News
Music services for 2025-26
Thank you to all the schools who submitted their request for services before the deadline. We are now liaising with individual schools and organising tuition and resources for September.
You can still request and book services, however subsidised services will be charged at full cost.
Our regional teams will be on hand all this term to confirm arrangements for September and help you with your request. Regional Manager contact details can be found here.
Funding for subsidised services in 2025-26
Our organisation receives funding from the DfE via Arts Council England to provide subsidised musical support and activities to schools, including Sing Up, Charanga, and First Access sessions. We expect funding to remain static next year and have set our subsidies and prices for 2025-26 accordingly.
We are awaiting the results of the spending review on 11 June 2025 to confirm our exact funding for the 2025-26 academic year. Whilst we’re confident that the government will continue to support music education, final confirmation of any DfE-funded activities and resources will depend on the spending review's outcome.
We will confirm subsidised school requests in due course. Please contact your Regional Manager if you have any concerns. Regional Manager contact details can be found here.
HMS Bursary Awards 2025-26
From September 2025, the Bursary Award from HMS will change to ensure bursaries continue to be available to students who may not otherwise afford access to music provision.
The revised programme also enables progression through different stages of learning and additional support for students who achieve higher levels of proficiency.
Schools may be asked to provide support for the remainder of lesson fees by parents directly, for example from the Pupil Premium grant funding schools might receive.
For more details, please visit:
Lead Schools for Music
10 schools in Hertfordshire have been selected to be Lead Schools for Music in the Hertfordshire Music Hub following a rigorous appointment process.
All of the education settings were praised by Hertfordshire Music Service who are leading the scheme as the Lead Organisation for the Hertfordshire Music Hub.
The new Lead Schools for Music were selected for their work in ensuring every child can make music, innovative teaching practices and promotion of music in the local community. Each Lead School also demonstrated a strong commitment to inclusion and accessible musical opportunities for all their pupils.
Ben Stevens, Music Director for Hertfordshire Music Service, said:
"We can’t wait to start working with our new Lead Schools for Music. Whilst all the schools demonstrated a strong commitment to supporting music education, it is the dedicated and inspiring school music leaders that will really bring this programme to life. It remains a privilege to work with such fantastic individuals, supported by their schools and our local musical communities."
Hertfordshire’s new Lead Schools for Music are:
- Cuffley School
- Haileybury Turnford School
- The Priory School
- Richard Hale School
- Sound Mynds
- Southfield School
- St Albans Girls’ School
- Watford Grammar School for Boys
- Woolenwick Infant & Nursery School
- Wymondley Junior Mixed and Infant School
By working together, Hertfordshire Music Service and the new Lead Schools for Music will ensure that every child in Hertfordshire has access to inspiring music teachers, engaging resources and continues to achieve musical excellence. This will ensure Hertfordshire remains a county of musical opportunity for everyone.
School support and CPD
For a full list of CPD from Herts Music Service as well as our partners, please visit the school music development toolkit page for details of all the available events: School support - CPD.
Music Leaders Development Day 2025
In partnership with HfL Education, this is an unmissable event for music leaders and teachers who will benefit from a full day of face-to-face CPD dedicated to enhancing your skills in composition.
Award winning composition specialist Rachel Shapey will provide the keynote session whilst other workshop leaders will all focus on practical composition tips and tricks for every key stage.
Tickets cost £50 +VAT per delegate (usual cost £190, however HMS has subsidised £140 per delegate from Hertfordshire maintained schools).
Sign up for this exciting event here: Music Leaders and Teachers of Music – Development Day 2025
Early morning school music drop-in sessions
These sessions are designed specifically for music leads and teachers to network, share ideas, and ask questions in a supportive and collaborative environment.
When and where: First Thursday of every month, 8.00am - 8.30am on MS Teams (no booking required).
When and where
Every first Thursday of the month, 8.00am - 8.30am (no booking required).
MS Teams link
Meeting ID: 369 189 446 924
Passcode: 4yU7Ch
Join us!
Mark your calendars and don’t miss out on this exciting new initiative. For more information, please contact Christina.Luchies@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Music support networks available
To support your school, HMS is hosting a series of networks to bring teachers from similar schools together. Click on the relevant options below to join colleagues in learning new skills and finding solutions to challenges – all fully funded!
Register your interest to become part of the Hertfordshire SEND School Music Network
Register your interest to become part of the Hertfordshire Primary School Music Network
Register your interest to become part of the Hertfordshire Secondary School Music Network
Local updates
We manage our relationship with schools through a team of four Regional Managers. Each ‘region’ has a Regional Manager who is supported by a team of teaching specialists and support staff to understand local needs and create relevant events and opportunities for your students to participate in musical activities.
You can find the contact details for your Regional Manager here by clicking on ‘Contacts for schools – Regional Managers’.
There are no local updates this term.
Partner updates and resources
We work with a wide range of partners to bring a diverse range of musical opportunities to Hertfordshire schools. This includes both national and local partners to ensure that local needs are met whilst ensuring opportunities across the country and beyond are available to students at your school.
Useful resources, publications and organisations
As part of the HMS curriculum music toolkit, we have collated a range of resources and links to publications and organisations that could help your school become more musical. Click here to view the resources.
Posters: free to download
Rachel Shapey at I Can Compose has recently shared a link to different music posters that anyone can download for free and print for your school music boards or classrooms.
The link is here: 10 Free Music Classroom Posters - I Can Compose.
Students and families can apply for funding for music with Young Sounds UK
You can apply if:
- Your child is aged between 5 – 17 years old
- Your child is an instrumentalist, composer, producer, singer or song-writer.
- Your family are on a lower income.
o You're eligible if the total income of any parents/carers in your home is less than £30,000 a year.
o You may be eligible if it's between £30,000 - £40,000 a year.
o It's unlikely you'll be eligible if it's above £40,000 a year.
Click here for more information
Pictures sourced and used from Unsplash - Beautiful Free Images & Pictures | Unsplash.