• Every child that learns is offered the free use of an instrument.
• We offer free access to all of our Central Ensembles (auditioned – 22) and 95 Area/School-Based Ensembles (un-auditioned).
• We provide free instrumental/vocal lessons to every child in care in year’s 4 & 7, through our Music Cares project in collaboration with the Birmingham Virtual school.
• We provide subsidised (50%) instrumental/vocal lessons to every child in care in year’s 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13, through our collaboration with the Birmingham Virtual school. Please contact us for more information about this subsidy.
• We provide free 1:1 lessons for children in special schools through our collaboration with the Music of Life Charity. These are decided through careful dialogue with the school and places are numbered. Please contact us for more information about this subsidy.
• We provide free 1:1 lessons for children with upper limb disabilities through our collaboration with the One Handed Musical Instrument (OHMI) Charity. These lessons are provided once a discussion has been undertaken with the school/parent/carer. Please contact us for more information about this subsidy.
• We subsidise our Whole Class Instrumental Teaching programme to primary schools in the city with generous support from Arts Council England. This is usually in year 4 for the whole year. Please contact us for more information about this subsidy.
• In certain areas of delivery, we can offer support to schools. In particular, we have a double bass, bassoon, oboe and tuba project on offer, where we can provide a small proportion of free time to schools to help develop these areas of learning. This is supported through our Arts Council Funding.
• We offer free termly CPD sessions for Special, primary and Secondary school-based colleagues. We also run an annual BMEP Conference for free, which helps support music coordinators in the city, again supported through Arts Council funding.
• Throughout the year, our Birmingham Music Education Hub partners support schools with free activity. Please see our Birmingham Music Education Hub tab on our website for up to date offers.

Our students do not easily collaborate so to work together, editing and improving to make music, has been a positive challenge and they are visibly learning and enjoying the experience. It’s the layering of their combined efforts which is lovely to witness.

debbie poole, class teacher – baskerville school

I’ve been able to improve my playing immensely thanks to orchestra peers and tutors pushing me, I have made a number of friends and have had amazing opportunities throughout the year to play some great music in some of the UK’s most renowned concert halls.

lucas houldcroft – trumpet student

Through Services For Education, I was able to have free instrumental tuition, free instrument loans and access to free coached ensembles ranging from their Big Band through to their Symphony Orchestra. They equipped me with all the tuition and tools that I needed throughout my 10 years with them completely free of charge. Music education can be a life changer and a lifesaver; it can level the playing field and provide people with the skills they will need to tackle an increasing challenging and demanding work place.

Xhosa Cole – Former Ensembles Member and Winner of BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year 2018

Our Music Service provides schools and settings, children, young people and others with better musical education, regardless of their background or situation. Every music course is designed to inspire everyone to learn or teach music.

Whether you require Charanga Training for School Staff or GCSE/A Level Music Ensemble Support, we have a vast range of accessible musical tools to suit your needs.

With so many exciting, engaging and educational music programmes available, teaching music has never been so easy or fun!

We strive to build memorable experiences for young people across the country to engage in music as best they can. This starts with our ensembles, school support services, exams and resources.

We are really passionate about the true benefits of music and just want to share that with others.

One of our main aims is to help bring more music to schools across Birmingham, where we can witness its value first-hand in the local community.

We do this by offering a variety of in-school services, including special workshops, music teachers for hire, annual reporting, assembly support, advisory visits and training courses.

All the money raised from our music and school support services is reinvested into creating new and innovative projects for children in Birmingham.

If you want to book a music service online, use our new online booking form for music tuition in schools.

Alternatively, for any questions about our services or to learn how music supports development, contact us today.

At Services For Education, we are extremely passionate about the power of music and the huge benefits it has on pupils and schools.

Our music team are highly experienced and have over 50 years of experience. Our musical expertise has seen us work with 384 schools across Birmingham, supplying and providing the very best musical education on the market.

We have worked in close partnership with schools in Birmingham for more than sixty years and have achieved more in this area than any other organisation.

Supporting 31,000 children a week, we work with over 380 schools and loan instruments to over 27,000 young musicians. We can provide expert tuition on more than thirty instruments in a range of styles and cultures.

Why is music important?

Music really does change lives for the better, and we are here to make that happen.

Music has multiple benefits to health and development, especially for children. It’s been shown to improve a child’s mood, boost brainpower, build confidence and resilience while teaching patience, cognition and discipline.

We firmly believe that music can have a positive impact on the lives of children, which is why we set up Services For Education in the first place.

However, with government funding cuts, music provision in schools has declined over the last few years. Sadly, this means a lot of children and young people don’t get an opportunity to enjoy and benefit from music-making.

Our range of music courses and resources are an affordable solution, making learning and teaching music engaging, exciting and educational.

Multiple studies prove that a child’s brain development can accelerate dramatically when exposed to positive musical experiences. The power of musical education is not just a single subject. The skills obtained when engaging in music positively affects all elements of a child’s development.

Here are the elements of positive development due to musical education:

• Intellectual
• Social
• Emotional
• Motor
• Language
• Literacy

Teaching music to children is vital for a child’s overall development. Academic skills that become particularly prevalent are language acquisition and reading.

Also, when a child learns a musical instrument, it can improve their mathematical ability. Common skills such as increased memory capacity, cognitive development, learning ability and expression are other added benefits.

Teaching music to children is vital, not only for musical education but for a child’s overall development. At Services For Education, we strive to create, supply and produce the best musical education courses for our local communities.