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!
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!
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..." 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Find full details and how to book for each event through the link to the listing on our events page.
Monday 25 November: Elgar, Twango and Los Twangolitos live at Cantell! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Thursday 28 November: Airplay & Boom! live at Cantell School! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Saturday 30 November: BSO On Your Doorstep: Curious Creatures Family Concert — Southampton Music Hub [Isle of Wight]
Come and join 14 BSO musicians, a young Isle of Wight string group, and someone to guide you through the music – this relaxed performance is perfect for young audiences going to a concert for the first time. The afternoon will involve some listening, some participatory elements, and you’ll be sure to experience a mixture of styles – from Bjork to Moana, as well as relaxing classics. Designed with families in mind, let the music take you from forests to oceans and explore the curious creatures of the natural world.
Saturday 30 November: Gig Night — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Southampton and IOW Music are proud to partner with the Gig Night Charity, providing young artists with a regular platform to perform and develop their music and confidence. Gig night runs monthly at the Old Chemist engaging young musicians from all over Southampton. SIOW Groove Bands, Groove Merchant and Groove Syndicate, feature in the lineup.
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!
Thursday 5 December: Schools Christmas Concert at O2 Guildhall Southampton: featuring SYWB — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Join us at Southampton Guildhall to continue the Southampton Schools Music Association of schools Christmas events at Southampton Guildhall this Christmas! Featuring music from Jo Downs new Christmas Songbook and narrative script, loosely based on the Nativity story. Southampton Youth Wind Band will also be performing in our Christmas Schools’ Celebration Concert.
Friday 6 December: The University of Southampton Voices: The Bells of Paradise at Turner Sims — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
The University of Southampton Voices present a sparkling Christmas concert. The Bells of Paradise is a collection of carols and Christmas songs from around the world and through the ages. For this performance, USV are joined by children’s choirs from local schools, organised and supported by Southampton & Isle of Wight Music.
Saturday 7 December: Southampton Youth Brass Band live at Exbury Gardens! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Southampton Youth Brass Band will be performing at Exbury Gardens.
Monday 9 December: Pulse8 Open Rehearsal for Family & Friends! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
Pulse8 will be having an ‘Open Rehearsal’ at Richard Taunton Sixth Form College. This is an opportunity for Family & Friends to watch our young members practise together. Parents & friends are welcome to attend the whole rehearsal.
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!
Thursday 12 December: Southampton Youth Brass Band perform at Ocean Terminal! — Southampton Music Hub [Southampton]
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.
The event will be at Cantell School from 1.30-3.30pm on Sunday 24 November.
This is a FREE event run with support from the Friends of Southampton Youth Orchestras (FSYO) and is open to string players who have been learning for a year up to approximately Grade 1 standard.
Please contact music@southampton.gov.uk to sign up.
As part of our ‘An Audience With…’ series, in which young people have interviewed music professionals including Sam Lee, Carducci Quartet and Camilla George, we have developed a series of Assembly resources to accompany these interviews.
These powerpoint resources include prompts, questions, suggested activities and further listening linked to the artists featured, to bring the video interviews to life for your weekly whole school assembly.
You can now download the powerpoint assembly resources to accompany the first three interviews.
An Audience With… Assembly Resources
This year after listening to feedback from teachers we have focused our songs around the nativity story. Each song will tell the Christmas story sequentially and features varying styles and genres of music. Sign and sing video resources for each song have been be added to our YouTube channel to support this.
The songbook consists of 3 Original Songs for KS1 and 3 Original Songs for KS2. For each song resource there is a guide track including vocals, a backing track and a pdf of the vocal score along with a lyrics document for printing and a powerpoint for easy display and learning along with the signing videos.
You can find the songbook and the full resources on our website here.
Illustrations by Mabel Thompsett
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
2024’s Black History Month song is based on a theme of Reclaiming Narratives; showcasing untold stories, correcting historical inaccuracies, challenging the narratives that have often overlooked the contributions and achievements of Black individuals.
The song ‘Retelling our Stories’ is now live in our Songbank. To accompany the song, we have made a KS2/KS3 music curriculum resource.
This resource includes outlining the topic, researching the themes and writing your own verse to fit with the existing chorus and example verse.
Find the song and curriculum resource in our songbank via the button below.
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!
We are excited to be taking part in Southampton's annual Music in the City this year! Young musicians from our open mic night sessions, Rising Stars, will be taking over the stage at King John's Palace, 1-5pm on Saturday 28 September.
Come show your support, and enjoy performances from Southampton's up and coming artists!
Open for musicians aged 11-18, we are an inclusive, safe space for all performers (including first time performers!) from solo singers to full rock bands.
Sign up via the button below.
Led by Young Sounds UK via their Connect programme, up to 1,000 young people from low-income families will receive targeted support to progress their musical talent and interests.
We are excited for the opportunity to work with Young Sounds UK on their brilliant Connect Programme. Over the next four years we will be supporting young people from Southampton and Isle of Wight to continue their musical journey through fully funded lessons, music making opportunities, and so much more.
Find out more at: youngsounds.org.uk/music-opportunities-pilot
South Coast Music Partnership is a Consortium appointed by Arts Council England to lead the Music Hub covering Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), Isle of Wight, Portsmouth, and Southampton, as part of a national programme to provide high-quality music education for all children and young people. The consortium comprises SoundStorm (on behalf of the current BCP Music Hub), Portsmouth Music Service (on behalf of Portsmouth City Council) and Southampton & Isle of Wight Music (on behalf of Southampton City Council and Isle of Wight Council).
The Music Hub, and their networks of partners including music and arts organisations and schools, are all working together under a joint framework to bring more musical opportunities to more children and young people across the south coast area both in schools and in the wider community. Representing the Consortium with Arts Council England as Hub Lead Organisation (HLO) is Southampton & Isle of Wight Music (on behalf of Southampton City Council and Isle of Wight Council).
Executive Manager, Kath Page, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Jane to the South Coast Music Partnership Board and look forward to drawing from her experience of working in the arts and the creative education and music sectors.”
Jane brings a wealth of experience from a number of different roles including, most recently, as former Chief Executive of Artswork, a post which she held from 2010 to 2020. Jane’s previous roles also include work with Coda Music Trust, with Arts Council England, with Southern Arts, and with the Scottish Arts Council. She started her career as a teacher of music in the Orkney Islands, subsequently taking up a post as Head of Music in an international school. She is currently a trustee of Nordoff and Robbins Music Therapy and is also Chair of Winchester Poetry Festival. With a degree in music from the University of Leeds and a postgraduate teaching certificate from Edinburgh, Jane currently conducts two choirs in Hampshire and is also studying part time for an MA in Music Education from University College London.
Jane commented:
“I am delighted to be appointed as the new Chair of the South Coast Music Partnership, working alongside the Music Hub Consortium to ensure the effective delivery of the new National Plan for Music Education (NPME) both in and out of school settings. I have always been committed to the value of music and the arts as an integral and vital part of the education of children and young people and in reaching those with least current opportunities, and have a profound belief in their power to transform lives. It will be a privilege to work with the South Coast Music Partnership and their partners to ensure that all children and young people can access high quality music education opportunities that meet their needs.”
The appointment of the independent chair will ensure strong governance for the Partnership and strategic oversight for the delivery of the National Plan for Music Education. South Coast Music Partnership will receive £1.6m investment from the Department for Education. This includes £1.2m to coordinate music education activities, as well as £400,000 to invest in new musical instruments, equipment and technology to meet the needs and ambitions of children and young people in the region, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
