Educator Pathways: Southampton 2025

Presented by the Pathways Into Music Foundation and supported by Arts Council England, University of Southampton, Turner Sims, and Southampton & IOW Music, this programme for music educators, education hubs and talent development organisations consists of a two-day in-person event in Southampton on 14 and 15 June, plus two accompanying webinars.

APPLY FOR A PLACE

What’s it all about?
Join us on this free professional development programme that puts the focus on careers and trends in the music business, providing music educators with the information, knowledge and contacts they need to advise and support students who seek to pursue a career in music.

What will it cover?
Over our two day event and two accompanying webinars we will map the different career pathways in music, for both those making music and those working in the industry.

We’ll explain what early-career music-makers need to know about music rights and fanbase building in order to embark on a frontline artist career.

Plus we’ll run through the latest music business trends and sign-post the best resources.

What is the format?
A mix of lectures, discussions and Q&A sessions led by a team of music industry experts. There will also be plenty of opportunities to network with and learn from each other, to share knowledge and experience, and to better understand the different strands of music education.

When and where will it take place?
On Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June at University of Southampton’s Highfield Campus, with accompanying webinars on Wednesday 11 June and 18 June, which will be delivered via Zoom.

Who is it for?
Anyone involved in educating or supporting young people making music in the Solent, Bournemouth / Christchurch / Poole and Hampshire regions, including: music teachers, instrument tutors, and FE and HE lecturers, plus people working for music education hubs and talent development, community music and youth organisations.

This Pathways In To Music programme is CPD Certified by RSL Awards (pending approval).

What is the cost and commitment?
Thanks to the kind support of Arts Council England, University of Southampton, Turner Sims, and Southampton & IOW Music, participation is free including meals.

You just need to commit to attend the full in-person event and webinars and get yourself to University of Southampton. A small number of travel and accommodation bursaries are also available for those travelling a long distance to attend.

How do I apply?
Fill out the application form below. Our aim is to invite a diverse mix of participants who perform different roles in music education, in schools, colleges and universities, and beyond formal educational institutions. Achieving that diverse mix will be the primary criteria for selecting participants.

APPLY FOR A PLACE

THE PROGRAMME

The in-person weekend takes place on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June 2025 at University of Southampton, Highfield Campus (Building 85, SO17 1BJ).

Saturday sessions run from 10.30-18.30
Sunday sessions run from 09.30-16.30

A free lunch will be served on both days. Participants are also invited to join us for dinner on the Saturday evening at 19.00.

Accompanying webinars take place on Wednesday 11 and Wednesday 18 June at 17.00.

THE WEBINARS

MAPPING MUSIC EDUCATION
This session looks at all the different strands of music education based on Pathways Into Music’s mapping research. The aim is to understand how the different strands fit together, and the role each strand can play in supporting those young people who want to pursue a career in music

THE DIY PHASE – FANBASE BUILDING
For aspiring frontline artists one of the most important tasks in the DIY Phase is fanbase building – ie finding an audience. This session provides a guide to all the key tools and tactics DIY Phase artists can employ as part of this process, providing practical tips that educators can then share with the early-career music-makers they support.

TOPICS COVERED DURING THE IN-PERSON WEEKEND
Over the in-person weekend we talk through all our mapping work and delve into the Pathways Into Music Knowledge Bank.

MAPPING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
This session looks at the different ways frontline artists generate income around their music and how the music industry is structured around those revenue streams.

It then outlines the key business partners artists work with, creating a map of the music industry which works at both a national and local level. Using that map, we will explain how to map local music industries, identifying key players and gaps in support.

MAPPING MUSIC CAREERS: INDUSTRY ROLES
What are the opportunities to work in music behind the scenes? Revisiting our map of the music industry, this session explores the different roles in the music business, and explains how young people can go about building the skills and knowledge they need to pursue this kind of music career.

MAPPING MUSIC CAREERS: MUSIC-MAKERS
The Pathways Into Music Foundation has been mapping music careers, tracking the career route taken by both frontline artists and portfolio musicians.

