Apply for children's music lessons

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Apply for music lessons

You can now apply online for music lessons taking place in a school setting either during or after school, a music centre or online. If you wish to apply for online music lessons, please see our guidelines on how to setup online music lessons.

Apply for music lessons

If you cannot apply online, please contact us.

Before you apply please see the following webpages:

When applying please state your preferred instrument and preferred location were you would like your lessons to take place.

To find out more about what instruments we offer music lessons for and which schools and music centre's we offer music lessons at, please contact us.

  • If we do not currently teach that instrument at that location, we will contact you to discuss other available options and identify the nearest location.
  • If we do teach in that preferred location and there is currently no availability, you will be put on a waiting list until the next available space and we will contact you to let them know when a space has become available.

Confirmation of your booking

Music lessons for each term will be on the following dates:

  • Autumn term: 12 weeks: 7 September to 7 December 2024
  • Spring term: 10 weeks: 11 January to 29 March 2025
  • Summer term 11 weeks: 22 April to 21 July 2025

Please check your booking confirmation for your start date on the Surrey Arts student portal.

You will receive your booking confirmation by email.

Lessons are invoiced termly in advance of the autumn, spring and summer terms commencing. Surrey Arts will email parent/carers or learners to log on to the SpeedAdmin customer portal to view and pay their invoice. Payment is due in full within two weeks of the date on your invoice.

If you are continuing your lessons

Any pupil currently having lessons with us will automatically be re-enrolled next term, unless they have already given notice not to continue or are finishing year 6 and moving onto secondary school.

Students who have requested lessons and are moving up to secondary school will be contacted by email.

Lessons will continue for students who already have lessons externally to their primary school and are moving up to year 7.

How much do music lessons cost?

Fees are paid per term and based on the number of weeks taught for all instruments and children at school:

  • £9.50 (Group of three to five, 30 minutes) per lesson
  • £13.90 (Group of two, 30 minutes) per lesson
  • £16.85 (Individual, 20 minutes) per lesson
  • £24.05 (Individual, 30 minutes) per lesson
  • £6.30 (Group of six plus, 30 minutes) per lesson

Please note that piano group lessons are only available at Woking Youth Arts Centre.

Concessions

We may offer (subject to availability) a discount on one set of lessons per term of £13.90 per lesson towards individual or group lessons, free instrument hire and free ensemble membership to families who are in receipt of:

  • Income Support
  • Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit or if their annual income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue exceeds £16,190 in the current tax year)
  • Working Tax Credit run on – paid for 4 weeks after Working Tax credit entitlement finishes
  • Universal Credit – if applied for on or after 1 April 2018 household income must be lesson than £7,400 (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
  • Registered Surrey Young Carers

Looked After Children can receive free 20 minute lessons, free instrument hire and free ensemble membership.

When we are arranging lessons let us know that you would like to claim a concession, and we will ask you to send proof of your entitlement to any of these benefits.

Please also see below for organisations that offer financial support for young musicians.

Pay for your music lessons

Once your music lessons have been confirmed, you will receive a booking confirmation. You can pay for your music lessons once you have received your invoice. If you have booked before the start of the term, invoices will be sent prior to music lessons starting.

It is important that you pay this invoice in full within two weeks of receiving it.

You can pay online using a debit or credit card, by logging into your student portal.

Apply for music lessons

Please note, you should not send any other correspondence to this address.

Waiting lists

If your preferred instrument and location is not available, you have the option to be put on a waiting list.

Instruments such as guitar, piano and drums are particularly oversubscribed and it may take longer for lessons to be started.

When a suitable lesson is available Surrey Arts will contact you by email, with the lesson details and terms and conditions after which lessons can be set up and confirmation will be sent by email.

You can find out where you are on the waiting list by contacting Surrey Arts by email: surreyartsmusic@surreycc.gov.uk

Financial support for young musicians

Learning to play a musical instrument can be costly, but as well as concessions that are listed above, there are organisations that can offer you financial support to continue playing:

  • Cheryl King Trust offer financial bursaries to enable you to have or continue with individual or group instrument lessons, if you would not otherwise be able to do so. The bursary is open to children and young people under 18 in Surrey, who are learning musical instruments and have been nominated by their instrument teacher.
  • Young Sounds UK believes that all talented young people deserve the chance to progress in their music making. If you are an exceptional young instrumentalist, you can apply for an award of up £2,000.

We are conscious that many families often fall outside of the above criteria but are still unable to afford the cost of lessons. To combat this, we partner with a number of local charities who offer financial support for families above this financial threshold.

This includes, The Christine Best Foundation and The Amber Trust, and other organisations that can be found on the Surrey Music Hub website.

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