Online Learning

Surrey Arts has put together links to a number of online resources to support learning at home. In addition Surrey Arts are also delivering peripatetic lessons online.
Surrey Arts has put together links to a number of online resources to support learning at home. In addition Surrey Arts are also delivering peripatetic lessons online.
A new year and another lockdown! Before the end of last term, the Surrey Arts team had been working really hard programming in lessons but the latest lockdown has meant many lessons due to take place in schools will now be changed. Fortunately the online learning platform Surrey Arts introduced in April last year is available and there are many advantages to continuing to learn in this way.
Here are some of the reasons why the Surrey Arts online teaching can be really beneficial:
Surrey Arts have received many positive comments from parents who have seen the benefits of having online lessons during the lockdowns:
‘The online lessons have helped give structure to our weeks and have meant that the children have continued to make progress with their music. Having a weekly lesson has meant that they have continued to practise – it would be too easy for them to just drift away from practising if there had been no lessons.’
‘It has been brilliant to continue lessons during the “lockdown”, and my child has progressed as a result. Practicing without the incentive of lessons was hard so it was great to do zoom lessons.’
There are also many links to Surrey Arts online teaching and introduction to instruments on the Surrey Music Hub website Online Learning – Surrey Music Hub
Surrey Arts is excited to launch a new Online Learning Programme offering high quality instrumental lessons from the comfort of your home! Over the past few weeks we have been busy trialling online teaching, and establishing safeguarding protocols and technical guidance to ensure we are able to offer the same high quality learning experience that our students receive through face-to-face lessons.
We are pleased that we are also able to support our more vulnerable young people through our inclusion programme, offering free lessons to groups such as looked after children, young carers and unaccompanied refugees.
Sarah Lee, Head of Service, said ‘This has been an amazing effort by the Surrey Arts team. To be able to put together a programme at such an uncertain time and develop a programme that ensures high quality and a safe learning environment for students is fantastic. We all know the power that music can have on our lives, and engaging in creativity during this time can really help with health and well-being. We hope that our online learning programme will be a valuable service for the Surrey community encouraging people to continue making music and engaging in arts activities.’
At present the Surrey Arts Online Learning (SAOL) programme is only available for existing Surrey Artsstudents: however, we hope to grow this further in the coming weeks, providing more ways in which to support musical learning.
Together with our Online Learning Programme we have also created an extensive online resource page with lots of videos, activities, online music performances and much more!
Finally, the visual arts team have worked with Surrey Artists Open Studios and Surrey Hills Arts to provide a range of online art workshops for artists of all abilities and ages. SAOS artists have also provided online tours of their studios and have been part of the Sketchbook Challenge where they have shared their sketchbook works.
These are unique times and it is great to see so many talented people working together to ensure learning and creativity continues in Surrey!
Surrey Arts has introduced an online learning programme – Surrey Arts Online Learning. This exciting programme brings music lessons straight to your home.
Surrey Arts Interactive/Charanga is a website which offers online resources for children learning an instrument. We currently have resources available for beginner to grade 1 on most of the instruments we teach, and up to grade 5 for flute, alto sax, clarinet, trumpet and violin. You will need a log in for your child to access these. If you would like to do so, please complete the form below and a log in will be emailed to you.
Surrey Arts recognise the importance of continual learning and development. Collectively the Surrey Arts team have pulled together a range of resources available online so that learning can continue at home. These include free music scores, videos and apps as well as introducing Surrey Arts Online Learning – SAOL.
Don’t miss out and enjoy continuing to play music. #keepmakingmusic
BBC Masterclasses and Live Lessons
ABRSM The ABRSM is the exam board of the Royal Schools of Music, delivering over 650,000 music exams and assessments every year in 93 countries. Their website and YouTube channel contain exam support, syllabuses, and free online learning resources in their “Play On” programme.
ABRSM YouTube Channel Exam prep, learning videos and syllabus videos for woodwind, strings, brass, percussion, piano, guitar and voice.
Trinity College Music Exams Every year Trinity College London supports the music education of thousands of students with assessments across classical, jazz and rock & pop music. Their website and YouTube channel contain exam support and learning resources for students.
Trinity College YouTube Channel Exam prep and learning videos for woodwind, strings, brass, percussion, piano, guitar and voice.
Trinity Rock and Pop YouTube Channel Exam prep and learning videos for contemporary music instruments and music tech.
RockSchool – RSL Awards Exams, method books, YouTube tutorials
RockSchool YouTube Channel Exam prep and learning videos for contemporary music instruments and music tech.
Academy of Contemporary Music ACM is a specialist provider of creative industries education. Students including performers, producers, songwriters, technicians, and games developers are taught by established creative industry professionals.
ACM YouTube Channel Videos and masterclasses for contemporary music instruments and music tech.
“I am delighted to launch our comprehensive menu of services for schools for the period July 2022 to July 2023.
If you want music to make a difference in your school, take a look at how Surrey Music Hub can help or contact Surrey Arts to discuss anything that isn’t covered by those services.
We are passionate about the impact that the arts have on young people’s lives and believe that creative engagement has a place in every school. We hope that we can work together with you to give your young people the highest quality music and arts education.
All of our services are flexible and can be tailored to fit within your setting. They are also Covid safe, and can be delivered online with Surrey County Council safety requirements.
I would encourage you to visit our website and to make use of the programme of CPD and other opportunities we are creating for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or other requirements as we are always happy to meet with school leaders to discuss how best to meet your individual needs.”
Sarah Lee
Head of Surrey Arts
Most of our lessons take place in Surrey schools, and can take place during or after school hours, for individuals or small groups depending on tutor and classroom availability.
Contact Surrey Arts to see what is available near you.
