Sheffield music school scales up online ambitions

A Sheffield-based music school, which has helped over 5000 children to fall in love with playing a musical instrument, is hitting the right note with its growth plans after securing help from the South Yorkshire Digital Innovation Grant scheme to move its innovative music lessons online.

Harmony Music School, which is headquartered on Town End Road, Ecclesfield, was founded by professional musicians Aubrey Robinson and Abby Abrames in 2005. Today, the not-for-profit business helps hundreds of children and adults across South Yorkshire to strike the right note when it comes to mastering a musical instrument.

Operating from two sites in Ecclesfield and Broomhill, Harmony Music School employs 12 music teachers who deliver one-to-one tuition to pupils aged between 4 and 86 years old, helping them to master a range of musical instruments, including guitar, piano and drums, as well as vocal coaching and music theory. The company also works across the region with primary and secondary schools teaching KS1 and KS2 through after school clubs and supports over 350 aspiring musicians each year.

When the Covid-19 pandemic stopped Harmony Music from delivering face-to-face lessons, Aubrey and Abby decided to try moving their tuition services online. Delivering their tuition using just a camera and microphone, the experience planted an idea to explore new ways of sharing their knowledge and inspiring others to take up learning a musical instrument. Crucially, for the first time since the company opened its doors, the online sessions meant Harmony Music found itself supporting musicians based across the UK.

It proved to be a watershed moment for the business, and Aubrey and Abby realised they could expand their business beyond their physical location by expanding their online tuition offering. Coupled with plans to launch a series of self-taught courses, which can be downloaded from the company’s website, the musical duo realised that whilst their plans offered a golden opportunity to expand and grow the business, it would require a significant financial investment.

When Aubrey spotted an email from Business Sheffield, announcing that funds were available through the South Yorkshire Digital Innovation Grant scheme, a match-funded ERDF funded programme designed to help small businesses across the region to improve productivity by embracing new forms of technology, they decided to reach out and find out whether their plans would be eligible.

Following a meeting with business adviser Simon Walton, Aubrey decided to apply to the scheme, and much to his surprise, a few weeks later, he discovered the application had been successful. With funds in place, Harmony Music was able to secure the additional computer and recording equipment to bring their plans to fruition.

Today, Harmony Music School combines both face-to-face and online teaching. The funds provided through the Digital Innovation Grant have enabled the company to introduce an online booking system, whilst upgrading the audio and visual equipment has helped Aubrey, Abby and the rest of their teaching staff to support budding musicians across the UK, with regular lessons being taught to pupils across Yorkshire and beyond.

Work is also underway to develop their self-taught teaching sessions, which Harmony Music hopes to officially launch later this year.

Aubrey Robinson, Co-Founder, Harmony Music School, said:

“If you’d have asked me a few years ago, I would have said it was practically impossible to teach a subject like music without face-to-face interaction, but music tuition is evolving. Like many businesses, we were forced to adapt to challenges posed during the Covid-19 pandemic, and we began experimenting with delivering online lessons. One of the limitations we faced was the technology we were using, and when we found out that help was available through the Digital Innovation Grant scheme, we knew it could potentially open up new markets for our business.

We spoke to Simon and discussed our plans, and his advice gave us the confidence to apply for the grant, which ultimately proved to be successful. The funds we received have allowed us to upgrade our computer equipment, giving us the opportunity to interact with students online. We’ve also introduced group learning sessions, allowing students to engage with others, and we’re also developing a subscription model where aspiring musicians can download courses, helping them to improve their playing techniques and master different styles of music. Since securing the funds, we’ve secured regular work with students based across the UK, and we’re now planning to recruit additional music teachers to meet the rising demand for our services.”

Simon Walton, Business Information Officer, Business Sheffield, said:

“Harmony Music has been helping children and adults alike to fall in love with playing music for nearly 20 years. The transition from face-to-face learning to embracing technology was borne out of necessity during the Covid-19 pandemic; however, Aubrey and his team were quick to spot the growth potential it offered to the business. The main barrier they faced was recognising that to move their services online, there was not just a large financial cost, but translating their wealth of experience into a subscription-based course model would take a significant amount of time.

The Digital Innovation Grant was introduced to help businesses like Harmony Music School to boost productivity by embracing new forms of technology. Many of the organisations we have helped have been able to use the funds to explore new markets and introduce new products or services, and I hope the funding they have received will provide a catalyst for the business to enjoy future growth.”