Hazel is the music tutor on the Primary PGCE course at the UCL Institute of Education and a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant supporting the delivery of the MA in Music Education. She is a part-time doctoral researcher at UCL having completed an MA in Music Education in 2021 for which she was awarded a distinction and a Universal Music UK Sound Foundation Bursary. Hazel completed her undergraduate music degree at the University of Exeter (1997 - 2000) in which she specialised in solo and ensemble vocal performance. She completed a PGCE in Primary Education at the Institute of Education in 2005.

Hazel began her teaching career as a primary class teacher, Music Co-ordinator and TLR for Excellence and Enjoyment before specialising in music. As Head of Music, Hazel developed a thriving department at Coopersale Hall School in Epping (2008 - 2015). Parallel to this position, Hazel worked at Redbridge Music Service as a whole class music curriculum teacher, wider opportunities teacher and whole school singing leader.  Hazel has since taught music in the role of Music Lead at an academy and a community primary school. Hazel continues to teach in primary schools both as a music specialist and as a class teacher.

Hazel has designed music curricula for primary schools and has led professional development programmes for generalist class teachers as a freelance music specialist. She co-leads the music input of the Creative Writing through the Arts course, a professional development programme for generalist class teachers which is run by the Chafford Hundred Teaching School Hub and supported by the Essex Music Hub.

Hazel’s doctoral research focuses on the need, role and legacy of professional development and mentorship in music for primary generalist teachers. Her interests also include singing in the primary classroom and the role and impact of Ofsted inspections. Hazel collaborated with Wac Arts, Camden on the UCL’s Evaluation Exchange programme during the first year of her doctoral studies. Working with two other postgraduate students, she helped to improve the organisation’s impact measurement which resulted in this student team being nominated for a UCL Volunteer Award in 2022.

Hazel presented a content analysis of primary school music deep dive Ofsted inspection reports at the UCL Institute of Education Doctoral Student Summer Conference in 2022. She also presented her findings from an action research project on composition and informal learning in primary schools at the UCL’s Culture, Communication and Media Jamboree in 2021.