People

Virginia Haworth-Galt, CEO

Virginia Haworth-Galt joined FMS in August 2010 following a career in cultural education spanning over 20 years.  She is passionate about ensuring that all young people have access to the arts and the subsequent life changing opportunities.  She holds a belief that the best way to support young people's creative development is by providing high quality programmes for them whilst also ensuring that the professionals delivering this work have access to CPD and resources.  

Virginia is a recognised specialist in using the arts in work with young people at risk and has led pioneering work across a range of strategic partnerships including with the Youth Justice Board, the Foyer Federation, the Mental Health Foundation and the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council.  

An experienced Chief Executive, Virginia headed up an Arts Council Regularly Funded Organisation, the independent youth arts organisation Artswork, for six years and set up ENYAN (English National Youth Arts Network) which had over 6,000 members by the time she left. She also created the very successful Artsplan Training Programme and oversaw the development of a portfolio of over 30 courses for artists and cultural practitioners delivered at training centres in all nine English Regions.  

An experienced fundraiser, Virginia successfully tendered to deliver the ENYAN Future Job Fund Programme which provided jobs (and training) in the cultural sector for 200 young people across the South East and East Midlands.  Virginia has an MA in Film from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and a Certificate in Arts Management from Birkbeck, University of London.  

She is a former School Governor and until recently was Chair of BBC Children in Need South West.  She is a Trustee of Salisbury Venture, a charity supporting young people.  In her spare time she is a DJ.

Nigel M Taylor, Chair

Nigel M Taylor is a graduate of Durham and Manchester Universities. After teaching in secondary schools he was appointed Head of Bolton Music Service aged 28 and, five years later, Shropshire’s County Music Adviser. He joined Staffordshire County Council as Music and Performing Arts Inspector, becoming Head of Staffordshire Performing Arts (SPA), and then holding concurrent roles of deputy head of the Local Authority’s school improvement service and subsequently head of its cultural development division. He was an Accredited OFSTED inspector for ten years and continues as a consultant to schools, Local Authorities and music organisations.

Nigel led the consortium of organisations, including SPA, that established "Make Some Noise" the Youth Music Action Zone for Staffordshire/Stoke on Trent and was Chair of its Board 2003 - 2010. He headed the Staffordshire Music Partnership, one of five government-funded music education partnership programmes in 2008 in which SPA was lead partner. SPA has been twice judged “outstanding” in the MSEP programme and, in 2011, was awarded a Diploma of Merit by the National Music Council.

Nigel served on the board of directors of Manchester Camerata 2005-2012 and of Sound It Out Community Music, Birmingham, where he was Chair 2010-2012. In 2010 he was elected to the FMS National Executive as the West Midlands regional representative.

He also enjoys a reputation as an innovative conductor, especially with youth ensembles, here and abroad. He has often worked in Germany and visited Japan and Singapore in recent years. He has premiered works by composers including Bedford, Gregson, Horovitz, Stanhope, Vine and Woolfenden.

Graeme Smith, Treasurer

Graeme Smith, Head of Croydon Music and Arts Graeme studied the viola at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the National Centre for Orchestral Studies, gained a degree in mathematics at Cambridge University and trained as a teacher at the University of London Institute of Education.

After spells as a freelance viola player and mathematics teacher he embarked on a career in music education, first at St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh then with the East Sussex Music Service before moving to Croydon where he has been head of service since 2000.

He was part of the Federation of Music Services / National Association of Music Educators working party which developed the instrumental / vocal curriculum, A Common Approach, and took part in the Creativity across the Curriculum project at the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. He researched the effects of music education on general academic standards at the University of London Institute of Education, showing that involvement in music produced an average of half a grade difference across all GCSE subjects.

In addition to his role with FMS, Graeme was a member of the Music Manifesto Partnership and Advocacy Group (chaired by Darren Henley) and the Advisory Council of A New Direction (which led the roll out of Creative Partnerships across London and is now one of the Arts Council’s Bridge Delivery Organisations).

John Clemson, Secretary

Born and educated in Birmingham, John Clemson studied to diploma level at Birmingham School of Music (now Birmingham Conservatoire) with the ‘cello as his main instrument. He  then gained a Cert Ed and combined a career as a’ cello teacher, initially with Solihull Music Service, with work as a freelance musician. John moved from Solihull to Birmingham Music Service in 1976 and continued as a ‘cello teacher and added double bass. He introduced minibass teaching to the City and has many ex pupils, both ‘cello and double bass, active as players and teachers.

He has held a number of managerial posts in Birmingham at increasing levels of responsibility since 1991 and has been Head of Service since March 2000.  The Birmingham Music Service HMI/OFSTED inspection took place in March 2001 and from the report - “The Birmingham Music Service has strong management and is well led by the Head of Service, an established tutor and highly regarded in this new role”.

Since March 2000 the numbers of pupils supported each week by Birmingham Music Service has increased threefold and is now in excess of 27,000.

John has been a nationally elected representative for five years, and is now Secretary, of the Federation of Music Services. He is also Chair of the British Suzuki Institute School Committee and a trustee of Music Therapy Works. He is a governor of two primary schools and sits on a number of other management and advisory boards

He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Birmingham Conservatoire in June 2007.