Lauren Saul
About Lauren's career
Please briefly outline what you are doing now
I lead the Music Department in one of the country’s first all-through academies, based in a deprived area of Northumberland. My role includes planning and delivering the secondary music curriculum (and being responsible for student outcomes), leading a team of colleagues, running co-curricular ensembles, organising concerts, arranging peripatetic lessons, and overseeing school productions.
Being a Music teacher is a challenge, but can be very rewarding! Many of our students have never seen instruments up close, or even touched a keyboard, so it is a privilege to provide musical experiences to students both inside and out of the classroom. It’s always humbling to see my students go on to study Music at university (including Newcastle University, of course!).
Studying at Newcastle
What did you like most about your music degree?
I found the selection of modules on offer to be diverse and engaging, and well-balanced between practical, composition, history, and theory. I particularly enjoyed studying ‘The Classical Style’, ‘Music in the Holocaust’ (with some Yiddish alongside!), and ‘Conducting Studies’, which really helped me to develop leadership skills and to come out of my shell.
The lunchtime concerts and performance opportunities, both by students and professionals, was a weekly treat (and free of charge!) and a great opportunity to see what friends on the folk and pop degrees were working on.
It was also incredible to have a member of the Royal Northern Sinfonia as my violin tutor, and playing in the university’s Symphony Orchestra was absolutely a highlight – performing aspirational repertoire really inspired me to improve my practice. Above all, the lecturers and staff team were very friendly and approachable, and the friendships I made there over ten years ago are still strong today!
In what ways did your music degree at Newcastle prepare you for your current role?
There are some very obvious ways that my Music degree helped prepare me for my current role – Conducting Studies gave me the confidence and ability to conduct choirs and orchestras, studying harmony has prepared me to teach Bach Chorales to A Level students, and developing compositional skills has helped me with arranging music and teaching GCSE students how to compose.
The “Teaching Music in Schools” module was also naturally invaluable! But in a more general sense, studying Music at Newcastle broadened my musical scope, helped me to grow in confidence as both a person and a musician, and gave me some wonderful memories and friendships!
