Breaking Shackles: Liberating the Mind for Learning

Michael Griffin is an educator, keynote speaker, author and pianist.

Griffin’s talks to staff, students and parents, examine the factors that impact continuous improvement toward exceptional achievement. Whilst a learning mindset provides the autonomous volition to embark upon this journey, the greatest influence of progress – music and otherwise – is the quality and the quantity of effort, or in musical terminology – practice time. Indeed, Griffin’s books Children and Learning – For Parents and Learning Strategies for Musical Success investigates these concepts in detail providing pragmatic solutions for parents, general teachers and music teachers.

Griffin also presents to full staffs and student bodies on teacher/student mindsets, metacognition, intrinsic motivation and deliberate practice. He has spoken to groups of staff, students, parents, corporate and community audiences in more than 400 settings in 30 countries throughout the world. A full list of client schools can be accessed here.

Griffin has been the Keynote or Consultant Speaker at several global education events including the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS, Dubai) European Council for International Schools (Hamburg and Nice), Association of International Schools Africa Educators' Conference (South Africa), English Schools’ Foundation (Hong Kong), International Educators Conference (Brunei), APEP Member Schools Conference (Thailand), British Schools of the Middle East Arts Conference (Dubai and Oman), Qatar Music Academy (Doha), Association Genevoise des Ecoles Privées (Switzerland), Maryborough Music Conference (QLD, Australia) to name but a selection. He has been an invited guest at the New Horizons adult education program in New York State and has consulted for Cambridge University Press designing curriculum for the government of Kazakhstan.

As a conductor, Griffin’s choral ensembles have received more than 40 prizes and awards (half of these first prizes) in Australian competitions including Australia’s top choral prize at the time, the Australasian Open Choral Championship. Griffin has adjudicated at several eisteddfods and been guest conductor for major events including the Pemulwuy National Male Voice Festival, and events in Switzerland, Asia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. He is a recipient of the South Australian Education and Arts Ministers’ Prize and is listed in the inaugural Who’s Who South Australia.

As well as the widely acclaimed Learning Strategies for Musical Success, Griffin is the author of several music education books including Bumblebee! Rounds & Warm-up for Choirs and Modern Harmony Method. As a pianist, Griffin has held guest residencies at Dubai’s Burj al Arab as well as repeat invitations to Australia’s Hayman Island. Classical piano recordings include the compilations Consolation (2013) and Shimmer (2014). As a teacher in schools, Griffin held a range of posts up to Deputy Head level.