As part of the SCMP-wide CPD and training offer next academic year, we are delighted to be able to host a day of Carbon Literacy Training for Music Educators on Wednesday 5th November 2025 Online.

This course is designed specifically for music educators to gain an awareness of  the climate-related costs and impacts of their activities and to understand how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The training provides practical tools for reducing emissions and integrating sustainability into professional practices.  It will also give you the knowledge, skills and confidence to act to reduce your carbon emissions to support the UKs Net Zero target.

The training will be delivered online through presentations and interactive discussion groups over the course of a whole day in 2x3 hour blocks. This will be followed by the creation of your own personal pledge which will be certified by the course leaders following the training. For music hub staff this certification will be included in the training and will form part of your INSET time for the year but for external partners there will be a small cost of approximately £10 for this.

When is it: Wednesday 5th November 2025

Where is it: Online

Please sign up now via the google form linked in the button below.

Spaces are limited so please sign up ASAP if you would like a secure place on this course.

Carbon Literacy Training

Online CPD training in Carbon Literacy for Music Educators. Spaces are limited.

Sign Up Now

On Saturday 18 October, Sound Sense, in partnership with The Music Works, are hosting a one-day CPD and networking event focusing on inclusion, embracing differences and exploring what it means to be a community musician in the 21st century.

SIOW’s Inclusion Lead, Matt Brombley, will be taking part in one of the panel discussions

This year has rounded off with another 12 concerts involving 16 Southampton and IOW Music ensembles.

Spread over the last 4 weeks of term all groups performed to an incredibly high standard.  It was an absolute pleasure for me to be able to attend most of these events. We are sure you are as proud of young musicians achievements as we are.  Not only are the young people great musicians but they also conduct themselves in such a professional manner. 

Our initial and mid tier groups generally gave performances in their rehearsal venues with our senior ensembles performing out and about.

• Southampton Youth Brass Band gave a couple of outdoor performances at the St Cross Fair and at Romsey bandstand, performing to a wide audience, well beyond just family and friends. 

• Southampton Youth Wind Band gave a stunning concert at Chandlers Ford Methodist Church

• Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia also performed out in the community at Royal Victoria Country Park.  This performance built on their inclusive and community project - Make Some Noise. 

• Southampton Guildhall was the venue for Southampton Youth Orchestra's 60th anniversary where they gave an incredible performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana together with singers from local schools and choirs

Festival Of Music In The West Wight will take place on 15 November 2025, including performances from solos, ensembles, duets, choirs. On 15 November 2025.

This festival welcomes an audience with a suggested entry donation of £5.

All proceeds are going towards The West Wight Dementia Friendly Choir in Freshwater. The aim of the choir is to keep raising funds to set up other dementia choirs on the island. To date they have been instrumental in supporting the Parklands Alzheimer centre and are working towards supporting a new choir in Ryde.

Performers and Musicians are encouraged to sign up to take part in the festival.

This can be done by filling out the Entry Form (downloadable via the button below) and emailing it to pamwedgwood@yahoo.co.uk

Information about the Festival

Where: The festival will be held at Christ Church, Alum Bay New Road, Totland Bay, PO39 OES

When: Starts at 10 am and finishes at 6pm.

Entry: The performances will be open to the public throughout the day. Entry by donation only at the door.

Performers:

Each performer(s) will be given an allocated slot to perform. This will be sent out as soon as we have an idea of how many performers wish to take part.

If you are involved in a choir, it’s likely that your allocated time will be in the afternoon.

Accompaniments:

If you need an accompanist there will be Dik Wilkins on hand to help you out.

Please let me know if you need to contact him before the day. Prior notice would be helpful.

Instruments:

There is a recently purchased Yamaha C3 grand piano. OR a digital piano available for performances.

