The Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards 2025 with ABRSM – nominate an inspiring teacher!
28 April 2025, 08:00
The Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards are back for 2025, with £20,000 of musical instruments and equipment up for grabs thanks to Viking.
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The Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards in partnership with the UK’s leading music exam board ABRSM recognise and reward incredible music teachers.
Every year, we celebrate inspiring musical educators from across the nation who are making a real difference to the musical lives of young people. And now, nominations are open again for 2025 – with a sixth category added and a pot of £20,000 of musical equipment to be won thanks to Viking!
Teachers can be nominated into ONE of the following categories:
- Teachers of Primary School Age
- Teachers of Secondary/High School Age
- SEND Music Teachers
- Visiting Music Teachers
- Lifetime Achievement (NEW 2025 category)
- Best Music Learning Initiative
The six category winners in The Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards will each receive a share from a pot of £20,000 of music equipment of their choice for their school, all thanks to Viking. Entries close on Sunday 20 July 2025.
How to submit a nomination
- Go to classicfm.com/music-teacher-of-the-year-2025
- In the text boxes provided, provide the name, address, and email address of the teacher you are nominating, and the name and address of the school they are affiliated with, if applicable. Please note you must have obtained the consent of the person you’re nominating.
- In the forms provided, describe in 500 words or less why the teacher you are nominating deserves recognition; and in 500 words or less, provide a list of examples of the great work they have done.
- Register your details.
All eligible submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges including one independent judge, according to the teacher's impact, their ambition and ability to inspire, and how they have been a role model for great teaching practice.
After entries close, a panel of expert industry judges will select a winner from the first five categories, and draw up a shortlist for the sixth category, which will go to a public vote.
Past winner story
Helen Minshall, winner of the Visiting Teacher category in the Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards 2024, works for Lancashire Music Service and as Youth Development Brass Specialist for Brass Bands England, which takes her all over the country visiting schools, delivering workshops and sharing her passion for brass playing.
She told Dan Walker on Classic FM Breakfast that the award “means absolutely everything in the world”, and said she would use the money to support the Lancashire Youth Brass Band.
“I’ve spent 40 years and more teaching children and I’m absolutely passionate about my work. I work with some fantastic teams of colleagues, and everyone’s pulled together to kind of make this happen,” Helen said.
“I love the way [brass band playing] brings people together. Children walk through the doors of the band, and they sit down, and within minutes, they found their community. They found a sense of purpose in their lives. That’s what happened to me when I was a young person.”
