“Artis is a beacon of good practice in the field of arts education in the UK, and the RNCM is proud to be their partner. It has been a pleasure to be involved in the accreditation of their first-class training and development programme – a vital pathway of learning for artists working in education.”

Linda Merrick holds the position of Principal and Professor at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). In this role, she is responsible for academic management, international development, and innovation/partnerships. Prior to becoming Vice-Principal, Linda was Director of the College’s prestigious Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL); a major initiative focusing on employability. As part of this initiative, Linda led the College’s ground-breaking developments in specialist teacher education and training, establishing the first undergraduate pathway leading to Qualified Teacher Status within the conservatoire sector in the UK. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), an auditor for the Quality Assurance Agency, a member of the Executive Committee of the Music Education Council and a member of the Advisory Council of the Institute of Music Research. She has also played an active role on the Council and National Teaching Fellowship Scheme and Senior Fellowship Panels for the HEA. A fellow of the RNCM and the Royal Society of Arts, and an alumna and Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, Linda maintains an active international career as a professional clarinettist, recording artist and clinician, specialising in commissioning new works by British composers. Her catalogue of over twenty solo CDs features much of this repertory, including nine new concertos, six clarinet quintets and over thirty solo and chamber ensemble works.