Jennie Henley is Director of Programmes at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK. She is responsible for learning and teaching across all junior, undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes. This involves leading curriculum design and development and responsibility for academic staff development.
Jennie has taught music in many contexts including instrumental teaching, class music, and ensemble direction, working in both school and community settings. Within Higher Education, she has worked in teacher education and has designed innovative music education programmes and modules in conservatoires, including distance learning and continuing professional development, embedding this work across the conservatoire curriculum and integrating teacher education into performance programmes.
Jennie’s current research focuses on inclusion, diversity and widening participation. She has carried out research studies in criminal justice settings as well as exploring issues of inclusion related to primary generalist teaching. Her research has public impact, most recently leading to the development of effective facilitation training events funded by Youth Music and providing INSET training for music education hubs in England. She was awarded an AHRC Research Network grant in 2017 to explore the notions of excellence, inclusion and social intervention and how they impact upon sustainable working practices for musicians, bringing together researchers from the fields of music education, community music, music therapy, community music therapy, criminology and psychology.
Her extensive knowledge exchange and consultancy activities have involved designing national music curricula and associated teaching guides in a variety of different countries, international curriculum development projects for Cambridge Assessment and Cambridge International Exams, and consultancy work for ABRSM, Trinity College London and Artis Education. She sits on a number of editorial boards and is regularly engaged as a peer reviewer. Jennie also undertakes external examining, external curriculum review and validation panel membership.
