The Junior Choir of St Michael and All Angels, Bassett (St Michael’s)

St Michael’s is a partner of the SIOWM supporting concerts and events throughout the year.

Its Junior Choir practises every week in term time, and provides the opportunity for young people to receive a thorough training in music theory and practice, while participating in the centuries-old tradition of English church music that is envied the world over. It’s open to all children in Year 3 and above regardless of previous musical experience. The free singing and music tuition follows the Royal School of Church Music’s “Voice for Life” training scheme.

As well as weekly practices and monthly church services, choristers also have the opportunity to sing at other events including concerts, cathedral visits, weddings, and social events, and partner-events organised with the SIOMM.

Andrew Hanley, St Michael’s Director of Music, is a professional musician with comprehensive knowledge of choral music. He is assisted by a team of scholars and other experienced choir members, who run the programme for junior singers. Everyone involved in training choristers is checked and supervised in accordance robust safeguarding policies.

We have now added St Michael’s Junior Choir to our Music Hub Recommends section on our Music Groups page, where you will find links to groups, bands, orchestras and ensembles in Southampton and the Isle of Wight which are led or supported by SIOW Music and our partners.

St Michael’s Junior Choir

A wonderful opportunity to learn music and contribute month by month to the services at St Michael’s. Suitable for Year 3 and above - no musical experience necessary.

Isle of Wight Awarded Prestigious EFFE Seal for Commitment to Cultural Festivals!

Creative Island is delighted to announce that the Isle of Wight has officially been awarded the prestigious EFFE Seal for its commitment to cultural festivals and recognised as a member of the European Festivals Association (EFA). This achievement celebrates the Island’s remarkable contribution to cultural and artistic excellence, elevating its vibrant festival scene to a global stage.

The EFFE Seal, a hallmark of quality for Europe’s most distinguished festivals, recognises creativity, cultural diversity, and meaningful community impact. This recognition highlights the extraordinary cultural richness and community spirit of the Isle of Wight’s festival sector. With events spanning a wide range of themes and sizes, the Island’s festivals have long been at the heart of its identity. Creative Island proudly applied for this distinction on behalf of the entire sector.

The Isle of Wight’s festivals not only offer a wide array of artistic and cultural experiences but also highlight the Island’s unique status as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This achievement underscores the Island’s dedication to sustainability, heritage, and fostering meaningful connections through culture.

Creative Island is honoured to represent the Isle of Wight in this global network and looks forward to building on this success to promote the Island as a beacon for cultural innovation and collaboration.

 

Creative Island is the Cultural Development Agency for the Isle of Wight, dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for everyone on the Island. The organisation focuses on making the best use of existing resources, nurturing talent, fostering collaboration between the Island’s heritage and creative sectors, and attracting new investment to support cultural development.

Creative Island is also committed to encouraging generosity, building connections with other Island communities worldwide that face similar challenges, and showcasing the Isle of Wight as a contemporary, vibrant collection of 33 parishes, nine towns, and one united Island.

Funding Opportunity - for Young Island Creatives!

A new round of Mike Howley Trust funding will be open for applications from Monday 20th January 2025!

This funding is available for 18-30 year old creatives on the Isle of Wight who want to develop their skills in music, dance, theatre/film, or writing.

Funding can be used towards training, coaching, recording, rehearsal space, staging, publishing, instruments, equipment, conference fees/travel/hotel, legal fees, etc.

Awards of £500, £1000, and £1500 are available. 
For funding information & application guidelines, please use the button below.

Deadline to apply: Monday 17 February, midnight.

For funding information and application guidelines, please visit Quay Arts website: www.quayarts.org/mike-howley-trust-funding/

If you would like to discuss your ideas / get advice before applying, please do not hesitate to get in touch. The Arts Team are happy to have a chat anytime, please email artsteam@quayarts.org or call 01983 822490.

FIND OUT MORE AND Apply Now!

This funding is available for 18-30 year old creatives on the Isle of Wight who want to develop their skills in music, dance, theatre/film, or writing.

Local musicians invited to Turner Sims' Turn It Up 2025!

Turner Sims is launching the second edition of Turn It Up, a development opportunity for local musicians. Turn up the volume on your project and prepare to perform at our summer festival.

Do you have a project idea you want to develop and present to new audiences live? Are you ready to develop your craft and boost your professional career? We will help you develop your project and provide a national platform for you to perform it.

You can find full details of this opportunity, along with other support, resources and CPD for Music Leaders, Peripatetic Teachers and Musicians on our Professional Development for Music Leaders page.

Online Briefing Sessions:

  • Tuesday 21 January 10-10.30am 

  • Tuesday 21 January 7-7.30pm 

Deadline to apply: Sunday 2 February 2025 

FIND OUT MORE AND Apply Now!

The selected artist will receive a tailored package to support their development and performance.

Rising Stars: Open Mic Night! at The Stage Door

Returning for 2025! Our monthly Open Mic Night for talented musicians in the City.