Big Sing

At approximately 5pm there will be “A Big Sing” where hopefully anyone who has been involved in the festival, instrumentalists, singers or volunteers will join forces to have a fun mass sing to finish off the day. The chosen songs will be. “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” from Mary Poppins and “California Dreaming.” There will be words and scores available for anyone wishing to sing in parts!

Full details can be found via the button below.

Please contact pamwedgwood@yahoo.co.uk OR Hill View House, Bedbury Lane Freshwater. PO40 9PD for any further enquiries regarding the festival.

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With the new term starting in September, many workshops, classes & groups are starting up again. Below is a breakdown of some upcoming offerings from SIOW Music and our Partners!

Don’t miss your chance to book on to classes including music making, song-writing, singing, creative collaborations and dance!

Digital Native Artist Groups from SIOW Music:

Mix’Zine - A conected commnity for music, events and support - created by young people for young people. Monthly Mondays from 4.30 - 6.00pm.

Music Production Collective - Monthly group sessions for collaborations among young beat makers, producers and songwriters. Mondays from 4.30 - 6.00pm.

Flow - Twice monthly rap group session for young rappers - no experience necessary! Saturdays from 10.30am - 12.00pm.

Girls Make Music is taking a short break, but will be returning soon! Keep an eye out for updates.

All of these sessions are FREE to attend, with support from Youth Music. They take place at our Music Studio, in Mayflower Studios.

See below for further information on our poster and future dates on the events calendar.

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Workshops, classes & groups from our Partners:

On the Isle of Wight

Songwriters Den - Learn different writing techniques, find out how to create melodies, chord progressions, try out new instruments, perform your songs at events & festivals!

£28 per month, September - July, half price for anyone in receipt of support services. These sessions take place at Newport Congregational Church.

Contact islandmusicmakers@gmail.com to book your space for September 2025.

In Southampton

St Michaels & All Angels’ Junior Choir - Junior Choir is a wonderful opportunity for children in years 3 - 9 to learn music, practice with friends and sing at monthly services!

Practice is on Wednesday evenings during term time at 6.30 - 7.45pm. Find out more and fill in the application form to join here.

St Michaels are also hosting a Half-term Singing Event on Wednesday 29th October from 1.30 - 5.00pm. You can reserve a space here.

Music and Dance classes by ArtAsia - Art Asia runs a thriving programme of weekly music and dance classes in Southampton. From Carnatic Music to Bollywood Dance!

Run by professional practitioners, we aim to provide the most authentic, high quality classes in the region.

Boost your confidence, learn something new, keep fit with classes from professional tutors in Southampton.

Join at the start of term. New timetables are available and booking is open. You can find more information on ArtAsia’s music and dance classes and Book via their website.

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Lorenza Marino has just released her bilingual track ‘La Melodia’ - you can read about the track, its origins and influences below, and learn more about Lorenza as an artist. She has previously performed at the Music Mark Conference and represented SIOW Music within Youth Voice panel discussions.

La Melodia

The bilingual track ‘La Melodia’ seamlessly blends the Italian language with Croatian, featuring a Southern Italian melody line, a Spanish sounding guitar and a Balkan accordion. The captivating song Lorenza wrote, touches upon the beautiful trademarks of the city that she calls home (Salerno, Italy) and the other places she has visited that make her feel at home.

These places as described in the Mediterranean have a heartbeat, which will always remain inside of her every time she leaves at the end of Summer. She dedicates this song to the cities in Italy and the Balkans (which she visited for the first time last summer), that are so close in distance, musical influences and historical and cultural pride.

“The atmosphere in the Balkans and my city Salerno will remain in my heart forever and La Melodia, which is a cognate in other languages across the world, is the proof of what it means to write from a place of wholeness, love and freedom of creativity. She is a reminder of the pride I carry, which I wish to share with the world, with the language causing no limitations of were my music will travel.” — Lorenza Marino

About Lorenza Marino

Born in East London, the Italian & Zambian Singer-Songwriter and Producer is an Independent Artist emerging into the music industry with influences coming from all over the globe. Lorenza calls herself a ‘Citizen of The World’, with her London R&B and Soul background, fusing together with her Mediterranean and African Sound. She completed a Music Diploma at The Academy of Contemporary Music Guildford in 2022 and graduated this summer with a BA Honours from Southampton Solent University with a Music Performance and Production Degree. Having done all of this, she will be starting her travels across Europe this summer, in hopes of collaborating with more artists across the continent, while also performing in various venues across different cities.

