Meet John Crockford. He is a musician, member of the performing arts team who are Further Education Team of the Year Silver Award winners - awarded by Pearson Teaching Awards, and the Head of Curriculum for the Creative and Digital courses. Find out his thoughts on teaching and working at NewVIc.
On work-life:
Creativity, collaboration and thinking differently are embedded into the work we do here at NewVIc. The opportunities to learn and share skills across the creative and digital industries are exciting and essential for our students’ success. Anyone who has been in our musical theatre lessons might agree! Students here are amazing, diverse and stimulating. Makes you want to keep on coming back to NewVIc.

On most inspiring person you have met:
This is a difficult one, since inspiration comes in many forms. Musicians, artists, sports people and teachers have all made deep impressions on me. My dad’s father went from working in a pre-war Wagon works in Gloucester to setting up Hartpury Agricultural College as the first Bursar; his humanity and kindness has been perhaps the most significant for me however.

On your teaching career:
As an instrumentalist I went from studying music in Birmingham to directing and teaching jobs ending up in exploring East London’s sounds, sights and culture. Over 17 years my students have to get used to my eclectic tastes, experience in music and theatre; I still love connecting performing, technology and collaborative work to inspire and enable others to learn and be creative with my day to day work.

On student progression:
My students are now actors, dancers and of course musicians across a wide range of genres; from Alfa Mist and Junior Alli-Balogyn (getting to number one in the UK Jazz charts), Danielle Vitalis (presenting on BBC Studio’s Creator Residencies) and Naomi Scarlett (working with Dua Lipa and setting up her own business) to producers running recording studios, technical theatre and creative business entrepreneurs across the industry. The superb teachers I work alongside in the performing arts team have long lists of actors and dancers at the top levels of the creative industry. It’s amazing to hear the journeys of former students who we often welcome back into the college to lead workshops, give careers advice to our current students or just to catch up!

Meet more of our experts at newvic.ac.uk/meet-our-experts