Every first Tuesday of the month, young musicians in Southampton perform and share their music, across a wide variety of instruments, genres and styles. This open mic night returned on 7th January and will continue next month on Tuesday 4 February at 6-9pm!

We are delighted to continue partnering with The Stage Door and J Fashole-Luke to host these events.

Each night features a house band of local musicians with a wide variety of styles, genres and instruments who will host and support young people to participate. 

Dates for this year:

4th February 2025

4th March 2025

1st April 2025

6th May 2025

3rd June 2025

1st July 2025

Interested in taking part?

Find out all you need to know about the Open Mic Nights and sign up to perform as a young musician!

Pyramid Concert on Saturday 1 February

Southampton & Isle of Wight Music and Friends of the Southampton Youth Orchestras will present their annual Pyramid Concert on Saturday 1 February.

Featuring Southampton Youth Orchestra, Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia, Southampton Youth Strings & Elgar and special guests BOOM!

Come along and enjoy this special event at Central Hall!

The full poster, event listing and ticket booking details can be found below.

Job Vacancy: Join the Out On An Island Team!

Out On An Island are on the lookout for a Part-Time Project Assistant (Freelance – 8hrs/week) based on the Isle of Wight for our National Lottery Community-funded project, Out On An Island – Building Bridges.

This is a varied, hybrid role with the opportunity to use your creativity and individuality. Duties include, but not limited to: administration, social media, assisting and representing StoneCrabs in meetings and networking events. A great prospect to work with a socially engaged and supportive team dedicated to promoting inclusion and community cohesion through the arts!

Important Dates:

Q&A Open Session: Tuesday January 7 at 4pm
(Email outonanisland@stonecrabs.co.uk to register for the link)

️ Application Deadline: Monday January 13 midnight

️ Interviews: Monday January 20, in person on the Isle of Wight

Application Process:
Please email your application, including a letter of suitability (up to 1 side of A4) or a link to a sound recording or video (max 10 mins) and an up-to-date CV, to outonanisland@stonecrabs.co.uk

For the full job description and application pack click here.

StoneCrabs is committed to inclusivity and encourages applications from LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities and from global majority backgrounds.

 

SAVE THE DATE

We are hard at work preparing for our upcoming Pride In Self, Pride In Place exhibition  Feb 15 - March 16, 2025 at Quay Arts Main Gallery, when we will be celebrating 20 years of LGBT+ History Month.

Out On An Island is entering on a new and exciting phase thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund.

BSO: Special performance & workshop for Dover Park Primary School in Ryde!

Our partners Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra recently provided a special performance and workshop for pupils at Dover Park Primary School in Ryde.

The children loved the workshops and they were a perfect link to the tuition the children will be having from January. They left inspired and excited for their lessons!

Read the full article below.

Read the full article

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Captivates Pupils At Dover Park Primary School

Community Exhibition Takeover with MAST Mayflower Theatre 

Children from across Southampton have taken part in the workshops for the MAST christmas show this year! 

Students at Thornhill Primary School, Redbridge Primary School and Hightown Primary School have worked alongside Southampton & IoW Music and workshop leader Miko Lisiak to learn and record songs from The Wind in The Willows: Toad's BIG Musical Adventure. 

We are amazed that the students were able to learn, sing and record these songs all in less than an hour!

You can listen to the recordings below:

Celebrating Christmas: The Bells of Paradise Christmas Concert at Turner Sims 

Our Christmas celebrations have continued in style over December.

On Friday 6 December, we joined University of Southampton Voices and their director Harvey Brough for The Bells of Paradise, a sparkling Christmas concert at Turner Sims concert hall. 

Children from Bassett Green Primary School and young singers from St Michael's Choir came together to perform a collection of carols and Christmas songs from around the world. 

We are so proud of our incredible young singers who performed brilliantly with a full adult choir in front of a packed audience. What a way to continue the festive period!

A lyric video made in our Mix'Zine Session: Galaxies by Carla!

Carla, aged 14, has been attending our monthly Mix’Zine sessions as part of our Digital Native Artists group. Mix’Zine is a connected community for music, events and support - created by young people, for young people.

Carla is a talented singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, and has been working on creating her own music. In our November and December Mix’Zine sessions, we took the opportunity to create a short lyric video for the first verse of her new song ‘Galaxies’. We created this video in CapCut, a free editing software.

You can now listen to and watch the lyric video on our Digital Native Artists youtube channel and Mix’Zine instagram!

Are you interested in doing something similar? Then join Mix’Zine!

You can sign up and find out more about the group here, or send us your music so that we can share it for you!

jOIN mIX’ZINE!

Do you want to learn how to create a lyric video, how to promote your own or others music, or do you have an idea you would like try out?

We can help at Mix’Zine sessions!

Submit your music!

Are you a young singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, rapper, beat-maker, music producer?

Mix’Zine can share & promote your music for you!

