Why Northampton parents are choosing group music lessons

For generations, learning an instrument has usually meant the same thing: one student, one teacher and half an hour alone in a teaching room each week.

But one Northampton music school is betting on a very different approach.

Based on the Kings Heath Industrial Estate, the school has been steadily building a community around small-group music lessons, where children learn alongside others of a similar age and ability.

The idea is simple. Children still develop the technical skills needed to become good musicians, but they do it alongside other young people who are learning, making mistakes and progressing with them.

For some children, particularly those who struggle with confidence, that difference can be significant.

Instead of every mistake being heard in the intensity of a one-to-one lesson, students are surrounded by classmates facing the same challenges. Progress becomes something to share. Lessons become social. And learning an instrument can become part of a child's identity and friendships rather than simply another weekly activity.

Cameron Stewart-Mathews, founder of Drummers Link Music School, said:

"There's absolutely a place for private music lessons, but we've seen first-hand how powerful learning alongside other people can be."

"A child might arrive really quietly for their first lesson and barely want to play in front of anybody. Then you watch them start talking to the other children, encouraging someone else when they get something right and gradually becoming more comfortable playing themselves."

"Eventually, some of those same children are walking onto a stage and performing in front of hundreds of people. That's when you realise they're learning much more than how to play an instrument."

Building musicians who want to keep playing

The school's philosophy is based on the belief that the success of music education should not simply be measured by how quickly a child progresses through grades.

An equally important question is whether they still love making music years later.

Small-group learning creates opportunities that are difficult to replicate in a traditional private lesson. Students learn to listen to one another, play together, communicate, take turns, recover from mistakes and experience music as something shared.

It can also give children one of the most important ingredients for sticking with an instrument: a sense of belonging.

"We don't want children to spend years learning an instrument only to stop the moment lessons finish," Cameron said.

"We want them to develop a lifelong relationship with music. If playing music becomes associated with friendships, performances, favourite songs and brilliant memories, we think there's a much greater chance they'll carry it with them into adulthood."

From the lesson room to the stage

That philosophy has extended beyond weekly lessons.

In 2025, the school launched LinkFest, an annual event designed to give its students the experience of performing live.

The first event saw 96 students take to the stage in front of more than 300 people.

Just one year later, around 150 students performed across three concerts.

LinkFest will return on 1st and 2nd May 2027 at The Picturedrome in Northampton, giving the school's next intake of students something significant to work towards from their first term.

For Cameron, the performances are not simply about showcasing the best musicians.

"There's a moment before a child performs where they're standing there nervous, probably questioning why they agreed to do it. Then they play, everyone cheers and they walk off absolutely buzzing."

"You can't recreate that feeling in a practice room. They learn that they can be nervous about something and still do it. That's a lesson that goes well beyond music."

Taking group learning beyond the drum kit

After developing its small-group approach through its bespoke drum programme, the school is now applying the same philosophy to more areas of music education.

This September, children aged 6 to 13 will be able to learn piano in small groups using the world-renowned KeyNotes curriculum, an approach designed specifically around engaging and collaborative piano learning.

The school is also launching Theatre Rocks Youth Choir for ages 8 to 16 and relaunching BandMates for ages 8 through to adults, where musicians come together to rehearse and perform as real bands.

Rather than simply adding more instruments, the expansion is intended to create more ways for people to experience music socially.

"The instrument isn't really the important part of the philosophy," Cameron said.

"Whether somebody is sitting at a piano, behind a drum kit, singing or playing in a band, we're trying to create the same thing: somewhere they can learn a skill, find their people, grow in confidence and eventually do something they might never have imagined themselves doing."

"If we can help somebody become a great musician, that's fantastic. If they also leave us more confident, with great friendships and a genuine love of music that lasts for the rest of their life, that's even better."

The school's new group piano classes, Theatre Rocks Youth Choir and BandMates programme begin in Northampton from September 2026, with students joining during the first term having the opportunity to work towards LinkFest 2027 at The Picturedrome on 1st and 2nd May.