Discover – the home of natural explorers
In Discover classes, with our expert tutors guiding but standing back when needed, the children are discovering and creating, expressing feelings they may not be able to verbalise. As their minds explore and express, their bodies are responding: building up motor skills, developing hand-eye co-ordination and, as they make patterns (both musically and artistically), count and play with textures, shapes and sizes, beats and rhythms, and use tools and puppets; they are also making their first forays into the worlds of maths and science.
Through art, music and imagination, they start to use language and express themselves through stories and word repetition. With their classmates they are learning to share, listen, problem-solve, take turns and help each other. With their parent or carer, they are strengthening that bond in a new way. And parents are creating too! Together, the groups build a sense of community.
In our Music classes, through stories, song and percussion, our Young Musicians [and the parents or carer who accompanies them] explore tempo, pitch and rhythm and we are delighted to be launching a newly refreshed programme in Spring 2026. We have drawn upon well-established music pedagogies together with our Team Lead’s own experiences as a musician, Early Years practitioner and parent. Here are some of the highlights:
Makaton hand signs: Our tutors have been trained in Makaton for Singing to support communication between adults and pre-verbal babies or speech-delayed bilingual children.
Songs for Grown Ups in our 6-18month classes: a moment for adults to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of singing in a supportive group in the knowledge that their little ones are cocooned in sound.
Sol-fa and Kodály hand signals for our 4-year-olds to support pitch, sight-singing as well as getting ready for our Foundation classes: Musicianship, Roundabout, Play! and Junior Choir. Also, for the first time they will experience a stringed instrument - the ukulele, [which they can also have fun with in our Ukulele for age 3+.]
Our Art classes are a playful creative start to art for children ages 0-4. Inspired by special days and seasonal events, there is a loose theme each week, although overall these sessions are child-led. They explore a variety of techniques including drawing, painting, printing, 3D, cutting and sticking, with lots of help and tips to inspire mark making, colour, texture and storytelling. They provide a fantastic opportunity for self-expression, and parents can breathe a sigh of relief that the mess stays with us!
What if I mix these colours? What if the bear has a loud booming singing voice but moves quickly? What does it feel like when I dip this sponge into this paint? What if I help the tutor hand out the tambourines to my classmates? What if we carry this curiosity throughout our whole lives.....?
Young Artists and Young Musicians
Foundation – Bringing the building blocks together
At the Conservatoire, we believe in the power of learning together as part of children’s musical and artistic Foundation – our Young Artists and Young Musicians learn by watching and listening to each other and any professional creative will tell you that collaborating and socialising through art and music is the Foundation of their developing practice. From this point they attend our classes independently as they move towards producing independently created art and music with the scaffolding support provided by a solid framework.
Our thoughtfully devised group courses are structured to develop a wide range of skills, explore new concepts across the arts and build social skills in a fun, informative and collaborative way. We hold termly performances and exhibitions - looking at and listening to the work of other students provides an important opportunity to develop a visual and musical vocabulary about what they see, what they hear, what they like and what they could try next.
For our Young Musicians high-quality group lessons allow students, to develop increasingly sophisticated musicianship, instrumental and vocal skills in a fun and motivating environment. In Foundation Musicianship, students meet the orchestra, experience music from around the world, try out the ukulele and even start to compose! Our flagship Roundabout programme introduces children to six instruments over the course of a year. They are then ready to choose their favoured instrument for the follow-on programme Play! which is designed to help children to progress further through small-group learning. In Junior Choir they can sing together, harmonising and exploring how the voice works. Ukulele age 4-5 gives them a chance to play and sing together in small, supportive groups.
Our Young Artists in Foundation 4-6 build their skills throughout the term with step-by-step guidance and suggestions to help them along the way, alongside the opportunity to make their own choices and exert creative freedom! The inspiration is from exhibitions currently taking place across London and seasonal events. Children develop their knowledge of colour, texture, and their skills with brushes and scissors, while expanding their notions of what constitutes art with the emphasis still on fun!
The next step in Foundation 6-11 is building upon and applying the knowledge and skills they already have, developing focus, deepening an understanding of the world and extending their self-expression. Using inspiration from current exhibitions, the tutor guides the children through the creative process teaching a broad range of skills but with more independent decision-making and problem-solving, developing the perseverance to overcome what they may perceive as being a mistake.
Young Artists and Young Musicians
Specialism – focus on your passion
Our Young Artists and Young Musicians are at a time second only to infancy in terms of the number of developmental changes in the brain – they begin to think differently, looking out rather than in. So, naturally they are keen to hone their skill and specialise. At this exciting developmental point, self-expression and socialising through art and music provides an important emotional outlet for our students.
With strong foundations, our Young Musicians are ready to move on to one-to-one lessons, Individual Tuition. With over 80 tutors from different backgrounds, trained at the world's top music schools and a variety of specialisms, our tutors can accommodate differing aspirations - from formal exams to the desire for a creative oasis (and most often a combination of both!)
Those starting to study orchestra instruments (violin, viola, cello, flute, trumpet, French horn, trombone) can join our ensemble Keep Playing Together. They can complement their learning with small group music Theory classes catering for all levels up to that crucial Grade 5 stage. Their choral journey can continue with Chamber Choir, exploring more sophisticated music and learning about how to blend with colleagues and when to use a more soloistic sound.
Our Young Artists can continue to build upon their skills in the general Foundation 6-11 course, which is designed to challenge and nurture the differing skills and interests of varying ages, or they can specialise in one or more areas that interest them: Drawing Skills, Painting Skills, Mixed Media, Illustrations for Teens and Portfolio Building, all helpful for either a creative outlet or to support more formal learning or future Foundation applications.
Inspired by our original founding purpose, we continue to offer a diverse range of courses for the local adult community. We want to enhance and transform lives as you discover new skills or rejuvenate old ones, build confidence, and enjoy a new creative and social outlet, so come to the Conservatoire and escape from the pressures of the world, take time out for yourself, meet new friends, and exercise your imagination.
