Steve Cook

Steve Cook is Senior Assistant Headteacher at Formby High School in Merseyside, leading on the development of the curriculum, teaching and learning, transition and community partnerships. 

He was Director of Performing Arts College for over ten years, leading an outstanding specialist college programme with a broad and diverse range of community outreach work.  He still teaches Music across the curriculum and is a respected Advanced Skills Teacher, both locally and nationally. Steve maintains a strong commitment to developing vocal music in school and leads the ‘FHS Singers’ training choir, the award-winning African choir ‘Mundo Afrika’ and a hugely popular community ‘G:Force Gospel Choir’. Repeated generations of ‘Mundo Afrika’ have achieved critical acclaim at the National Festival of Music for Youth, most recently at the ‘Music for Youth Proms’ at the Royal Albert Hall. In 2008, he spearheaded a major schools opera project ‘Itoku’ for Liverpool 08 Capital of Culture featuring over 1000 young performers from across Sefton, composed by Lin Marsh.  He has also collaborated on two other Lin Marsh commissions – a song cycle ‘Winter Solstice’ and the Remembrance-themed musical ‘Forgotten Voices’. Over recent years, he has become a loyal supporter of the UK Choir Festival. He has also taken his choirs around the word, performing across Europe and further afield in Kenya, China, Canada and even in Las Vegas!

Steve is always in great demand as a workshop leader across the country and supports the work of Sing Up, the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust, Keynote Educational and the new Chartered College of teaching, leading training in African vocal music, boys singing, transition projects, developing choral work and energising classroom singing in primary and secondary schools.  As a Lead Practitioner in Music for the SSAT and has presented on a range of themes at local, national and international events.  He leads numerous professional development events for primary and secondary music, including the outstanding music lessons, assessment for learning in music, as well as creative music making and world music workshops.