MEI Music Centres

Music Explorers is an adventure in music for Reception and Year 1 aged children (age 4-6). In each 45-minute session children are invited to explore, setting out on an adventure. This could be a new way of looking at music, an instrument or a guest musician. At the heart of the programme is a child led ethos.

Our sessions will foster independence and a range of ways of participating; explore rich variety of songs, rhymes, and music games; encourage self-initiated musical play with a wide range of music of different backgrounds and traditions.

Facilitators will tune in to the children’s ways of being musical; respond and play creatively with children in music allowing them to retain the initiative; devise ways of allowing children to continue to explore their ideas with musical instruments, the voice and body.

Children will be given to opportunity to sing and perform spontaneously in a range of different ways; repeat, transform, combine and develop their own and borrowed musical ideas into increasingly complex structure. Over time children will be able to control and coordinate their whole body and coordinate their music ideas with other.

You can sign up for our Tuesday Music Explorers sessions at two locations:

West Library, Islington, 107 Bridgeman Road, N1 1BD

New: St Peter's and St Paul's Primary School, Compton Street, EC1V 0FU 

This course offers children the experience and joy of making music. As well as musical skills, the child will also develop listening skills, social interaction, coordination, and memory and language skills. This engaging, playful and supportive learning environment allows each child to grow as a person and as a musician.

The course combines the following:

• creative and rhythmic classes using body percussion
• singing and fun musical games
• in the second year of the course, students will be introduced to an instrument: the recorder, or another instrument of their choice, subject to availability

The Instrumental Course is for young instrumentalists who want to develop a good foundation of musical understanding that will open doors to a variety of musical activities. There are no entry requirements or minimum levels of experience; the course is suitable for complete beginners or those that have been learning an instrument for a while at school and pupils will be put in groups appropriate to their ability and age.

The course includes:

• Instrumental group lesson or option of individual lessons
• Musicianship
• Ensemble

Our Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Afrobeat, Experimental and Beyond course helps young musicians develop a greater understanding of rhythm and harmony through a jazz lens, alongside learning to collaborate and improvise with musicians from a wide variety of disciplines. Students are encouraged to participate, make mistakes, and get to grips with improvising in a band setting.

The course includes:

• A focused group workshop, tailored to instrumental families including keyboard, vocals and guitar
• An ensemble session, streamed by ability

We also offer one-to-one instrumental and vocal lessons.

We are pleased to introduce a new Beginners’ Improvisation class, taught by Guildhall School of Music & Drama alumna Maddy Coombes. Designed for students who are new to improvisation, the class supports the development of confidence, creativity and musical understanding within a supportive group environment. 

In order to get the most out of the course we suggest students have some foundational knowledge and experience of their instrument before joining. Free taster sessions are available for students to try this course before committing to a full term.

Artistic leadership

The course is led by Nikki Yeoh, recipient of the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Education 2024. Drawing on over 30 years of teaching experience, Nikki’s work has played a significant role in shaping the landscape of British jazz education in the UK. Her former students include Nubya Garcia, Femi Koleoso (Ezra Collective), Mark Crown (Rudimental) and Cicely Balston (Abbey Road Studios), among many others now working at the highest professional level.

Workshops, ensembles and individual lessons are led by a teaching team of experienced professional musicians and educators.

Individual instrument lessons are offered at all three Music Centres, across the full range of instruments, subject to availability.

Lessons can be taken as standalone but we strongly encourage students to develop their musical skills and meet like-minded friends by joining a Music Centre course. 

Please email musiceducation.islington@gsmd.ac.uk to discuss one-to-one tuition.

Ensemble playing sits at the core of learning at MEI Music Centres. 

All students taking our Instrumental and Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Afrobeat, Experimental and Beyond courses take part in a weekly ensemble, developing key skills including collaboration, listening skills and communication.

Students perform regularly throughout the year, gaining valuable experience in professional performance settings. Highlights include the Annual Gala at Milton Court and performances at the Finsbury Park Festival, where students perform on stages used for major events such as Wireless Festival.

Together, these experiences offer young musicians a strong foundation for musical growth, creative exploration and progression. 

The different courses take place at different venues and times, so it’s important to make sure to attend the right one. 

