The Music Service left Swindon Borough Council to become a not-for-profit Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 1st April 2019.

The move should help facilitated the new charity to look to apply for other music and arts grants and provide sustainability for music education in Swindon.

SYM has been cancelled on Saturday 30th March 2019 due to the Honda marches which will see Faringdon road closed.

SYM has been cancelled on Saturday 2nd February 2019 due to the bad weather conditions.

Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet has agreed for Swindon Music Service to spin-out of the local authority and to set up as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.  This will happen during 2018 and will see music education in Swindon being led by this new charity.

Swindon Music Service has been awarded another two-years of funding from the Department of Education (DfE) through the Arts Council England.  This will see over £600k coming to Swindon for music education for the period April 2018 – March 2020

We are now offering a free instrument loan scheme through our Swindon Young Musicians (SYM) club membership.  When you sign up to a gold, silver or bronze membership you can also request the loan of an instrument for the duration of your membership – subject to availibility (or until you choose to buy your own).  Once you decide to leave SYM, you will be required to hand back the instrument.

Looking forward to the Tutors’ CPD tay that is taking part on Friday 1st September.  The day will focus on the following:

• Service / Hub overview – Peter Clark
• School business, Safeguarding
• Charanga resources
• Quality assurance surveys
• Arts Awards
• Classroom management – Jacki Pattendon
• Research project
• SYM – Golden Ticket
• SYM / Secondary Progression groups

We will start at 9am and finish about 3.30pm.  Lunch is provided.

Swindon Music Service  is running a series of one-day workshops / schools visits for Early Years Settings, Infant, Junior and Primary schools.  These workshops cater for your pupils to undertake an Arts Award Discover (in-a-day).  Here, the children will experience a fun day undertaking many Arts activities (with the main focus on Music and Art).  At the end of this project the children will receive a certificate showing that they have completed the Discover Arts Award.  For more information, contact Lynn Hawkins on 01793 401754 or email on: lhawkins2@swindon.gov.uk.  You can also watch a promo video by clicking here.

You can view the evaluation feedback from Peatmoor School  here

We have run two very successful days here at the Platform with Peatmoor Community Primary School and St Farncis CofE Primary School.  Either school would be willing to discuss the merits of the day with you.

All parents want to give their children the best but if your child is musically talented it can be hard to know how to support tem, especially if you are not a musician.  Should you look for a school with a music specialism, or try to find a good private teacher? And in these cash-strapped times, how can you make your limited resources stretch as far as possible?   Parents whose children are educated in the state sector currently face more than the usual uncertainty.

One way of ensuring you child(ren) get a rounded musical experince at an affordable cost is to join Swindon Young Musicians.  Here, you can access instrumental lessons, ensemble playing and a musical instrument all through an affordable, subsidised membership scheme.  For more information click on this link