In this session we run through this work, putting the spotlight on the DIY Phase before music-makers start working with the music industry. This is the stage where those music-makers rely heavily on educators to access the knowledge and support they need.

THE DIY PHASE TOOLKIT
This session runs through all the knowledge and skills
that DIY Phase artists need in order to start to build a career in music.

It also reviews the resources and support available for DIY Phase artists, including online resources, local and national talent development programmes, industry and media-led initiatives, and funding schemes.

It aims to help educators sign-post the credible and legitimate resources and support that is available to the young people they are working with.

MUSIC COPYRIGHT EXPLAINED
As soon as early-career music-makers write songs and record tracks they create copyrights. If they collaborate with other people, they will co-own those copyrights.

This session runs through the five key copyright facts all young creators need to understand in order to effectively manage, monetise and protect their intellectual property – and suggests how and when to communicate key information to those creators.

MUSIC BUSINESS TRENDS
The music industry is constantly evolving as the way people consume music and connect with the artists they love changes, and as new technologies impact on music-making, music marketing and the music experience.

This session provides an up-to-date guide to the latest trends, developments and debates in the music business.

PROGRAMME LEADERS

‘Understanding The Pathways Into Music’ will be led by Phil Nelson, Chris Cooke and Fiona McAuley.

Phil Nelson is an artist manager and music business educator. He has worked as an artist manager since 1998. Current clients include Matt Hales, Duke Special and Sweet Billy Pilgrim.

Previous clients include The Longpigs and The Levellers, the latter of whom pioneered the direct-to-fan approach that is now industry standard and worked with Phil to launch their own 15,000 capacity festival Beautiful Days, which continues to this day.

Phil is also an experienced educator, currently teaching music business at BIMM. Since 2017 he has been working with CMU on mapping music careers, music industries and music education, research work that resulted in the creation of the Pathways Into Music Foundation.

Throughout his career, Phil has played an active role in the wider music industry. He was Vice Chair of the Music Managers’ Forum from 1997 to 2007 and he co-founded The Great Escape showcase festival with Martin Elbourne and Jon McIldowie. He’s also led a number of initiatives for BIMM helping students to connect with and gain practical experience in the music industry.

Chris Cooke is co-Founder and MD of CMU, a company that helps people navigate and understand the music business. It does this through media like the CMU Daily bulletin and Setlist podcast; a consultancy unit and training business; and a future talent programme.

Via CMU, Chris writes, talks, teaches and consults about the music industry. He also wrote the acclaimed ‘Dissecting The Digital Dollar’ book and ‘Music Copyright Explained’ guide, and curated and hosted twelve editions of The Great Escape Conference.

Chris also pursues other projects via UnLimited Media, through which he also publishes cultural recommendations service ThisWeek Culture and ThreeWeeks at the Edinburgh Festival; and helped to launch and develop the Taylor Bennett Foundation, which is enabling more ethnic diversity in the communications industry.

With degrees in English and Law, Chris regularly talks about and comments on the music business, intellectual property, and the wider media and communication sectors.

Fiona McAuley is Senior Director Of Digital Marketing for UK & EU at BMG, with a roster of artists including Kylie Minogue, The Script, Louis Tomlinson and many more.

Previously she was Head Of Audience for Atlantic Records UK. Leading the audience strategy across the company’s roster, Fiona and the wider audience team worked closely with artists to develop creative and innovative strategies to connect with existing and new fans, all with audience segmentation, data and sentiment in mind. Artists included Ed Sheeran, Charli XCX, Anne-Marie, Fred Again.., Joel Corry, Mahalia & Tion Wayne, and many more.

Fiona joined Atlantic Records from her previous role as Head Of Digital at international artist management company YMU Group, leading the digital strategy across the company’s roster. Artists included Years & Years, James Arthur, Take That, Clean Bandit and Friendly Fires, as well as a range of incredible electronic and dance artists and promising developing talent.