Follow Lorenza Marino on Instagram here.

Follow Lorenza Marino on Tik Tok here.

Support the research of an MA student at Platform One!

An MA student at Platform One is currently looking into the attitudes towards the practice of sampling in popular music and is gathering primary research through an online questionnaire.

To support their research, please fill out their short online questionnaire- responses will be recorded until 16 September 2025.

This short study is about attitudes towards the practice of sampling in popular music. For the sake of clarity, referring specifically to the sampling of existing, recorded, commercial music as part of the process for creating new musical works, as opposed to other applications of digital sampling technology, or commercially available "royalty free" samples.

On 5 July 2025 we celebrated a fantastic evening of music, Southampton Youth Wind Band performed at Chandlers Ford Methodist Church in an end of year concert.

The evening included band awards for our talented young musicians, performances from our Award Holders, and recognition of 2025 leavers. We would like to thank all for their dedication, passion and outstanding performances.

This concert was also Kevin Withell’s last performance as an assistant to SYWB, we would like to thank Kevin for all of his hard work, commitment and support to the ensemble.

Below you can find photos and videos from the evening!

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SIOW Music is working with Artswork to offer an exciting new role within the South Coast Music Partnership: a Breakthrough Traineeship as a Signposting & Youth Governance Worker!

Breakthrough is a 6‑month employability programme designed as a stepping stone to get young people aged 18–25 workplace experience and all-important employment skills. This role includes:

1. Signposting — sharing music-making opportunities, resources and training with schools and families through SCMP’s website and social media channels.

2. Youth Governance — working to set up new youth-led consultations and governance systems that make SCMP more inclusive, representative and responsive to the needs, interests and ambitions of children and young people.

3. Cultural Education Partnerships — helping children and young people find and move between cultural and creative opportunities and support.

This week marked the culmination of the Sound Out! Project, delivered by London Sinfonietta in partnership with SIOW music and Turner Sims.

Children from IOW and Southampton were entertained at Ryde Academy, Medina Theatre and Turner Sims by  Patrick Bailey, London Sinfonietta musicians and the Sound Out Young Ensemble which was made up of pupils from Carisbrooke College and Upper Shirley High School.

Pupils explored how to compose and create new music, led by presenter Patrick Bailey.

They listened to pieces by living composers, joined in with the performance and heard new work by young people from Southampton and the Isle of Wight.  Pupils from Ryde academy and Bassett Green heard their music created in workshops led by the composer come to life in the performances. The compositions were environmentally themed, continuing to embed SCMP's environmental focus. 

In an article for Southampton Forward, Kath Page shares her excitement for Tapestry Festival, SIOW Music working as an event partner and what this has involved:

“A great example of our work at Southampton and Isle of Wight Music is a project to showcase the talent of local children and young people at the new Tapestry Festival at Westquay on 19th and 20th July, and I’m really excited to be a part of this.

Three city-centre schools took part in vocal workshops to learn a set of songs about Southampton and the areas that Jane Austen would have lived in and frequented. One of the songs, about the many languages and cultures in Southampton, aligns particularly well with the world music focus of Tapestry.

The next phase of the project is a filming day for the participating schools with students from Solent University, who will create a video of the performances to share on screens at Tapestry in between acts, performances and workshops.

Performance can feel a bit daunting, but it’s so important because it helps young people grow – not just as musicians but as confident, expressive and connected individuals. Engaging in performance allows young individuals to express themselves creatively and authentically and this form of self-expression can be really empowering.

