Nurturing our budding young musicians 

Round & About

Claire Salmon, trustee of the Goring and Streatley Young Musicians Trust, tells us how the team are nurturing musical talent and championing local, grassroots music

The benefits of developing musical skills at any age are well-documented in scientific literature, from boosting cognitive development to enhancing emotional wellbeing. With this in mind, the Goring and Streatley Young Musicians Trust was launched in February  2024 with the goal of expanding music- 
making opportunities for young people in our local communities. 

The idea was also born out of real concern.  Our trustees work closely with several community music groups in the area, and they had all experienced a worrying trend: the number of children learning instruments sharply declined during the pandemic – and this number had not bounced back.   

Today, musical education faces multiple challenges – from competing demands on time and finances of parents and schools, to limited availability of qualified teachers, rising costs, and uncertainty around government funding. That’s why our charitable mission is focused on removing barriers, both financial and logistical and to ensure that every child in  our community has the chance to discover the joy of making music.   

We have approached this in a variety of ways  and are currently focused at the primary school level. We have provided grants for new classroom instruments, small group and whole-class instrumental lessons, and special events such as our Brass Discovery Day, which brought live demonstrations and hands-on experiences to young learners. One of our most popular schemes has been our recent Starter Pack programme, which bundles an instrument, a qualified teacher, and five introductory lessons to give children a confident and supported start on their musical journey.   

We are also very excited about our latest initiative – the launch of our “Brass Roots Ensemble”. We have put this together with Oxfordshire County Music Service, building on their work in our schools but also extending it to the community and is open to novice players of all ages. Our tutor will also be available for private lessons. The local concert band has volunteered to help support less experienced musicians so it is a really exciting collaboration between the county music hub, local teachers, local schools, and community music groups.   

We are accepting new recruits now to start in September so if you are interested in learning or returning to playing a brass instrument, (or even trying it to keep up with your child!) please do look at our website for more information and to sign up!