Music Centre at Arts and Media School Islington (AMSI) – Mondays

January 12, 19, 26 | February 2, 9, 23 | March 2, 9, 16, 23 

Music Centre at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School (EGA) – Mondays

January 12, 19, 26 | February 2, 9, 23 | March 2, 9, 16, 23 

Music Explorers at West Library – Tuesdays

January 13, 20, 27 | February 3, 10, 24 | March 3, 10, 17, 24 

Music Centre at City of London Academy Highbury Grove (COLA HG) – Wednesdays

January 14, 21, 28 | February 4, 11, 25 | March 4, 11, 18, 25 

 Fees per term (10 sessions; individual lessons run for 9 sessions per term)

*bursaries available, please see below for more information

**Music Centre Schools are: Ambler Primary School, St John's Highbury Vale Primary School, Grafton Primary School, Gillespie Primary School, Duncombe Primary School, Yerbury Primary School, St Mark's Primary School, Ashmount Primary School, Canonbury Primary School

Additional Sibling Discount (Students living or attending school in Islington)

Our cancellation policy states that you can cancel any provision by giving half a term’s notice to musiceducation.islington@gsmd.ac.uk. If you have paid in advance, you will be reimbursed for sessions after the half term notice period. This policy applies to all Music Centre courses and individual lessons.

Bursaries are available for children and young people that live or go to school in Islington. Pupils on a bursary and otherwise supported place are expected to follow our attendance and cancellation policies: 

• Regular attendance (max 2 sessions missed per term due to illness or school trips - exceptional circumstances apply)
• Notification of illness or school trip in advance
• The cancellation period of a term’s notice applies
• Instruments are looked after and returned on time after students have finished their time with us

Eligibility criteria for full bursaries: 

Children and young people who live or attend school in Islington can access free or subsidised provision as part of MEI’s Music Centres if their families (or the young person) are in receipt of any benefits (except childcare allowance). These include:

Children and Young people who are on benefits-related Free School Meals (year 3 and above – evidence will be required through the school)

Children and Young people who receive pupil premium funding support, or who have received Pupil Premium funding support in the last 3 years (evidence will be required through the school)

If we can’t obtain evidence to award financial support through your school, we will ask for further information, such as:

• Universal Credit or any other benefit detailed below where Universal Credit is not in place
  
  • Child Tax Credit– providing that you receive more than the basic £545.34 per annum (excluding any childcare element)
  • Housing Benefit
  • Council Tax Support (not including second adult rebate)
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Income support
• Incapacity Benefit
• Pension Credit
• Looked After Children
• Post-Looked After Children (children who have been adopted from care or left care)

Where students fall outside the above criteria but financial strain is the factor stopping children from attending, Music Education Islington will provide support to find additional solutions by talking to the families and other parties in the student’s network (e.g. school). Please get in touch to discuss individual circumstances at musiceducation.islington@gsmd.ac.uk.

Students who fail to comply with our attendance and cancellation policies are at risk of loosing their supported place. 

For further information about scholarships and bursaries available outside of MEI, please see our FAQs.

Music Education Islington expects as close to 100% attendance as possible. Notification of illness and planned absence (e.g. school trips) must be given in advance to the MEI admin team. We regret it is not possible to give refunds in the event of absence as the Centres have to continue paying professional tutors and overheads.

Once students are signed up for the 2025-26 academic year, they will not need to sign up again.

You can cancel any provision by giving half a term’s notice in writing to musiceducation.islington@gsmd.ac.uk. It is only possible to stop at the end of a full term (not half term). Deadlines to give notice:

• Friday 25 October 2025 to stop attending from the end of the Autumn Term.
• Friday 21 February 2026 to stop attending from the end of the Spring Term.
• Friday 30 May 2026 to stop attending from the end of the Summer Term (i.e. to not continue for the next academic year).

If you have paid in advance, you will be reimbursed for sessions after the half term notice period. This policy applies to all Music Centre courses and individual lessons.

Music Education Islington offers an instrument loan scheme to support students’ learning. All instruments (see below) are available to learn, subject to availability. Costs are per term.  

Lessons on the following instruments are currently on offer at the Music Centres, subject to availability, however the list is always expanding! 

If the instrument you would like to learn is not available at your preferred Music Centre (or doesn’t appear here at all!), please get in touch at musiceducation.islington@gsmd.ac.uk to discuss options.

Bowed Strings

• Violin
• Viola
• Cello
• Double Bass

Plucked Strings

• Ukulele
• Guitar (classical, electric, bass)

Woodwind

• Flute
• Oboe
• Bassoon
• Clarinet
• Saxophone

Brass

• Trumpet
• French horn
• Trombone
• Euphonium
• Tuba

What else?

• Piano
• Keyboard
• Drums
• Voice

All of our centres have step-free access. More information about autism accessibility will be available soon.

You may be able to find more answers at our Music Centre FAQs here.

If you need to get in touch, please email us at musiceducation.islington@gsmd.ac.uk.