Following his graduation from Goldsmiths’ College, University of London, Cormac Loane worked as a saxophone player ‘on the boats’ and at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens during the late 1970s. In 1980 he started his career in music education, teaching woodwind instruments for music services in the London area, including the Inner London Education Authority. He was appointed head of woodwind for the Birmingham Music Service in 1984, and was later promoted to deputy head of service. In 1986 he established the Birmingham Schools’ Jazz Orchestra, which went on to perform with some of the country’s leading jazz musicians including John Dankworth and Georgie Fame. Following his retirement from the Birmingham Music Service in 2013, Cormac resumed his career as a jazz saxophonist, and continued to teach on a part-time basis for music services in the West Midlands. He is co-author of the series of music tutor books, Team Woodwind, and author of Improvising on a Theme: The story of the Birmingham Music Service (UCL IOE Press, 2020).