Andy Gleadhill Biography
Andy Gleadhill is a multi-award-winning Author, Musician and Educator.
As a musician Andy has played with some of the leading Recording Artists and Orchestras in the world for Film, Television, and Recording Sessions as well as many of London's West End Shows.
As an Ethnomusicologist, Andy has travelled widely around the world especially in Africa, South America, Southeast Asia and India playing and learning about music of other cultures and regularly lectures on the Music of Diverse Cultures. Andy Gleadhill is internationally acknowledged as a leading authority on teaching World Music (Music Teacher Magazine). He has had many papers and articles published on World Music and Music Education topics and his books have been published on African Drumming, African Drumming Book Two, Indonesian Gamelan, Brazilian Samba, the Music of India, Caribbean Steel Pans, Composing with World Music, Classroom Percussion, Percussion Buddies, and Western Classical Music. Andy wrote the chapter on Music for the academic book “Popular Culture, Pedagogy and Teacher Education in Education” (Routledge 2014).
Andy has worked at every level of music education from Early Years settings to Post Graduate teaching at Conservatoires and Universities around the world. For twenty years he has been, and remains, an associate lecturer at Bath Spa University U.K. where he teaches on the specialist music PGCE courses. He is a visiting Professor at the Malaysia Music Teachers Training College and holds a PGCert from Keele University, the Certificate in Music Therapy, the Diploma in Sound Therapy and a Diploma in Music.
Andy was for many years the head of Bristol Arts and Music Service and the director of the Bristol Centre for Music and the Arts which he built into a leading music support service and where he pioneered the introduction of world music styles for class instrumental teaching, setting new standards in accessibility and inclusiveness. He went on to establish and become the founding head of the Music Education Hub “Bristol Plays Music” now known as Bristol Beacon. Andy has also served on the Music Hub Advisory Group for Arts Council England. He is a member of the Royal Society of Musicians and serves on the Executive Committee of the British Musicians’ Union. He is active as a composer having had his music recorded and published as well as broadcast by the BBC. Andy has also worked as an examiner for the Guildhall school of Music and Drama and Trinity College London, has co-authored the Trinity/Guildhall Drum Kit examination syllabus and has been retained as a consultant to the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and RSL Awards (Rockschool).
During the Covid pandemic lockdown Andy developed his project “Music, Mindfulness and Wellbeing in a Post Covid World” which harnesses the healing properties of a wide range of music from different cultures around the world to help students and teachers to promote relaxation, mindfulness, and wellbeing.
In 2021 Andy was appointed as Global Ambassador for the British company Percussion Plus and in 2024 his latest book “Slap Djembe” won the award for the Outstanding Music Education Print Resource at the Music and Drama Education Awards in London.
Andy balances his work as a Professional Musician and Education Consultant with delivering Global Music Workshops, Teacher Training and Professional Development to Ministries of Education, leading International Schools, Colleges, Universities and Conservatoires around the world.
As a musician Andy has played with some of the leading Recording Artists and Orchestras in the world for Film, Television, and Recording Sessions as well as many of London's West End Shows.
As an Ethnomusicologist, Andy has travelled widely around the world especially in Africa, South America, Southeast Asia and India playing and learning about music of other cultures and regularly lectures on the Music of Diverse Cultures. Andy Gleadhill is internationally acknowledged as a leading authority on teaching World Music (Music Teacher Magazine). He has had many papers and articles published on World Music and Music Education topics and his books have been published on African Drumming, African Drumming Book Two, Indonesian Gamelan, Brazilian Samba, the Music of India, Caribbean Steel Pans, Composing with World Music, Classroom Percussion, Percussion Buddies, and Western Classical Music. Andy wrote the chapter on Music for the academic book “Popular Culture, Pedagogy and Teacher Education in Education” (Routledge 2014).
Andy has worked at every level of music education from Early Years settings to Post Graduate teaching at Conservatoires and Universities around the world. For twenty years he has been, and remains, an associate lecturer at Bath Spa University U.K. where he teaches on the specialist music PGCE courses. He is a visiting Professor at the Malaysia Music Teachers Training College and holds a PGCert from Keele University, the Certificate in Music Therapy, the Diploma in Sound Therapy and a Diploma in Music.
Andy was for many years the head of Bristol Arts and Music Service and the director of the Bristol Centre for Music and the Arts which he built into a leading music support service and where he pioneered the introduction of world music styles for class instrumental teaching, setting new standards in accessibility and inclusiveness. He went on to establish and become the founding head of the Music Education Hub “Bristol Plays Music” now known as Bristol Beacon. Andy has also served on the Music Hub Advisory Group for Arts Council England. He is a member of the Royal Society of Musicians and serves on the Executive Committee of the British Musicians’ Union. He is active as a composer having had his music recorded and published as well as broadcast by the BBC. Andy has also worked as an examiner for the Guildhall school of Music and Drama and Trinity College London, has co-authored the Trinity/Guildhall Drum Kit examination syllabus and has been retained as a consultant to the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and RSL Awards (Rockschool).
During the Covid pandemic lockdown Andy developed his project “Music, Mindfulness and Wellbeing in a Post Covid World” which harnesses the healing properties of a wide range of music from different cultures around the world to help students and teachers to promote relaxation, mindfulness, and wellbeing.
In 2021 Andy was appointed as Global Ambassador for the British company Percussion Plus and in 2024 his latest book “Slap Djembe” won the award for the Outstanding Music Education Print Resource at the Music and Drama Education Awards in London.
Andy balances his work as a Professional Musician and Education Consultant with delivering Global Music Workshops, Teacher Training and Professional Development to Ministries of Education, leading International Schools, Colleges, Universities and Conservatoires around the world.