Music lessons include brass (trombone, trumpet, tuba, cornet, French horn, flugelhorn), strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass), woodwind (recorder, clarinet, flute, saxophone, oboe), piano, keyboard, percussion, drums, guitar and more.
Our expert tutors help 15,000 young people in Surrey to learn to sing and play all sorts of different musical instruments by visiting schools to give one-to-one or small group instrumental lessons. Your child can too! We’re going to be developing the range of instruments on offer too, over time.
Contact your school to find out what’s on offer, or contact us if you have any further queries or feedback.
Surrey Arts offer support to schools to provide whole classs tuition for Key Stage 1 providing instruments and online learning. This is available through government funding.
Lessons are also available during and after school hours for individual and small group tuition but is dependant on tutor and classroom availability.
Making music is great fun so get started early!
Surrey Arts and Stringbabies Ltd. have come together to offer Surrey’s schools and young children a fun way to learn stringed instruments. Currently, in a number of schools in the county, the programme is available county-wide for children between 3 and 7 years.
There are many opportunities for children and young people in Surrey to get involved in playing music (UP! Orchestra) and singing (Just So Singers).
During the school year tutors from Surrey Arts visit many schools across the county to host workshops to encourage young people to learn a musical instrument. These workshops cover the variety of music families from strings, woodwind, percussion, guitar, brass, piano and keyboard.
Throughout the year there are courses and workshops that invite some of the world’s leading musicians to give master classes and perform giving students the opportunity to develop their playing techniques.
Currently there are two Saturday morning guitar workshops in Leatherhead and Woking which are a group collaboration for young musicians wanting to learn the guitar and create music. The workshops are an ideal starting point for any child wanting to learn the guitar prior to having lessons with little or no experience.
It’s not too late to learn. Surrey Arts offers music classes at adult learning centres and caters for a wide range of abilities.
Many adults wished they had learnt to play a musical instrument at school. Surrey Arts offers opportunties for adults to learn in groups (piano, guitar, singing, opera appreciation) or individual lessons in orchestral instruments, piano and guitar.
Full list of adult music courses
(including times, venues and prices)
Surrey Arts also offer adult instrumentalists the opportunity to join ensembles.
Joining a group or ensemble is a great way to develop your learning and perform with other musicians and in front of audiences. There are over 50 performing ensembles in Surrey for beginners and the experienced musician both youth and adults. These include area and county ensembles as well as youth and adult choirs.
Our music groups offer young people a chance to rehearse and perform with others, make new friends and improve their playing. Groups and ensembles rehearse once a week, and perform a number of times each year in schools and professional venues.
Local groups can also be found in at the Surrey Arts’ Ensembles Page or our partner Making Music’s website.
Due to the current lockdown some of the online training dates for Create and Sing have been changed.
Join the Royal Opera House for a two-part virtual CPD training course exploring our Create and Sing creative learning programme (KS1-KS3). Our specialist ROH drama and music practitioners introduce the programme, pedagogy and resources and guide teachers through effective approaches to supporting students’ creative learning by exploring opera.
Create and Sing is an innovative drama and singing programme supporting young people’s creative learning and giving voice to their creativity. Our nationally and freely available teacher training and resources engage schools in a creative process leading towards creating opera in the classroom. Teachers are not required to have specialist music training as our free certified training and unique online resources help guide them through the programme every step of the way.
Watch our video here to hear what teachers say about the programme.
Create and Sing’s Covid-19 adaptations
Due to the current lockdown, the Royal Opera House have had to revise the CPD schedule, moving dates to the end of this term and the start of next. Please note if you had previously booked onto a CPD the dates may have changed (more details below). Only one Surrey date has changed, but the online Surrey sessions will also be opened up to other schools nationally.
Create and Sing has adapted this year, with training taking place through virtual twilight sessions and schools projects starting in the summer or beyond. Create and Sing virtual training brings teachers together to explore, learn, share and have some fun during this difficult time of separation.
With many schools facing curriculum time pressures but also looking for a special, engaging and rewarding project for the summer, the training focuses on our Explorer (5-week lesson plan) schemes of work. These lead teachers and students through creative learning programmes with a range of curriculum links. Teachers do not need to commit to running a school project this summer to attend the training; all are welcome.
To Register…
Create and Sing works with partner organisations to bring teachers in local areas together for training. Where possible we ask teachers book on to their area training dates, but if you are unable to make these, there are also nationally open dates below. Places are free, booked via Eventbrite and allocated on a first come first served basis:
Surrey Music Hub dates
Create and Sing Carmen part 1
18/03/2021 16:30 – 18:30 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/roh-create-and-sing-carmen-cpd-surrey-music-hub-part-1-of-2-tickets-131844643879
Create and Sing Carmen part 2
21/04/2021 16:30 – 18:30 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/roh-create-and-sing-carmen-cpd-part-2-of-2-surrey-music-hub-tickets-131845301847
National training dates
Create and Sing Hansel & Gretel part 1
17/03/2021 16:00-18:00 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/roh-create-and-sing-hansel-gretel-cpd-open-nationally-part-1-of-2-tickets-136815678377
Create and Sing Hansel & Gretel part 2
29/03/2021 16:00-18:00 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/create-and-sing-hansel-gretel-cpd-open-nationally-part-2-of-2-tickets-136816105655
Create and Sing Carmen part 1
18/03/2021 16:30-18:30 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/roh-create-and-sing-carmen-cpd-open-nationally-part-1-of-2-tickets-136816540957
Create and Sing Carmen part 2
21/04/2021 16:30-18:30 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/roh-create-and-sing-carmen-cpd-open-nationally-part-2-of-2-tickets-136816432633