David Barton

About Me

Born in Winchester in 1983, David has worked passionately within the field of music education for over 20 years. He has taught flute, piano and singing privately since 2001, and in particular, has specialised in teaching adult amateurs. Based in Lichfield, Staffordshire, David has been a Trustee and Secretary of the Lichfield Festival of Music since 2016. David is an ISM Fellow and Ambassador, and holds ISM Registered Private Teacher Status.

Committed to offering CPD opportunities for for instrumental teachers, over the past 10 years, David has developed an online mentoring programme for those working towards teaching diplomas. He has mentored a whole range of teachers all over the world, and continues to develop his provision in this area. He writes a successful blog, working with a number of publishers including Faber Music, Hal Leonard, OUP and ABRSM, to review and promote music. He has been a syllabus consultant for both ABRSM and LCM Examinations.

As a Composer and Arranger, David has over 100 works published in the UK and overseas. Performances take place worldwide, notably in the US. A Celtic Blessing was selected as a JWPepper Editor’s Choice and has sold over 3,500 copies, whilst God So Loved the World was selected for performance at the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music. He is a Writer Member of both PRS and MCPS.

Following an MEd at The Open University, David is an active researcher in the field of music education, completing a PhD at the Royal College of Music, London, in 2020, where his thesis focussed on autonomy and control in private music teaching. He has written for a number of publications, including Music Teacher, Piano Professional, Cathedral Music, the British Journal of Music Education, and PAN. He has been a Research Consultant with ABRSM and a Graduate Teaching Assistant at the Royal College of Music, London. He is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

He was a finalist in the Musicians’ Union Inspiration Award category at the Music Teacher Awards for Excellence in 2018. He is also active as a piano accompanist, and is an organist and trustee of Lichfield Methodist Church.