Tapestry is such an exciting event. As Event Partner, SIOW Music was involved from the start, helping Southampton Forward put the programme together and recommending local artists via our hub to perform and to run workshops at the festival.

Tapestry is free and open to everyone and it’s completely family friendly. We’re so lucky to have this new event in the heart of the city, attracting first-class musicians from across the UK as well as local acts. I also think it’s vital festivals like Tapestry are bringing a range of music to a wider audience, helping to foster inclusivity, cultural understanding and emotional connection across communities.

We have several wonderful projects coming up in addition to Tapestry, including London Sinfonietta workshops with secondary schools’ ensembles and concert performances for Key Stage 3 students at Turner Sims as well as English National Opera’s ‘Finish This’ end of year composition workshops and performances at Redbridge Community School. Southampton Youth Orchestra’s 60th anniversary concert on Saturday 12th July at 02 Guildhall Southampton also promises to be a great night.”

- Kath Page, Consortium Lead, South Coast Music Partnership, SIOW Music Manager, SCEP Chair.

The full article can be read here.

Tapestry festival

Free Festival at Westquay Esplanade

2-8pm on 19th & 20th July

Find Out More

Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hub presented the Community Stage this year at Turner Sims family day.

We celebrated local talented young people with an exciting line up of performances from performers that take part in Rising Stars open mic nights at The Stage Door as well as performances from Groove Merchant and Groove Syndicate.

Below is an Instagram reel from Turner Sims sharing fun from the day!

“It’s a wrap for Family Day at the Turner Sims Summer Festival 2025.

What an amazing day at the University of Southampton! Music-making workshops, free music outside all day, face painting, families making memories in our beautiful gardens and (of course) in the building where all the musical magic happens!”

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A post shared by Turner Sims (@turner_sims)

We are delighted to announce that some of our talented young musicians and performers from The Stage Door: Rising Stars will be performing at this year’s Southampton Mela Festival on Sunday 13 July!

The Southampton Mela Festival is a long-standing summer highlight in Southampton’s events calendar celebrating Modern and Traditional Asian Culture. Enjoy two days of free music, arts and culture from our partners Art Asia.

The Southampton Mela Festival takes place on Saturday 12th – Sunday 13th July 2025, in Hoglands Park in the heart of Southampton. The festival will open at 12pm with performances starting at 12pm and the final act on the main stage running until to 9pm. Sunday will be a community day with activity from 12pm to 6pm.

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We're calling on young musicians across the UK to start their free musical adventure with NYO Inspire.

NYO Inspire is where teenage musicians find the free opportunities they need to grow, in music and in life. They accelerate as musicians with world-class tutoring and explore incredible music as part of the biggest orchestral music community they’ve ever seen.

Do you work with a musician who’s ready to turn their passion into progress?

Who can apply?

We welcome applications from 13-18 year-old musicians who play orchestral instruments at a level equivalent to Grade 6 and above. There is no need for any official grades, but applicants should be passionate about music and determined to take their playing to the next level.

We prioritise musicians with the greatest need for a place. It’s primarily for teenage musicians who go to state school, who are looking for more opportunities to grow. Full eligibility available on our website via the button below.

NYO Inspire events fill up fast, musicians should complete applications by 31 July to have the best chance of being invited to a local activity, for the first event of the year. Applications officially close 30 September 2025.

It’s completely free! Travel bursaries also available.

Last Thursday we celebrated the hopes and views of young people in primary education on the Isle of Wight at “Our Day will Come”, a school and singing event led by Southampton and Isle of Wight Music (@siowmusic) and staged at Carisbrooke Castle with @englishheritage with Isle of Wight Cultural Education Partnership ‘Creative Island’.

Around 600 pupils from 15 schools took part in the preparation and performance of the event. The Cultural Education Partnership (Under @creativeisland_iw) were proud to help fund the commissioning of five original songs by local songwriters and songwriting workshops with the pupils.

