Contents
- Introduction
- Instruments we teach
- Time, cost and location
- Apply
- Continuing lessons
- Ensembles and exams
Dates for 2024/25 academic year
- 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
Cost of music lessons
Fees are paid per term and based on the number of weeks taught for all instruments and children at school: Get Playing! groups for beginners:
- £10 (Group of three to five, 30 minutes) per lesson
- £14.60 (Group of two, 30 minutes) per lesson
- £6.60 (Group of six plus, 30 minutes) per lesson
Other lessons:
- £16.85 (Individual, 20 minutes) per lesson
- £25.20 (Individual, 30 minutes) per lesson
Financial assistance is available for families on low income. There are also charities to support young people learn and develop their musical skills.
Financial support
Learning to play a musical instrument can be costly. The concessions and organisations listed below can offer you financial support to continue playing.
We may offer (subject to availability) a discount on one set of lessons per term of £14.60 per lesson towards 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 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.
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 to £2,000.
We are conscious that many families often fall outside of the criteria for other bursaries.
To combat this, we partner with a number of local charities who offer financial support for families above this financial threshold.
This includes:
Location
Lessons for primary and secondary school students often take place at their school during the school day.
However, if we are unable to provide a lesson during the school day (for example the school does not allow us to teach in the school day), you may be offered lessons after school or on Saturday mornings at local music centres or schools used as music centres.
Lessons are also available remotely online from home. Guidelines are available to help with setting up online lessons.