Dr. Anna Bull is a Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Justice and Co-director of The 1752 Group. We return to Zoom to speak with her about class and socioeconomic issues in the classical music industry, and pick her brains about what, if anything, can be done. She also tells us about her work on sexual harassment in music conservatoires, and why the master-apprentice model has created a particularly risky environment.

Anna is speaking at the Class Ceiling conference on 9th December 2025. Free and discounted tickets are available.

Read more of Anna's work:

Bull, A., & Prince, K. (2025). Addressing harassment and sexual misconduct experienced by postgraduate researchers. The 1752 Group.https://1752group.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/harassment_pgrs.pdf

Read an interview about the toolkit for addressing harassment and sexual misconduct among postgraduate researchers, and read Anna's comment piece in Nature about the toolkit.

Bull, Anna. 2025. ‘Gender Inequalities in UK Music Higher Education: The Role of Institutional Stratification’. British Journal of Sociology of Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2025.2502802.

Bull, A., & Bradley, A. (2025). Losing Confidence and Networks as an Impact of Staff/Faculty-Student Sexual Harassment: Quantitative Findings From the UK. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605251322814

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Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.

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Support TMDTA

Want to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trigger Warning: suicidal ideation from 13:50 to 18:00

Is it ethical that musicians feels 'owned' or controlled by their donors? Today in The Break Down, we are discussing philanthropy in classical music and opera, Hattie's recent experience of depression and the strife of misogyny, sadly still in some of Rebecca's orchestral experiences

Watch this episode on Youtube here.

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Thank you to ABRSM for sponsoring this episode. Explore the drum kit exams and syllabus here

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Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Support TMDTA

Want to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta

Feeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-about

Find TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast

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Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca Toal

Editor: Hattie Butterworth

Music: Katy Ehrlich

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our rebranded 'chatty episodes' - now, with middling irony and an exaggerated sense of self-awareness, called The Break Down.

Hattie brings our Classical Strife newsletter segment to the podcast, we chat about The Met x Saudi Arabia's hot new #collab, we dis/agree on activism, and come to the usual conclusion that mental health is difficult.

Like, subscribe, review (if it's nice), and share with both friends and enemies.

Watch this episode on Youtube here.

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A big thank you to our sponsors for this episode, ABRSM. Check out their new woodwind syllabus here.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Support TMDTA

Want to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta

Feeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-about

Find TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast

-------------------------------------------------------------

Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca Toal

Editor: Rebecca Toal

Music: Katy Ehrlich

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.