These workshops produced work that reflected how the children feel about growing up here and making plans for the future. In addition, art workshops with @new.carnival enabled pupils to express these ideas through the production of their own colourfully illustrated flags, that went onto decorate the staging area at the Castle. They asked pupils:
1) What’s your favourite thing about the Island?
2) What’s your favourite thing about school?
3) What are your hopes for the future?

A big well done to all the young people who took part and for their loved ones who came along to support.

You can view Creative Islands instagram post (which includes a video from the event) below.

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A post shared by IWCEP (@iwcep_creativeisland)

Carla, MIX’Zine and Music Production Collective member, has created some new tunes in our Music Studio at Mayflower Studio.

Galaxies is an original song written and composed by Carla!

One Small Step is a remix by Carla, using English National Opera’s Finish This…

In our last MIX’Zine session, Carla used Canva to create album covers for both pieces of music, which she then shared to our MIX’Zine instagram page!

You can view the posts below and hear the music, as both posts have the music embedded!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mix'Zine South (@mixzinesouth)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mix'Zine South (@mixzinesouth)

TAPESTRY Festival 2025 is now only a few weeks away!

TAPESTRY Festival is a brand-new, free music festival taking place in the heart of Southampton on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July 2025. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the city’s medieval walls, the festival transforms Westquay Esplanade into a stage for outstanding live music, original commissions, and unforgettable performances.

Across two summer days, audiences can experience an inspiring mix of world-class artists and exceptional Southampton talent, brought together in a vibrant programme that draws on musical traditions from across the UK and beyond — echoing Southampton’s identity as a city shaped by movement, migration and exchange.

Alongside the music, visitors can enjoy food and drink from local vendors and explore everything the city centre has to offer – all just a short walk from Southampton Central Station.

Join us for TAPESTRY – a weekend of music that crosses borders, generations, and genres, right here in Southampton.

No tickets, no barriers – just great music.

KEY DETAILS:

📍Westquay Esplanade, Southampton
🗓Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 July 2025
🎟FREE ENTRY – No tickets required

TAPESTRY Festival

19 - 20 july 2025

A brand new FREE music festival of world-class artists and exceptional Southampton talent taking place in the heart of Southampton.

Find Out More

tapestry festival on instagram

Follow TAPESTRY Festival on Instagram to stay in the loop!

FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM

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Brassroots Extravaganza returns this year on Tuesday 1 July 2025!

This workshop is for you if:

• You enjoy making music with other young people

• You are a Brass instrument learner who can play 5 notes or more!

When is it:

Tuesday 1 July 2025 at 4.45 - 5.45pm

Where is it:

Richard Taunton Sixth Form College, Hill Lane, Southampton, SO15 5RL

This event is FREE to attend.

How to sign up:

Reserve your space before Wednesday 25 June by using the QR code or button below:

This event is supported by Friends of Southampton Youth Brass Band.

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Fully funded places on CoMA's (Contemporary Music for All) upcoming Summer School, for 18-25 year-olds facing financial barriers.

CoMA will be holding our biennial Summer School at Keele University, 17th-23rd August 2025. It will be a fantastic, experimental week of music-making with a wide variety of sessions delivered by expert tutors. It is open to instrumentalists, singers and composers of all abilities aged 18+.

Due to some recent funding from the Finzi Trust, we are delighted to be able to support a limited number of fully funded places for 18-25 year-olds who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford to attend. This includes access to all activities plus food and accommodation for the full duration of the Summer School. We will also cover the costs of travel to and from the venue.

These places will be allocated to those who:

• can show that taking part in the Summer School would provide a significant opportunity: this will be based on the applicant's answers to questions in the application form about why they want to take part and what the impact would be 

• can confirm that the cost would have been a barrier and they would not have been able to take part without funding. For example: applicants are on a low or unreliable income, are unwaged, or are in receipt of benefits etc. We will not ask for evidence, we just ask people to be honest.

