Ian Chalk
Ian is the Musical Director for all our ensembles and learning groups so it makes sense to tell you something about him and his approach.
Based in York, Ian is a trumpet player performing throughout the UK and a well-known brass and jazz educator. He is a director of Yorkshire Performing Arts Ltd (YMF's parent company). Ian also provides individual brass tuition in schools and universities.
Ian creates all the musical scores for our ensembles. He tailors each score to the individual member, ensuring that they feel at ease while rehearsing and performing.
Approach
Ian sees himself as a music coach rather than a teacher or tutor and provides an encouraging environment, resources, and opportunities for developing musicians to build their skills and knowledge. He believes that musicians can only become incredible by taking their instrument seriously and committing sufficient time and energy to grooving their skills. Ian's role is to provide a pathway, support, and inspiration. He has a reputation for helping musicians make high-quality music within energetic and accurate ensembles through attention to detail while having lots of fun along the way. Additionally, Ian is first aid trained and DBS registered.
York Music Forum's Jazz Education Programme was a finalist in the Music Teacher Awards For Excellence in 2019 (Best Musical Initiative) and Ian was also a finalist in the York Culture Awards 2018 (Inspirational Teacher).
