Services For Education

Behind every note played at the Youth Proms are months of dedication, expert tuition from our Music Service, and the vital support of our community. This July, a new group of young musicians gets their moment in the spotlight 🎶❤️ Do you know a young musician who would thrive in our Central Ensembles? Auditions will be taking place during the week commencing 15th June 2026 (applications close 18th May). Find out more about what auditions involve via our website 👉 link in bio 🔗 #MusicService #MusicEducation

If you've joined us at Symphony Hall before, you'll know that there's nothing quite like the silence before the first note of the Youth Proms 🥁 While May is spent at rehearsal venues across the city, this is the moment it’s all leading towards 🙌 We can’t wait to welcome you back to Symphony Hall again this July 🎶 At the heart of every ensemble is SFE Music Service. Find out more about our work with young musicians via our website 👉 link in bio 🔗 #MusicService #MusicEducation

Our #SpringConcerts may have taken place last month, but we're still in awe of the talent shown by our SFE Ensembles 🎶👏 Take a look at some of the fantastic performances from last month's concerts below 📹 #SFEensembles #MusicService

Reflecting on a musical March... 🎼✨ We're still buzzing from the energy of last month's music events - from professional development to showcase performances, here’s a look back at our highlights: 🎶 Birmingham Music Education Conference - we kicked off the month at Midlands Arts Centre, where we held the annual Birmingham Music Education Conference - this was a fantastic day dedicated to Music CPD, and it was brilliant to have so many delegates join us. 📸 Pictured: Ollie Tunmer, Director of Beat Goes On, leading a group workshop 👏 🎶 Great Big Woodwind Day - on Saturday 7th March, SFE's Woodwind Department celebrated 'Great Big Woodwind Day', focusing on a range of activities and rehearsals tailored towards developing confidence and experience in performing as part of an ensemble. 🎶 Spring Concert Series - both our Spring Concerts and Schools' Gala Concerts took place in March, showcasing the breadth of talent from our young musicians. These concerts were simply fantastic - a huge thank you to every student, teacher, and parent who made these performances so memorable. 👉 Thank you to everyone who joined us in making March a month to remember. You can find out more about SFE Music Service via our website 🔗 #MusicService #MusicEducation

We've been keeping a secret! 🤫 Drumroll please...🥁 We're absolutely thrilled to share that this year's Cookathon Chef will be none other than Michelin-starred Chef and Chef Director at @grace_and_savour at Hampton Manor, David Taylor 🎉 David Taylor trained under the guidance of Birmingham's Glynn Purnell before moving to Norway, where he was part of the team that won three Michelin stars at Oslo’s Maaemo. Maaemo instilled in David the discipline of responding to what the land yields, and the art of telling a cultural story through the craftsmanship of food. David opened his first solo restaurant Grace & Savour at Hampton Manor with his wife Anette Taylor, Restaurant Director, in 2022 to critical acclaim, receiving a Michelin just one year after opening. His second restaurant, Kynd, opened at Hampton Manor in February 2025. Below are a few BTS shots from our morning at Grace & Savour, where we filmed this year's #Cookathon recipe walk-through! 🎥 Calling all schools! 📣 Don’t miss your chance to be part of this year’s Cookathon, taking place on Wednesday, 3rd June 2026. Sign up via our website and keep an eye on our socials for the latest updates! 🔗 The Cookathon forms part of our Health for Life programme, run in partnership with @mondelez_international 🌟

On Saturday 7th March, SFE's Woodwind Department celebrated the 'Great Big Woodwind Day' 🎶 This was our third year running this fantastic event, and we had over 60 young woodwind musicians involved - including members from our Central Ensembles, Birmingham Schools' Symphony Orchestra and Birmingham Schools' Wind Orchestra. The day focused on a range of activities and rehearsals tailored towards developing confidence and experience in performing as part of an ensemble, and we finished the day with a fantastic concert for parents and carers 🙌 See our favourite snaps from the day 📸

Thank you to everyone who joined us this evening for a second night of fantastic music from our #SFEensembles 🎶   A huge well done to our young musicians - you never fail to amaze us 👏 🎶   #SpringConcerts #ACEsupported

This evening’s #SpringConcerts have officially kicked off here at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire 🎸🎶   It’s fantastic to see so many of you with us - comment below if you’re here this evening! ❤️ 💬   #SFEensembles #ACESupported

We’re thrilled to be here at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire this evening for a second night of music from our #SFEensembles 🎶   Ensembles performing tonight include 👇   🎶 Birmingham Schools’ Training Percussion Ensemble   🎸 Birmingham Schools’ Training Guitar Ensemble   🎺 Birmingham Schools’ Jazz Band   🎶 Birmingham Schools’ Steel Band   🎶 Birmingham Schools’ Symphony Orchestra   👉 Find out more about our #SpringConcerts via our website 🔗   #ACESupported

It was great to host the first Birmingham Inclusive Choir Showcase at @mac_birmingham on Sunday 8th March 🎶 Thanks to the funding we secured, we were able to invite participants' friends and family to join us for a larger-than-usual session, so they could see for themselves what the group gets up to. We also welcomed the Deputy Lord Mayor to the event, and he got fully involved, which was fantastic. A full press release will be published shortly, but below are some photos from the day 📸 A collaboration between SFE and @soundabout.uk , Birmingham Inclusive Choir shows how #MusicCan overcome barriers 🌟 👉 #YouCan find out more about the project and how you can get involved via our website 🔗 #InclusiveChoir

#BirminghamMusicEducationConference 2026 🎶   Our final sessions of the day included Assessment in the secondary classroom, led by Sarah Andrews from Nishkam High School and Marie Lowndes-Ford from Lordswood Boys’ School. Delegates discovered strategies to assess music in ways that are musical, manageable, and meaningful for every learner💡   A huge thank you to everyone who joined us today, from those behind the scenes, to our brilliant presenters and trade stands, as well as our delegates 👏   You can find out more about Birmingham Music Education Hub via our website 🔗    With thanks to our headline sponsor, Normans Education.    #MusicEdConference2026 #ACEsupported

After a refreshment break and some networking, delegates headed to workshop two, with options including STOMP-style Body Percussion for KS1-2, led by Ollie Tunmer (Director, Beat Goes On). This was a fantastic session that explored the rhythm of words as a stimulus for body percussion composition - it was great to see delegates getting involved in this engaging session 💡🎶   A big thank you to Ollie for a brilliant session 👏   #MusicEdConference2026 #ACEsupported