Pop Pioneers 2026
Pop Pioneers is open to students aged 13-16 who live or attend school in Islington.
Key information:
- Course dates:
- 13th - 17th July 2026
- Age:
- 13-16yrs
- Art form:
- Skills for the Creative Industries
- Deadline:
- 30th May 2026
- Level of study:
- Short Courses & Summer Schools, Workshops & Saturday Centres (under 18)
- Mode of study:
- Weekday/full day
- Venue:
- Pirate Studios
Young people's next step into the Music Industry...
Pop Pioneers is back for 2026! We’re looking for our next cohort of young people who live or go to school in Islington.
MEI’s contribution to school’s activity week
Aimed at your most active and engaged musicians from year 9 to year 11, Pop Pioneers allows a group of 40 Islington young people to develop their skills during an activity week from 13-17 July. Activities take place at one of London's leading rehearsal venues - Pirate Studios. The week ends with a performance on 17 July to showcase the young people’s work over the week.
We will ask all young people who are interested to sign up directly with us by 30 May and will inform all successful students and their schools about participating students by mid-June. Those schools who have a large group signing up we appreciate for a staff member to accompany their cohort.
All participants who are successful in their application will join us at two ‘band together’ afternoons (30 June, 7 July) to prepare for the activity week and get to know their fellow Pop Pioneers.
What is Pop Pioneers?
Pop Pioneers is a groundbreaking experiential learning program designed to give 40 secondary school students the opportunity to create and produce their own live music event. Over five days, students will be immersed in music performance, composition, and roles behind the scenes, culminating in a live concert in one of London’s renowned music venues. This initiative is facilitated by Guildhall School’s Music Education Islington with industry professionals, such as Ronnie Scott’s, mentoring the students at Pirate Studios, utilising state-of-the-art production rooms, podcast suites, rehearsal studios, and DJ suites.
The three pathways
The participating students will be split into three pathways or area of work they would like to concentrate on during that week. We give applicants the choice to rank their preferences but will occasionally move them to have the best balance among the groups. All participants will be informed about their pathways prior to their attendance.
This pathway is for everyone who is keen to engage as singer/rapper, instrumentalist, or DJs, working in bands/ensembles.
Performers will work on their stage presence and performance confidence, learn how to work with live sounds and stage set-up, collaborate with other performers and music producers, get an understanding of audience engagement and event flow, and receive vocal and instrumental coaching from professionals.
This pathway is for everyone who is keen to produce their own music, write song, compose for their own band or another group.
The group of composers will create original music for themselves, other performers, videos and other event segments. They will record and produce using the professional studio settings, they will learn arranging, mixing and mastering techniques and will collaborate with performers and industry teams to craft live setlists.
This pathway is for everyone who is keen to learn how to organise, prepare and run a show as stage manager, sound engineer, event hosts, podcaster, videographer, curator, lighting & décor coordinator, or run a comms & marketing campaign.
The behind the scene group will gain hands-on experience in event planning, stage management, and technical roles, get an introduction in live sound engineering, lighting design and event hosting skills, they will develop media and promotional content (podcast interviews, event footage, videography), manage artist interviews and behind-the-scenes documentation, and understand team work in a fast-paste live music environment.
Industry Professionals and Mentorship
Each discipline will be supported by a dedicated mentor who is an industry professional with extensive experience in their respective fields. These mentors are successful in their careers and represent a diverse range of backgrounds. This diversity will ensure that the program is not only educational but also reflective of the inclusive nature of the music industry.
Pop Pioneers Curriculum and Support
The curriculum for the week is designed by an experienced Head of Music who teaches A-level and GCSE music and music tech. This will be complemented by a creative practitioner to ensure a well-balanced scheme to bring together school learning and industry standards. The team of educators and mentors will work closely to provide an engaging and supportive learning experience throughout the week.