Noel Dennis

Noel is Principal Lecturer (Programmes), Course Leader for the MBA, a professional jazz musician and founder and former co-editor of Arts and the Market (formally Arts Marketing an International Journal). Noel has a passion for learning and teaching and is an advocate of adopting creative methods in the classroom. He uses his musical experience to offer a creative approach to business education - specifically strategic management, entrepreneurship and leadership. He explores the dynamics of jazz improvisation and presents its relevance to organizations. Through music, he demonstrates the key characteristics of creative action to outline methods to develop improvisation and creativity within a business. He has facilitated many jazz workshops with organizations in the public and private sector and his highly creative approach has garnered significant interest from both the academic and business communities, including a recent feature in the Times Higher Educational Supplement.

Noel leads his own band and has played alongside the likes of Andy Sheppard, John Warren, Tommy Smith, John Surman, Mark Nightingale, Tim Garland, Pete Churchill, Dave O’Higgins, Jim Mullen, Bob Mintzer and Michael Garrick. His main musical influences include: Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Clifford Brown, Woody Shaw, Gerard Presencer, Paolo Fresu and Alex Sipiagin.

Noel also writes and records incidental music for TV (for Audio Network PLC) and works closely with renowned composer and producer- Bob Bradley. Noel and Bob’s music can be regularly heard on a variety of TV programmes, including Location, Location, Location, Gok Wan’s Fashion Fix, Top Gear, Hollyoaks, The One Show, The Gadget Show and on commercials such as the 2010 Panasonic Lumix TV advertisement.

Noel is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, The Chartered Management Institute and the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing. He is lead examiner for the IFY Business programmes delivered by the Northern Consortium UK (NCUK) and for the Marketing suite of programmes delivered at Stirling University, Scotland.