Candida Tobin

Candida Tobin, Hon FTCL, LTCL (5 January 1926-14 December 2008), was the author of the Tobin Method, a music education system for teaching music theory and practice to students of all ages and abilities.

Personal Life

Tobin was born Doreen Pugh in Chingford, Essex on 5 January 1926. She married John Tobin, and had two children, Penelope & David Richard Tobin.

Career

• Studied at the Royal Academy of Music; in 1942, aged 16, she became the youngest adult pupil.
• Studied at Trinity College of Music (LTCL)
• Taught in London as peripatetic teacher.
• Began writing on teaching the theory of music through visual interpretations.
• Taught in Hertfordshire at a private school, comprehensive school and college of education.
• 1969. Eight books published by Ginn.
• 1970. Advisory teacher to 136 primary schools in Hertfordshire. She bought back book rights and self-published. She later wrote and published thirty books on Tobin System of Music Education.
• 1972. Awarded Honorary Fellowship by Trinity College (Hon FTCL)
• 1974. Lectured at the XIth Conference of the International Society for Music Education in Australia.
• 1976. Lectured at the European Conference for International Schools in Amsterdam.
• 1989. Produced composition programme for use with BBC computer. Lectured in colleges in Great Britain, Europe, Canada, America and Australia.
• 1990. Adapted method for Virgin multimedia CDTV application. Produced Musicolor
• 1992. Musicolor won European award for best educational multimedia programme EMMA and British equivalent BIMA.
• 1996. Produced programme for CD-ROM application for Europress (Music Key Stages 1 & 2).
• 1998. Wrote musical Cardboard Box Christmas to raise money for the homeless. This was presented at Westminster Abbey for the crib service. Europress taken over by Hasbro – bought back all rights, Tobin Music now produce and distribute Musicolour themselves. Every year, under the auspices of Trinity College of Music ran a series of courses, ranging from infant, primary, secondary school music classes as well as courses on composition, classical guitar, piano and the recorder.
• 2003. The material was successful in its application to be registered as a Content Provider under Curriculum Online and that a contract exists between Candida and the secretary of State.

Death

Tobin died at her UK home in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire on December 14, 2008, aged 82, following a two-year battle with cancer.

External links

• The Guardian obituary, 26 January 2009