Vicky joined Durham Music Service in 2003 to take up the post of a Woodwind Teacher, having previously worked in the West Midlands for both Wolverhampton and Birmingham Music Services.

She is originally from central Scotland and started learning the oboe at the age of 13. At 17, she went on to study oboe at the Royal Scottish Conservatoire (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama).  After graduation, she then made the brave move south to study part time for an MA in Performance at Birmingham Conservatoire, while also teaching across the area. It was at this point she realised how much she loved teaching and this was the direction she wanted to move in to.

Vicky was placed in the East Team of DMS in 2003 and has worked in this team ever since, taking over as Area Manager in 2007. She is very proud of the very strong team ethic within the East and feels that this has enabled large scale gala events, such as the First Access Bonanza (2013) and Brasstonbury (2014) to be such a success. A particular highlight was the second phase of DMS partnership with the Halle Orchestra in 2015.

Vicky’s other role within the service is as First Access Coordinator. The role (Wider Opportunities Coordinator as was) was created in 2006 to oversee the very first whole class projects, of which there were twelve. Vicky tries to do music as much as possible outwith work and plays with local orchestras and choral societies.