FED Council Member: Deborah trained as an employment lawyer becoming a partner in the City in 1998. In May 2008, she became Chief Executive at the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the UK’s professional body for musicians. Set up in 1882, the ISM has almost 11,000 members covering every aspect of the music sector, including education from early years to university. In 2012, Deborah set up the influential cross-arts Bacc for the Future campaign which lobbies for creative subjects to be taught in our schools.
The ISM campaigns tirelessly for strong music education in our schools. In February 2019, under the auspices of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Music Education, the ISM, together with Dr Ally Daubney and Gary Spruce, published ‘Music Education: State of the Nation’ which has shaped the discussion around music education in the UK.
Deborah was also a member of the Ofsted Advisory Group on music education and the new inspection framework