ROCK SCHOOL ON THE ROAD: with Platform One College of Music

Join students and teachers from Platform One - College of Music to hear performances from bands, young people and learn lots about events, sound, music technology and jobs in the music industry.  This will be happening in April - July 2025.

Details of spaces available will come directly from Platform One to your settings so this is one to look out for!

BandStorm 2025: SoundStorm’s Battle of the Bands Competition

Are you ready to take the stage and showcase your talent?  Don’t miss your chance to be part of BandStorm 2025, the ultimate event for rising stars!

The stage is set for BandStorm 2025 – SoundStorm’s battle of the bands competition in partnership with Absolute Music and the The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth (Bournemouth Uni). A highlight of the SoundStorm calendar, our annual battle of the bands has brought to the stage a wonderful array of talented performers, bands and vocalists and we are excited to be announcing the details for this year’s BandStorm competition!

For the first time we open this competition to young people from across BCP , Dorset , Southampton, Portsmouth , Isle Of Wight and the surrounding area!

Deadline to apply: 13/12/24

Bring your sound, your energy, and your passion. This is YOUR moment!

Tag your bandmates and share the news! Let’s make some noise!

You must be Y9 – 13, at school, college or home educated.

Apply now (via the button below) and let the world hear what you’ve got!

Christmas at Osborne House 2024!

Our annual event Christmas at Osborne took place last week and featured 80 children from three primary schools: Broadlea, Carisbrooke & Newport CE.

The schools came together to take part in singing workshops, a tour of the house and some Victorian Christmas Crafts topped off by a fantastic performance in the Durbar Room where Queen Victoria would have enjoyed listening to her own children singing.  A beautifully decorated Osborne House was a stunning backdrop for the day along with the amazing staff and volunteers from English Heritage who helped the day to run smoothly.

In addition to this students from Carisbrooke College were invited to sing for guests on a tour of the house in the week prior.

“Just wanted to say a big thank you for today. The children had a wonderful time and they just beam after these experiences!”

- Emma Millard Music Lead at Broadlea Primary

An Audience With… Pathways to Music Industry Workshops

Thursday 5th & Friday 6th February KS2 & KS3 in partnership with IWCEP and Creative Island

"An Audience With..." is Southampton & IOW Music's flagship vehicle to help schools connect the areas of the National Plan for Music Education focused on Music Industry roles with children and young people. 

In partnership with IWCEP and Creative Island, we will be delivering workshops on Thursday 5th & Friday 6th February for young people on the Isle of Wight in KS2 & KS3.

These will be hands-on sessions outlining some of the job roles available in the music industry (both technical and performance based) through practical activities and digital video content which will inspire young people to work in the music industry and develop aspirations for the future

Find out more via our hub menu.

Pathways to music industry workshops

In partnership with Isle of Wight Cultural Education Partnership & Creative Island

Recorder Extravaganza! In Partnership with Fairest Isle Festival

January - April 2025 KS1 & KS2 in partnership with Fairest Isle Festival

After the success of our recorder extravaganza at St Catherine’s Church in Ventnor last year as part of Fairest Isle Festival we will be continuing the tradition this year! 

Although the festival is not taking place again until 2026 the festival organisers were keen to continue the legacy of this year’s project via the commissioning of a new recorder songbook written by island-native Miriam Monaghan from recorder super-group Palisander. 

The music hub will host these digital resources, provide CPD for schools and workshops to introduce the materials and during next term select a venue and date for performance in the spring term. 

If your school would like to host this event please do get in touch. 

Recorder Extravaganza!

In partnership with Fairest Isle Festival

Southampton University Chamber Choir: Vocal Workshops

January & February 2025 - KS2 & KS3 Vocal Workshops

In January and February, the student members of Southampton University Chamber Choir are offering the opportunity for schools to hear them perform in a short assembly and then work with a class or a choir group for a workshop leading to a small performance on the day. 

The workshop: 60 minutes, suitable for a class of up to 30 or your choir.

Assembly: 15-20 minutes, including performances from SUCC and children’s performance of material from the workshop.

Vocal Workshops

Southampton Univeristy Chamber Choir

Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia: Christmas at the Movies!

Join Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia, Southampton's largest youth orchestra, for an evening of festive favourites from our most loved Christmas films, on Wednesday 11 December.

Programmes to include everything from Aladdin to White Christmas, along with wonderful festive lighting.  Fun for all the family - not to be missed!

Find full details and how to book tickets via the listing on our events page.

Join Southampton Cultural Education Partnership’s (SCEP) Steering Group!

Are you passionate about ensuring young people across Southampton can access the arts?

Do you want to work on projects that promote cultural education in the city?

If so, we want to hear from you!


The SCEP is seeking to appoint two new members of the Steering Group. Members will be appointed for a two year term and will commit to offering in kind support, which we estimate will be between half a day and one day a month.

Apply to join Southampton Cultural Education Partnership’s (SCEP) Steering Group and help deliver our priorities.

For more information, please read the application pack.

Applications close on Thursday 5th December 2024.

Apply Now

Southampton Cultural Education Partnership

Steering Group