Posts in Music in the Community
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.

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!

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

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.

South Coast Music Partnership Conference 2025

Innovation: Driving Music Forward

Join us on 23 January 2025, at the iconic Portsmouth Guildhall for an inspiring day of exploration and collaboration at South Coast Music Partnership’s Music Education Conference. This year's theme, Innovation: Driving Music Forward, invites educators and music practitioners to engage in meaningful discussion and, explore new innovative ideas and transformative practices that are shaping the future of music education.

Strands of sessions across the day will be suitable for EYFS, KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4 along with specialist sessions on vocal, curriculum and SEND. You can explore the sessions and full schedule on the South Coast Music Partnership website.

The dynamic line-up of presenters and workshop leaders, drawn from across the music education sector, will provide invaluable insights and hands-on experiences designed to ignite creativity and enhance your teaching practice. Whether you're a seasoned music educator or just starting out, this conference is an opportunity to connect with like-minded professionals, share innovative strategies, and explore new approaches to fostering musical talent in the classroom.

Don't miss this chance to be part of a vibrant community dedicated to advancing music education. Together, we can drive music forward!

Tickets are £90 with lunch included or £50 for students - schools will be invoiced for your attendance after booking so please have the details of your finance contacts when completing the booking form.

Thursday 23 January 2025

Portsmouth Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, UK

Concerts in November & December!

A round up of the concerts and performances taking place through the end of November and into December!

Find full details and how to book for each event through the link to the listing on our events page.

November

December

  • Sunday 1 December: Southampton Youth Orchestra live at Turner Sims — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]

    • Southampton Youth Orchestra’s first concert of the season is an all-French programme with a Spanish twist, featuring Delibes’ Coppelia Suite, Chabrier’s Espana and an exciting performance of Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnol, featuring the debut concerto performance of one of our own young violinists.

  • Wednesday 4 December: Southampton University Symphony Orchestra at Turner Sims: Symphonic Dances from West Side Story — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]

    • Southampton University Symphony Orchestra and Turner Sims would like to invite you to a free performance featuring Leonard Bernstein's thrilling ‘Symphonic Dances from West Side Story’! This performance is perfect for local families with children up to 15 and is an ideal opportunity for young people learning an instrument, who are interested in learning an instrument, or anyone looking for a fun evening out!

  • Wednesday 11 December: Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia live at Thornden Hall — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]

    • Join Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia, Southampton's largest youth orchestra, for an evening of festive favourites from our most loved Christmas films.  Programmes to include everything from Aladdin to White Christmas, along with wonderful festive lighting.  Fun for all the family - not to be missed!

Southampton Youth Orchestra at Turner Sims!

On Sunday 1st December, Southampton Youth Orchestra will perform the first concert of their 60th Anniversary season.

On the programme is Èdouard Lalo’s violin concerto ‘Symphonie Espagnole’ performed by one of Southampton’s own young musicians. 15-year-old Teresa is a phenomenal young talent and this concert marks her very first full concerto performance with an orchestra. An excellent pianist as well as a violinist, Teresa attends the Royal College of Music Junior Department, came third in the 2023 North London Music Festival and won the 2024 Bournemouth Music Competitions Festival.

As a music service and as a city, we should be very proud not just of Teresa’s blistering talent, but of her 50 peers who make up the rest of Southampton Youth Orchestra. We are only a small city, but the passion for and dedication to music is huge, and Southampton Music Service’s figurehead orchestra deserves to be recognised by a far wider audience.

The concert will take place at Turner Sims Concert Hall at 5pm.

Tickets are priced at £12, £8 concessions, and £1 under 18s, and are available to book at turnersims.co.uk or by phoning the box office at 023 8059 5151.

Full details can be found on our events page here.

DNA: Free Music Groups in Southampton!

As part of our Digital Native Artists programme, we have 4 free music groups which you can join!

Whether you’re well on your way with your musical journey or just starting out, these sessions are open.

You can come along regularly, try out a session or drop in when you need the support.

  1. Girls Make Music: Production Collective Girls Make Music is a music production club providing young women and girls access to making music in an exciting, creative space in the MAST Studios!

