Carolyn Baxendale

• Job title: Member of the Governing Body since January 2015
• Department(s): Governance
• Specialism(s): Governors

Carolyn graduated with a Master of Music from Manchester University in 1984 and has followed this with a career in music education. After teaching music in primary and secondary schools Carolyn joined Bolton Music Service, in 1999, as an Advanced Skills teacher. She has been Head of Bolton Music Service from 2008 – 2025, focusing the quality of music education in local schools and increasing musical opportunities for local children. Bolton Music Service has been the lead organisation in the Greater Manchester Music Hub since 2012, and Carolyn has worked with a wide range of regional and national partners to ensure that music education is supported and continues to thrive in our Greater Manchester region.

Carolyn is a national advocate for music education and through her contributions to Arts Council England development groups, the ABRSM Music Education Committee, the Music Commission (2019) and DfE panels for the Model Music Curriculum and the National Plan for Music Education, she aims to influence the national debate on the future of music education. She is currently a board member at Chetham’s School of Music and the charity Trust Music. Her musical expertise lies in choral work, and she currently directs a number of choirs. She was awarded an MBE in January 2016 for services to music and the community in Bolton and was awarded Honorary Membership of the RNCM in 2023.