Hounslow Music Service

General information

The London Borough of Hounslow’s Music Service was established in 1980 to provide instrumental lessons for the borough’s young people.

Hounslow Music Service provides a wide range of music programmes to support the development of children and young people’s talents both in and out of their school environment. We offer whole class instrumental teaching at primary level; a structured, progressive programme of bands, orchestras and choirs for pupils outside school; instrumental and vocal lessons in and out of school as well as inspirational projects with partners such as the Philharmonia Orchestra. We manage a large stock of instruments which are available to hire, and open our music library to support school based bands and orchestras.

The service runs annual Summer Singing Festivals where more than 1000 pupils from across Hounslow perform to proud parents and supporters, as well as a full programme of concerts, workshops and projects.

In January 2016 brass players from Hounslow were lucky enough to join Haken Hardenberger, considered by many to be the greatest trumpet player alive today, on stage at the Royal Festival Hall for a pre-concert performance with players from the Philharmonia Orchestra. In September 2016, woodwind players performed alongside musicians from the Philharmonia Orchestra as part of the Stravinsky series at the Royal Festival Hall, and plans are developing for new music to be commissioned and performed for a historically significant building in the borough.

In May 2016 Hounslow Music Service became a charitable company, to enable the service to attract new funding streams and to secure the service for the children and young people of Hounslow for the future. In January 2017, we opened in our new purpose built Music Centre on Pears Road, where we have already developed new offers including new children’s choirs and after school lessons.

We are excited about the future and have ambitions to offer even more musical opportunities to Hounslow’s Children and Young People.