Jo originally trained at the Royal College of Music and began her career working with orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Jo is an experienced percussion teacher and workshop leader. She has spent many years working as a peripatetic music teacher in schools; running African Drumming Workshops; and previously running a range of exciting rhythm-based workshops with her groups, Tapatak. Jo currently runs Spoons Workshops for all ages, in schools, and for parties, festivals and other events. She teaches a variety of techniques and rhythms on an assortment of spoons, often accompanied by a fiddler or other musician.

Spoons Workshops are accessible for all ages and abilities, and help to develop many skills including: 

• rhythm
• co-ordination
• fine motor skills
• listening
• copying
• performance
• teamwork
• discipline
• creativity
• confidence

Spoons are great fun to play and we all have them in our homes, so there's no need to go out and buy expensive instruments!

Jo will provide an assortment of spoons - metal, wooden, plastic and joined-up ones for younger children and anyone having difficulty with the grip.

Participants learn a variety of techniques which are then built up to create a routine, often accompanying a song or tune.

Jo often works with another musician who will provide a fantastic instrumental accompaniment for the workshops.

Here's an informal video with fiddler Linda Game, giving an insight into the basics of spoon playing and the workshops - https://youtu.be/9ERU7Vl4LGM. This is just a starting point, and workshops will be geared towards the appropriate age and ability of the groups.

All workshops are tailored to suit your requirements and can be adapted to tie in with your particular theme or project. Usually sessions run throughout the day a class at a time, with the option of an introductory assembly and/or a sharing at the end of the day.

Jo has been DBS checked.

"Thank you both so much for a truly fantastic day! We all thoroughly enjoyed your sessions and I feel our children are so lucky to have had the opportunity to experience your workshop. Having live music is such a treat and I know it will have been the first time that many of them will have heard it first-hand and playing such unusual percussion instruments as the spoons will be something they will never forget... Aside from the rhythms, sounds, skills they learnt in playing the spoons you covered just about every 'physical' objective there is going: body awareness/bilateral integration/crossing the imaginary midline/hand-eye coordination/hand dominance/muscular strength/sensory processing and so it goes on!"
Anna Clow (École Internationale Bilingue, Paris)

"Jo leads her workshops with infectious energy and fun, leaving children and adults of allergies engaged, excited and eager for more!"
Cassie Tate (Education Manager, English Folk Song and Dance Society)

"The workshop presents a great overview of lots of different techniques; perfect for arming teachers with the basics of spoon-playing with scope for developing further in the classroom. Jo really breaks everything down into accessible chunks, meaning that even the most dubious participants quickly grasp some of the trickier rhythms. She’s an easy-going, charismatic workshop leader and it’s impossible not to be inspired by her infectious presentation style."
Louise Greener (Event Manager, Music and Drama Education Expo)