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Rebecca Berkley

Institute of Education

  • Associate Professor in Music Education, SFHEA
  • Programme Co-Director of Postgraduate Taught Programmes
  • BA in Primary Education (QTS) with Music Specialism Subject Convenor
  • Music Education Pathway convenor, MA in Education

University

  • Artistic Director Universal Voices, a community choir for children aged 7-12 at the University of Reading. Find out more from universalvoices@reading.ac.uk.
  • Assessor FLAIR HEA Fellowship scheme

Areas of interest

  • Rebecca’s work focuses on the importance of musical literacy in creative classroom practice and musical cognition and the development of musical knowledge in music teachers and students. She focuses on reflection on professional practice and leadership training for musicians working in education, with a particular emphasis on developing confidence as a leader in the classroom.
  • Rebecca is an experienced choral director with a wide ranging professional practice including conducing children’s, youth and adult choirs, music theatre and operatic repertoire. She has research interests in choral conducting, choral education and conducting training, and extensive experience working as a mentor to colleagues at all levels of their professional development.
  • Rebecca teaches musicianship from Foundation to Advanced levels, both in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the University of Reading and as a consultant for schools and music organisations. Her work focuses on the significance of developing fluent musical literacies in all individuals to support inclusive practice in formal and informal music education. She is the director of the Sing for Pleasure Musicianship for Singers programme.
  • Rebecca leads on developing Academic Literacies for postgraduate students, focusing on practical tools and resources for PGCE and Masters students to use to enhance their study skills, their critical reflection and research skills.

Postgraduate supervision

Current and Recent PhD Students, with Topics and Titles of their research:

    • Amy Nokes Evaluating the impact of a skills-based intervention on the readiness of general class teachers in a special school to use and teach music (with Professor Cathy Tissot)
    • Yina Cai Applying the Kodály Methodology to Teaching the Pipa, A Traditional Chinese Instrument (with Dr Nasreen Majid)
    • Xinrong Chen The development of music education students' pedagogical beliefs in the context of Chinese and British characteristic ideologies: Confronting the pedagogical beliefs of Chinese and British pre-service teachers of music education under different ideologies (with Professor Carol Fuller)
    • Hilary Smethurst Evans How do I join the ‘professionals’ club? Instrumental music teachers’ aspirations for and perceptions of their role (with Dr Rachel Roberts)
    • Andrea Jones What are we all looking for? An exploration of classical musicians’ perceptions and experiences of pre-entry processes to one UK conservatoire (with Dr Richard Harris)

    Background

    • Rebecca is the Artistic Director of Universal Voices, a free children’s community choir at the Institute of Education. Unique among schools of Education at UK HEIs, Universal Voices offers excellent choral and musicianship education to all children in the Reading area; along with teacher training in choral education to teachers.
    • Rebecca leads a team of students on the BA in Primary Education (Music Specialism) to deliver the Institute of Education Partnership Festival annually as part of the Universal Voices programme. The 2021 Partnership Festival, Colours of my life, is a digital exhibition of creative work in Art and Music with primary children.
    • Previous Institute of Education Partnership Festivals:

    Professional bodies/affiliations

    Rebecca is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE, and a FLAIR CPD mentor and assessor at the University of Reading

    Selected publications

    Recent and Forthcoming Conference Presentations:

    • May 2022 Constructing music schemes in KS1: Case study of a creative listening unit based on Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sinfonia Antarctica. Workshop presentation at the Music Teachers Association Conference
    • Berkley, R. (2021) Learning to run a choir by running a choir: Establishing a community of practice among trainee primary music teachers. Workshop presentation at the British Education Research Association Conference
    • May 2020 Keynote speech: Classroom Musicianship: Facilitating Leadership Skills in Trainee Music Teachers, Institute of Musical Research Study Day
    • March 2020 Lifelong career development for music teachers, from ITT to doctoral study, Music Education Expo
    • 2021: Berkley, R (due 2021) ‘Music Everywhere, Everyday’ in Teaching the Arts in the Primary Curriculum, ed. Susan Ogier and Suzy Tutchell. Sage, London.
    • 2017: Berkley, R. (2017). Shosholoza, 10 arrangements of Traditional South African Songs. Sing for Pleasure, Bolton.

    Current and Recent Professional Activity:

    • In 22-23, Rebecca is leading a BERA funded research project called Musicianship for Teachers, teaching classroom musicianship to general primary classroom teachers
    • In 21-22, Rebecca completed a study into teaching classroom musicianship to general primary student teachers, part funded by the University of Reading UROP scheme and publications in preparation will focus on:
      • Pedagogical reasoning in music teaching
      • Measuring the development of musicianship skills and aural acuity for music teaching in student music teachers
      • Tracking the impact of musicianship skills on the developing confidence of student music teachers to teach music.
    • Rebecca is the Artistic Director of Universal Voices, a free children’s community choir at the Institute of Education. Unique among schools of Education at UK HEIs, Universal Voices offers excellent choral and musicianship education to all children in the Reading area; along with teacher training in choral education to teachers.
    • Rebecca leads a team of students on the BA in Primary Education (Music Specialism) to deliver the Institute of Education Partnership Festival annually as part of the Universal Voices programme. The 2021 Partnership Festival, Colours of my life, is a digital exhibition of creative work in Art and Music with primary children Previous Institute of Education Partnership Festivals:
      •  2017 Songs and Stories
      • 2018 Benjamin Britten: Noye’s Fludde
      • 2019 Animal Crackers, with the University of Reading Big Band
      • 2020 Under the Sea, with the University of Reading Big Band
      • 2022 Colours of my Life

    Publications