Portsmouth Guildhall to take over Portsmouth Music Hub, which runs music lessons across the city
A change is coming to music lessons for Portsmouth children
Music lessons in Portsmouth will soon be overseen by the organisation which runs Portsmouth Guildhall.
From September The Guildhall Trust will take over Portsmouth Music Hub which gives music education for children, young people and learners in and around Portsmouth.
The Guildhall Trust will work with Portsmouth Music Service, which currently runs the hub, as part of a transition to make sure, as it says, “that Portsmouth’s children and young people have excellent musical provision through innovative, creative and original activities and sustainable, progressive pathways which nurture talent and improve outcomes”.
Sue Beckett, Head of Portsmouth Music Service said, “Portsmouth Music Service is proud to have led Portsmouth Music Hub for well over a decade, with national and international recognition for its high quality and innovative work. We are delighted to work with The Guildhall Trust as the Music Hub moves into a new and exciting phase as part of Portsmouth’s excellent music offer.”
CEO of The Guildhall Trust, Andy Grays said, “We are delighted to welcome Portsmouth Music Hub into our portfolio! We have worked with Sue and the Music Hub team for many years to deliver a broad range of music opportunities for schools and young people, which along with the trust’s other activities which include the production of Dance Live!, a big production contest for schools and colleges, makes the Hub a natural extension of our work with young people in the community.”
The trust has announced the appointment of Vicky Sharpe as manager of the Music Hub. Vicky has been working as a music teacher within the city since 2019 and has held a senior leadership role within the Music Service over the past year.
In this new role, she will continue to work with Portsmouth Music Service to sustain existing provision, while also leading the development of new initiatives to be delivered by the Music Hub.
The charitable Guildhall Trust, which is responsible for running Portsmouth Guildhall, already runs the Get Involved programme of activities which include music development opportunities, a creative skills programme and a creative space for young people called The Base.
In a statement the trust added: “Schools, young people and their families can be reassured that the services of Portsmouth Music Hub will continue under the direction of The Guildhall Trust which will assume responsibility from the start of the new academic year.”
Portsmouth Music Hub is a member of the South Coast Music Partnership, a consortium formed in 2024 when smaller regional music hubs joined together. SCMP now covers Portsmouth, Southampton, the Isle of Wight, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. SCMP started formal operations in 2024 to create larger regional hubs. The Arts Council England funds 43 music hub partnerships across England.