Welcome to Hertfordshire Music Service

Herts Music Service Royal Albert Hall Gala April 12Hertfordshire Music Service is one of the largest Local Authority Music Services with over 600 instrumental and vocal teachers teaching over 25,000 children in schools and music centres across the county.
We believe in making every child's music matter, and as part of the Local Authority are committed to supporting world class standards in schools through music and supporting all children from our most vulnerable to our most gifted to find their musical voice and the empowerment this gives them.

Herfordshire Music Forum: The Music Education Hub for Hertfordshire
Launched in September 2011, Hertfordshire Music Forum is the strategic group representing the key partners that deliver and promote music education on a county wide basis. There are many other regional and district partners who are crucial to local delivery. Their work is also supported by the Music Forum through the area based structure of the Hertfordshire Music service and other Forum members.

Hertfordshire Music Forum will:
1. Promote and support high quality music education in Hertfordshire
2. Through partnership working and advocacy, support the Hertfordshire Music Service in its role as Lead Partner
3. Provide critical challenge for Hertfordshire’s response to the National Music Plan, Local Authority Music Plan and other strategies as required
4. Maintain an education focus with clear values on standards improvement and excellence  both in the music curriculum and extra-curricular music
5. Ensure all strategies are tested with regards value for money, musical integrity, access and equalities.
6. Meet three times per year to receive reports from the Head of Hertfordshire Music Service and Partners as necessary
7. Endorse strategic plans and funding applications as required and communicate this endorsement.

There will be regular updates through the year as to how our new music education hub impacts on the musical lives of our children and young people
Happy music-making!
James Dickinson - Head of Hertfordshire Music Service

Hertfordshire Music Songwriter 2012 Competition

The Hertfordshire Songwriter 2012 Competition is running from January 2011 until September 2012, and is based around an online chart. The chart will feature songs written and recorded at our rockschools, workshops and performances and songs submitted directly by young people aged 19 or under from across the county.

For the full songwriter 2012 chart click here 
Young people can get involved in different ways:

• Sign up for your own free area of the project website so you can post your own songs, collaborate online or add comments about the music on the chart
• Learn to write your own songs and improve your skills at free or heavily subsidised song-writing workshops
• Use the site to find out about local opportunities to watch or play live music, and get involved in helping to set gigs up with other young people
• More information click here

Royal Albert Hall Gala - update

The two Gala concerts presented by Hertfordshire Music Service at the Royal Albert Hall last Sunday 13th May both raised the roof of this enormous unique venue.  Over 2500 children from Hertfordshire Schools performed across the 2 shows , showcasing the singing taking place in primary schools today and complemented performances by the County Symphony Orchestra and Brass Band of players from secondary schools, and , for the first time in one of these events, rock bands and solo songwriters nurtured by our Hertfordshire informal music team.   Acclaimed county wide as a huge success, this was a life enhancing experience for all involved.



Songwriter 2012 - showcase at Royal Albert Hall Gala

Afternoon show

Warm up band, Easy Lies from The Highfield Rockschool, Letchworth

Showcase performer Freda Marsh from Freman College

Evening Show 

Warm up band, All Against Nothing from the Barclay Rockschool, Stevenage

Showcase performers Naomi Gosling, with Mackenzie Kavanagh, Ijeoma Amaechi

We chose songs we think were the most direct and original, and that best captured the emotional learning element of Songwriter.