Bio:
Evadne Bygrave has worked in challenging primary and secondary London schools and abroad for over 20 years as Assistant Head Teacher, curriculum developer and subject leader. She has also served as a parent governor and Life Coach/mentor to teachers and students.
Her wide-ranging experience, including working with reluctant readers, helps her to create music using current and traditional compositions guaranteed to engage the children. Evadne writes all the songs delivered in Sing a Book’s Literacy based singing/song-writing workshops and after-school drama book clubs, which explores characters and authors’ central theme in books to help develops their inference skills using song.
Evadne has a detailed understanding of how children in developing countries value and crave education. This is reflected in the campaign song that she composed for The Steve Sinnott Foundation’s ‘Education for All ‘ awareness day and her recently opened initiative of The MaC (Mother & Children) Centre in Calderwood, Jamaica. The centre provides a safe place for mothers to interact with their children through play and early learning activities designed to help raise the literacy levels within the community.
In 2015, Evadne wrote and staged her first musical, an adaptation of Anthony Browne’s story ‘Into the Forest’, examining the thoughts and emotions of the main characters allowed children and audience to empathise with their dilemmas. She continues to write and direct musical theatre for Sing a Book Productions, encouraging and facilitating underrepresented communities to engage in theatre through participation and audience membership. The productions are based on the historical character Dido Elizabeth Belle, one of Britain’s first aristocrats of African descent, and other Black historical characters that have made significant contributions to the world.
Evadne continues to work with SEN children using a range of creative methods to engage, educate and inspire.
Experience within the Industry:
Specialist:
- Artistic Director /
- Creative Director /
- Director (musicals) /
- Lyricist /
- Scriptwriter /
- Songwriter