First Music Teacher of the Year award winners announced

12 November 2013, 15:34 | Updated: 15 December 2016, 11:50

The first winners of the Music Teacher of the Year Awards have been announced at the Music For Youth Schools Prom at the Royal Albert Hall.

Joint winners in the Primary School category were Kate Smart and Siobahn Martin.

Smart, who is a teacher at Corpus Christi School in Lambeth, South London, paid tribute to her supportive head teacher: "I'm really lucky that my head loves music, so he's given me free reign! I'm allowed to do anything I like."

Martin, who teaches at Holy Cross Boys Primary in Belfast, said that enthusiasm was key to her success: "I'd like to think it's because I'm enthusiastic and I give my class a good laugh."

Winner of the of the Secondary School Music Teacher of the Year was Rebecca Lewis, who works at Parkside Federation Academies in Cambridgeshire. She commented: "I work with some amazing students and some incredible colleagues. What we do ever day is probably pretty special, but it's just the norm for us."

Composer Karl Jenkins and host Classic FM's Jamie Crick were on hand to present the winners with their awards during the epic concert, the first of three this week that all celebrate the work of Music For Youth. Tim Lihoreau was backstage at the Schools Prom to chat to the winners: