Wandsworth Music – Our impact
Every year, Wandsworth Music supports more than 9,500 children and young people through high-quality music education both in and beyond the classroom.
Working in partnership with schools across the borough, we deliver curriculum music, whole-class instrumental programmes, instrumental and vocal tuition, music technology projects and specialist support that helps schools build thriving music provision.
We engage with 92% of Wandsworth schools, ensuring that thousands of children have access to regular, high-quality musical learning regardless of their background or circumstances.
Beyond the school day, we provide clear progression pathways through the Wandsworth Music Academy, borough ensembles, orchestras, choirs, bands, jazz groups, steel pans, musical theatre, songwriting and inclusive music programmes.
Our Academy offers opportunities for children and young people aged 5 to 21, enabling them to develop their musical skills, perform regularly, gain nationally recognised qualifications and take part in life-changing concerts, tours and community performances. We are committed to ensuring that talent and potential, rather than financial circumstance, determine access to opportunity, with bursaries, scholarships and funded programmes helping more young people participate and thrive.
Through our work in schools and the wider community, Wandsworth Music helps young people build confidence, creativity, resilience and a lifelong love of music, creating a borough-wide pathway that enables every child to find their musical voice and achieve their potential.
#makingmusicmatter
Access for all
All children and young people should experience the transformative power of music!
Wandsworth Music aims to inspire enjoyment & excellence in music, in all its forms. Our vision is a borough where everyone has access to high quality music making, enhancing and enriching the cultural life of the community, and in particular, the aspirations of children and young people, especially those in financial need and challenging circumstances.
Wandsworth Music actively look to identify and remove barriers to participation and strive to ensure that young people of all backgrounds and abilities have the opportunity to reach their full musical potential.
Wandsworth Music offer scholarships, bursaries, fee remissions, and access to free instruments, ensuring that opportunities are available for all.
Our Impact in words
“Most people write off my daughter because she cannot speak, but you have managed to have a deeply personal conversation with her.”
Parent“Where should I start? Tuesday evening was so special on so many levels: opportunities, inclusion, quality…. You are so ambitious for our children, and they respond well because they are surrounded by great role models and amazing tutors”
Parent“If there is one thing that sums up this wonderful event it was the parents (and admittedly some of the staff) who were in tears at the impact and beauty of this event. Parents were shocked, one said: ‘I never get to see my child in these kinds of events, thank you so much.”
Special School Music Teacher“That was off the scale! My goodness, what an evening. I can’t begin to fathom how you put all that together, but the organisation, skill, talent and vision was quite extraordinary. Our children in Wandsworth are deeply privileged to have such an amazing service available to them and I hope that the experience of taking part, and witnesses so many different genres in such an iconic building, will stay with them for life.”
Headteacher“I want to say that I thought the concert was the best youth, music education concert that I have ever been to. Every aspect of the evening was perfect. A huge collective effort, a brilliant, varied programme, amazing teamwork across all the teaching staff, children and young people along with shining talented individual performers. Everything was engineered by you both perfectly and amazingly. The concert had pace and total commitment from everyone. The Hall was full – you must be very proud – and everyone wondered where the time had gone and when it was all over. We all wanted more.”
David Sulkin OBE – Director of Artistic Development, National Opera Studio“It was truly inspiring seeing hundreds of talented young musicians take to the RAH stage, performing with such passion and confidence. From the glorious sounds of Monteverdi through to the toe-tapping tunes from Les Misérables, it was truly a joyful evening of music making of the highest quality… It was truly an evening to remember and a reminder that there is a bright future for music in this country.”
James Williams – Managing Director, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra