Barbara Pointon 13th August 1939 – 21st June 2020
With thanks to John for co-ordinating the contributions and for this own introduction to such a remarkable, talented, hard-working and caring person. The memories shared below are ‘topped and tailed’ by Janet Macleod and Sue Pinner who first came to Homerton as students. After Janet’s contribution comes two from Pat Cooper and Trish Maude, Homerton Colleagues and eventually members of Emeritus. Chris Doddington and Philip Rundall then share some reminiscences of some very enjoyable and successful collaborative ‘arts’ adventures. The penultimate contribution is from Jane Edden who worked with Barbara in the Music Department, but that is only for starters. The love and respect that everyone had for Barbara shines through their accounts – she was indeed a very special person. Ed.
Memories of Barbara
B
arbara Pointon was in charge of Music at Homerton when I first started to work at the College, and I would first of all like to acknowledge the enormous debt of gratitude that I owe to her for giving me that chance. She was an amazing woman, who worked tirelessly for the students, for music and for music’s role in the school curriculum. As someone with very little teaching experience in schools myself, I was relieved to find myself responsible for the more subject-based aspects of the B.Ed music course, and for attempting to build bridges between that course and the Faculty of Music in West Road. I think it would be fair to say that relations with that Faculty were somewhat sticky at that time, but over the years it became possible to improve that situation to everyone’s benefit. Barbara was always very much the heart of the old Trumpington House Music Department, and many generations of music students were made to feel themselves to be a part of her extended family, and of course, being located at some distance from the main college buildings, we could make as much noise as we liked. Although Barbara took early retirement not long after I began to work at Homerton, we kept in touch for many years, a time when Barbara devoted herself to healthcare issues, prompted by Malcolm’s early onset of dementia, and for which she received national recognition when awarded the MBE. I fully agree with Janet Macleod’s comment in her contribution below that Barbara should also have received national recognition for her work in music education. Rather than write a formal obituary, it was decided that for the RSM Newsletter, a number of colleagues and former students would be invited to share their personal memories of Barbara, and these are collected below. At a time when the kind of music, the approach to music education, and the set of musical values that Barbara embodied and fought for, are under attack from several sides, these shared memories of a passionate, warm and generous personality are extremely welcome. John Hopkins
I
am part of that generation of Homertonions – all women then – for whom the Music Department meant David [Hindley], Barbara and Malcolm, yet when I arrived in 1972 Barbara wasn't there. She was on maternity leave, but wasted little time in returning to full time work, a relatively unusual decision back then. We saw her do it, we marvelled at her ability to juggle family and professional life and we talked about the fact that, one day, we could do the same; we didn't have to limit our ambitions. Trumpington House felt like a world apart but it was our home and Barbara, always approachable, always concerned for us as individuals, made it a warm and welcoming place to learn and grow. Barbara encouraged us to think clearly for ourselves about what we were teaching, why it was important and how it could best be achieved and developed. An example – we remember learning from her how not to run a singing lesson. We were her class and she, the well meaning and enthusiastic teacher who incorporated every classic mistake into the session for us to recognise, diagnose, consider and overcome. It encapsulated so much of what she taught us about what a music lesson should be: musical, practical, thought provoking, engaging, collaborative and, of course, thoroughly enjoyable. Barbara's influence and legacy will endure as so many of her students have gone on to teach and train successive generations of practitioners. Her belief in creative and active music making in the classroom continues to be passed on, touching so many lives. I know that I am not the only person who, while rsma newsletter september 2021 page 29
