT and leads on delivering a programme of music projects supporting children and young people in challenging circumstances, who face the most significant barriers to participation. He is also the General Manager for Deep Roots Tall Trees, one of NMPAT’s Music Education Hub Delivery Partners.
Read Biography
Julie White
Julie’s musical journey began many years ago, learning the violin and piano at primary school. She joined her local Saturday Centre and was a member of our very own County Training Orchestra for a year in the early 80s. For Julie, returning to NMPAT as a member of the Finance Team in 2018 felt like coming home!
When not working, Julie loves swimming, country walks with her family, and spending time with friends.
Supported by:
