How to choose your School Music Provider. When assessing potential music providers, consider these key factors: 1. Quality of Teaching Staff Teachers are the key to the success of your music curriculum offer. Ask about their music and teaching qualifications, look at their experience, and passion for music education. A curriculum is only ever as good as the teachers who deliver it, and these teachers are the key opening up the wider culture of music in your school. They ar

Bringing Music, Confidence and Connection to Your Pupils For many children, finding a place where they can experience success, build relationships and express themselves can be transformative. That's why Sussex Music School is proud to offer Boomwhacker Jammers, a creative and fully inclusive music-making programme designed specifically to support pupils who may benefit from additional opportunities to engage, participate and succeed. Ideal for SEND, Looked After Children (

Sussex Music School is excited to be launching our lunchtime Djembe clubs at Wivelsfield Primary school after half term. As part of our Ensemble in Every School initiative we are so pleased to be able to offer this cultural and musical opportunity to one of our Partner schools. Run by our curriculum and instrumental teacher, Orla, children in KS1 and KS2 will: Learn a range of drumming techniques on the Djembe drum. Explore the history and traditions of the West African D

SMS is committed to bringing a wide range of instruments to all children who wish to learn in schools, but we understand budgetary restraints on some instruments. This is why we launched Free Loan Instruments for Schools to enable your school to apply for a free loan of a digital piano or drum kit, from us for use by one of our teachers, enabling you to add a wider range of teaching to your instrumental offering. Current Recipients: When West Hove Infants and Hove Junio

For many families of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), finding an activity that builds confidence, engagement, and essential life skills can be challenging. Traditional teaching approaches do not always meet the needs of learners with complex developmental profiles, and previous experiences can sometimes leave children feeling unsure about trying something new. This case study highlights how a personalised music teaching approach with a well qu

This summer, through The Gamelan Project, Sussex Music School, in partnership with Varndean School, provided a unique opportunity for children in Years 4-10 across 12 schools in Sussex. With Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants funding, workshops were delivered completely free of charge and transport costs subsidised, removing financial barriers and ensuring equitable access for schools and pupils alike. Based at Varndean School, using their onsite Javanese

We were so grateful to receive the email below from a parent whose child attended our first Music Theatre Summer School in the Seaford area. It really was a fun, busy, and joyful week of singing, acting, dancing, and working together creatively; so, it was lovely to get such a wonderful message of encouragement, showing that children and parents enjoyed it as much as we all did! “I just wanted to say thank you so much for the wonderful theatre workshop. My daughter really e

With school budgets under sustained pressure, headteachers are rightly focused on maximising impact from every investment. In that context, music can sometimes be viewed as expendable. Yet the evidence suggests the opposite: when delivered well, music education contributes directly to improved outcomes across the curriculum (Hallam & Rogers, 2016; Arts Education Partnership, 2011). files.eric.ed.gov What the Evidence Shows A growing body of research highlights a consistent li

We are delighted to announce that our amazing teacher, Robbie, has been nominated by pupils at St Andrews CofE Primary School in Hove for the Classic FM Music Teacher of the Year Awards 2026! The children worked so hard to write heartfelt letters of praise for Robbie, who teaches Year 5 and 6 Curriculum Music. Click here to read what the children said about Mr. Mitchell. Robbie's Impact on Music Education Robbie also runs the Samba Band, which recently performed at the Childr

We are delighted to be offering free HAF places at our Musical Theatre summer school in Eastbourne this year. Sussex Music School will deliver a fun and creative musical theatre programme led by an outstanding Musical Director. Children and young people will take part in musical games and learn a range of musical theatre songs in an enjoyable and supportive environment, culminating in a performance on the final day for parents and carers. Location: Heron Park Primary Academy

Music can shape the feel of a school day in powerful ways, bringing energy, focus, creativity, and connection. When it becomes a regular part of school life rather than an occasional extra, children have enhanced opportunities to take part, build confidence, and discover different ways of expressing themselves. Music as a Regular, Timetabled Experience One of the key factors in building a strong musical culture in schools is consistency. Music is most effective when it is p

Huge congratulations to Sam’s Drumkit Student, who recently took part in the Seaford Young Musician Competition and won the title of Best Emerging Musician! This amazing community event, by the Seaford Rotary Club, took place last weekend and offered local musicians a chance to play for an audience of friends and family. Rightly proud Mum, Lucy says “He absolutely smashed it did amazing, he even came away with a £20 prize for best emerging musician, as you can imagine he i

If you’re looking for a fun, creative, and rewarding way to keep your child engaged this summer, we can highly recommend Summer Music Sessions which offers a truly unique experience for children in Brighton and Hove and is co run and led by one of our amazing teachers Nicola. Nicola has kindly offered an £10.00 SMS sign up discount (add SMS after your child's name ) Designed for young musicians , these hands-on courses blend performance, composition, and imagination—helping

We are so delighted to report that this year's Gamelan Project at Varndean school is now fully booked!! This means we can deliver this fantastic experience across two weeks in July to over 250 Sussex school children, and 30 teachers from 16 local schools! They will not only learn on the day but be supplied with pre and post workshop resources to take back to schools and share with others. Not only is this event completely free but we are also able to contribute to transport

Applications are now open at our Partner Schools in Sussex, for children to sign up for instrumental lessons in school time. Here we look at the many advantages of in school (and out of school) music lessons and why they are such a valuable investment for parents and, for schools, an important means of making music accessible to all children. Why SMS? With SMS music lessons are tailored to the individual’s pace, interests, and goals. This approach is especially effective b

Last week our Senior Leaders and Workshop team met in Eastbourne to begin the exciting process of planning two weeks of Musical Theatre workshops at Cradle Hill Primary School and Heron Park Primary Academy during July and August. Meet the team for each school below (from left to right Sam, Emma, Gavin, Zoe and Beth): Gavin - Workshop Leader - Singing, Choreography and Drama - Cradle Hill and Heron Park As well as being a full-time music teacher, Gavin also provides musica

We pride ourselves on employing on the best teachers and so we are delighted to be welcoming Nicola and Ann to the team. These amazing instrumentalist and teachers will be working in Partner Schools in Brighton and Hove, Crawley and across Sussex to bring their unique, engaging and effective teaching styles to children from years 1 to year 10. NICOLA QTS, PGCE , BA Hons, Violin Gr 8, Singing Gr 8 Instrumental Teacher - Piano, Singing and Violin Brighton and Hove and Surrou

In today’s educational landscape, where budgets are tight and accountability is high, it can be tempting to view music provision as flexible—something that can be delivered by any capable instrumentalist or enthusiastic generalist. However, the quality of music education provided to children has a profound and lasting impact, and it is worth considering carefully who stands at the front of that classroom, or in that practice room. Not all music teachers are created equal.

Affordable, high‑impact workshops that enrich learning, wellbeing and cultural capital in schools across Sussex. As schools plan ahead for 2026 and beyond, high‑quality, budget friendly enrichment opportunities which are open to as many pupils are possible, remain a powerful way to raise engagement, strengthen wellbeing and bring learning to life across the curriculum. At Sussex Music School (SMS), our in‑school workshops are designed to do exactly that: deliver memorable, in

Even at this time and in the midst of a busy exam season, if you’re involved in School Leadership, you will no doubt be planning ahead to next year and might be wondering how to bring the benefits of Sussex Music School to your school within the context of budgetary restraints. Here are some recommendations to have in mind for the longer term: Start with a music audit: Assess your current music provision and identify gaps or opportunities. Send all teaching staff primar