    Fortnightly Wednesdays 4.30pm - 6.00pm (all ages) additional hour ‘til 7.00pm (16 - 21 years)

    at MAST Music Studio.

    All young women & girls ages 11 - 21, inclusive of cis, trans and non-binary, women & girls.

  2. Music Production Collective — MPC is a monthly music production group session, providing space for collaboration between beatmakers, producers and songwriters, an opportunity to learn new skills and get support with music making.

    Monthly Mondays 4.30pm - 6.00pm at MAST Music Studio.

    Ages 11-18

  3. FLOW — Flow is a monthly rap group session for young rappers, whether you’re just starting out on your musical journey or are well on your way!

    Saturdays 10.30am - 12.00pm at MAST Music Studio.

    Ages 11 - 16 years old.

  4. MIX’Zine— Mix’Zine is a connected community for young people interested in music, social media, music journalism, blogging and live events to be part of a team who will share new music and music opportunities with other young people.

    First Monday of the Month 4.30pm - 6.00pm at MAST Music Studio.

    Ages 13 - 25 years old.

Find out more about our Digital Native Artists Programme and the resources we have to offer, along with the music groups and opportunities available to young people on the Isle of Wight.

Music In The City 2024

Southampton and Isle of Wight Music were delighted to be part of the Music in the City celebrations over the weekend of 28th and 29th September running a stage from King John's Palace at the Tudor House Museum on the afternoon of Saturday 28th September. 

Over four hours we were able to showcase the incredible talents of the city's young people including the hub rock bands and bands from Upper Shirley High School and Redbridge College and some of the brilliant artists from our Stage Door Rising Stars series. 

Along with the performances in Southampton's old town, hub bands and local young musicians were also taking part in the hugely popular open mic sessions run at The Old Chemist in Bitterne which was another excellent and busy night of performances by young people!

Nia Collins, Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Strategic Programme Manager:

"It has been so exciting for us to be able to give young people the opportunity to be part of this city-wide event and reach new audiences who have been blown away by the level of musical talent these students have shown this weekend!"

A huge thanks to all the music hub staff and parents, friends and families who supported this event, the Tudor House for hosting us in such an amazing venue and Music in the City.

Below is a 360 video and photographs from the event!

YES Creative Beats: Have Fun with Samba Drumming - Free Course!

Are you looking to improve your confidence and communication skills? Join YES! Creative Beats on a Skills4Work programme and join our free 6 session beginners’ samba course!

 This is a very simple samba taster course with an emphasis on team building and communication for anyone 16+ living on the Isle of Wight, looking for work or to improve their employability skills.

In this course we aim to improve:

  • concentration

  • confidence

  • communication and listening skills

  • teamwork and leadership skills

In a fun, friendly and supportive environment!

Dates: Wednesday 18th September 2pm - 4pm for 6 weeks

Location: St Johns church hall, High Park Road, Ryde PO33 1BX (accessible venue with parking available)

For more information and to book your place, please email us: info@yes-creativebeats.co.uk or visit our facebook page via the button below.

BSO: Young Associates Programme - Apply Now!

Are you an aspiring community music leader, who is keen to make a difference to people’s lives through the power of music? The BSO Young Associates scheme may offer just the experience you’re looking for…

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s Young Associates Programme is a 7-month paid opportunity for 18-26 year old musicians to gain practical training as a creative music leader in the South West.

Open to: Ages 18 – 26

Deadline: Monday 16 September, 5pm

Interview/Audition Dates: Tuesday 24 / Wednesday 25 September

Location: Poole, Dorset

More Details

We’re keen to hear from people who are aged 18-26 and from a background currently underrepresented in the UK’s arts work force including: musicians from lower income backgrounds; of global majority heritage; or, who identify as disabled, D/deaf, or neurodivergent.

The placement will give you paid experience, training and mentoring from some of the sector’s leading practitioners, and you’ll build a great network along the way.

No previous music leading experience is necessary, we’re looking for potential!

How to get involved

Applications are now open, with a deadline of Monday 16 September, 5pm.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview/audition on Tuesday 24 or Wednesday 25 September in Poole, Dorset.

This will involve an informal interview, a whole group music workshop, and a chance to meet other musicians. Travel expenses will be reimbursed if invited to attend.