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 E. Pugh in Chingford, Essex on 5 January 1926 and grew up there with elder sisters Phyllis and Barbara. Tobin was married twice, firstly to Derrick Llewelyn Mason (1924-1989) in 1949, and divorced soon after without any issue. She subsequently married John M. Tobin in 1960, and had two children, Penelope A. & 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.[1]