My friend and colleague Anice Paterson, who has died of cancer aged 74, was a leading figure in music education dedicated to supporting teachers.

As music adviser for Leicestershire in the late 1980s and early 90s, Anice led a team that provided professional development for primary school teachers. She initiated courses for trainees at Leicester University and oversaw the publication of teaching resources.

She was active in community music in the county, conducted the Charnwood Choral Society and ran choral workshops. Anice was also a driving force in founding the Helix Ensemble, a semi-professional chamber orchestra with an unusual repertoire. Her youth theatre work ensured high quality performances were given in Leicestershire, at the Edinburgh festival and during tours of mainland Europe.

Anice played a key role in establishing the National Association of Music Educators, serving on its executive for many years and as chair in 1999-2000. She was largely responsible for developing the association’s publications, giving her attention to the quality of their content and design.

After retiring, she and her husband, Bruce, moved to Kendal, Cumbria. She undertook a research post at Bath Spa University, worked with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and was an additional inspector for Ofsted. She was also awarded a Churchill scholarship, investigating primary music education and professional development for teachers in Australia.

In Kendal she became a member of the board of trustees of the Brewery Arts Centre, which she subsequently chaired for five years. Anice had a huge capacity for work. Her leadership skills and her ability to listen meant that her advice, underpinned by strong values, was considered and well-informed.

One of four children of Peter Venables, a university administrator who later became the first vice-chancellor of Aston University, and his wife, Ethel (nee Howell), an educational psychologist, Anice was born in Stonethwaite, Cumbria, and grew up in Manchester and Birmingham. She studied music and French at Durham University, where she met Bruce Paterson. They married in 1963. After teaching for two years in Bristol and three in Ghana, they settled in Loughborough, where they brought up their three children.

Throughout her life, Anice was admired for her warmth, generosity and welcoming spirit. She was known for her down-to-earth approach that was always concerned with the education of young people.

She is survived by Bruce, their children, Matthew, Jenny and Stephen, and granddaughter, Freya, and her brothers, Roger and John. Her sister, Clare, predeceased her.