If this is something you would be interested in, please contact Francesca at francesca@coma.org by Monday 30th June for more information on how to apply.

As we are only able to offer a small number of funded places we regret we may not be able to support everyone who applies. We kindly ask for your understanding.

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FOR ALL: SUMMER SCHOOL

Sunday 17th – Saturday 23rd August 2025.

FIND OUT MORE

fully funded places

Please contact francesca@coma.org

by Friday 20th June for more information on how to apply.

Contact Francesca

Our Summer Concerts season is underway, with performances from our Ensembles & Young Musicians!

Find full details and how to book for each event through the link to the listing on our events page.

🎷Studio Band: Studio Band at Eastleigh Concorde Club — Southampton and IOW Music

Monday 23 June 2025, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm.

The Concorde, Stoneham Lane, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO50 9HQ.

Studio Band (fka Jazz Workshop) is a 10 piece Jazz Band playing a selection of modern & classic jazz tunes!

They will be joined by special guests from Southampton University: Nomad

🎺 Southampton Youth Brass Band: Southampton Youth Brass Band at St Cross Fete — Southampton and IOW Music

Saturday 28 June, 1:30 pm 5:00 pm

The Hospital of St Cross, Saint Cross Back Street, Winchester, England, SO23.

SYBB will be performing 3 sets between 1.30-5pm.

Funds raised are for the church at St Cross, Winchester Bereavement Group, Winchester Young Carers and Winchester Hospice.

🎺 Southampton Youth Strings & Elgar: Southampton Youth Strings & Elgar: Summer Concert! — Southampton and IOW Music

Monday 30 June 2025, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Cantell School, Violet Rd, Southampton, SO16 3GJ

Free entry. There will be a retiring collection at the end of the concert.

🌟 Rising Stars Open Mic Night: Rising Stars Open Mic Night @ The Stage Door — Southampton and IOW Music

Tuesday 1 July 2025 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm at The Stage Door, 78 West Marlands Road, SO14 7FW.

In partnership with The Stage Door and J Fashole-Luke.

Featuring Local Young Musicians.

🥁 Airplay & Boom!: Boom & Airplay joint concert at Cantell — Southampton and IOW Music

Thursday 3 July 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm.

Cantell School, Violet Rd, Southampton, SO16 3GJ.

There will be a retiring collection at the end of the concert.

🎷 Southampton Youth Brass Band: SYBB live at Romsey Bandstand! — Southampton and IOW Music

Saturday 5 July 2025, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm.

Romsey Bandstand, The Meads 31, Romsey SO51 8HB

🎻 Southampton Youth Wind Band: SYWB live at Chandlers Ford Methodist Church — Southampton and IOW Music

Saturday 5 July 2025, 7:00 pm - 9:15 pm.

Chandlers Ford Methodist Church, Winchester Road, Chandlers Ford, SO53 2GJ.

Southampton Youth Wind Band will be performing at Chandlers Ford Methodist Church in an end of year celebration, including band awards and recognition of 2025 leavers!

🎺 Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia: SYCS live at Royal Victoria Country Park — Southampton and IOW Music

Sunday 6 July 2025, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm.

Royal Victoria County Park, Netley Abbey Hill, Southampton, SO31 5GA.

Southampton Youth Concert Sinfonia will be performing at Royal Victoria Country Park.

🎻 Pulse8 Summer Concert: Pulse8 Concert — Southampton and IOW Music

Monday 7 July 2025, 6:00 pm - 6:45 pm.

Cantell School, Violet Road, Southampton, SO16 3GJ.

🎻 Southampton Youth Orchestra: SYO 60th Anniversary Concert at O2 Guildhall Southampton! — Southampton and IOW Music

Saturday 12 July 2025, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

O2 Guildhall Southampton, West Marlands Road, Southampton, SO14 7LP.

Southampton Youth Orchestra present a 60th anniversary concert: Carmina Burana at O2 Guildhall Southampton, performing with local massed choirs.