The Blackheath Conservatoire is a registered charity and has been a central member of the local community since it was established in 1896. We welcome over 2000 members of the community through our doors each week, run over 260 weekly arts and cultural groups and provide over 600 weekly instrumental lessons.
In the academic year 2024-25, the Conservatoire delivered over 30,000 classes and lessons in Music, Art, Drama, Dance and Digital Creative Skills. This represents over 100,000 student contacts over the year. Visitors under 18 years old comprise over 75% of the Conservatoire’s user base. For group activities, 48% of all young people are 5 years old or under.
The Conservatoire is also a major employer of artists and musicians in the area, providing teaching and performing opportunities for a large and diverse group of over 150 local artists, musicians, dancers and drama practitioners.
The Conservatoire’s scope of activities covers the London boroughs of Lewisham and Greenwich. The London Borough of Lewisham has one of the highest proportions of children and young people (29.6%) living in economic deprivation in England. In 2022-23 alone, Lewisham experienced an increase of 55% in the number of young people receiving the Free School Meals subsidy. Our Lewisham and Greenwich communities have multiple areas with very poor access to the arts and which lack all the attendant benefits to child development an artistic curriculum provides to young minds.
To increase the reach of our activities to those with restricted means, we run a number of bursary and funded places as well as direct activities in the community.
The Conservatoire firmly believes in the power of music to change lives and we have long-standing bursary and paid-places schemes to provide access to cultural activities for those in the community with least resources.
We currently have 20 students aged between 12-18 years in receipt of a full annual bursary to cover their individual tuition fees. The students learn piano, guitar, harp, flute, violin and range from grade 3 to grade 8. Bursary students have taken exams with a variety of exam boards including ABRSM, Rock-School, Trinity and LCM guitar. The criteria for access to our Bursary Scheme is solely a low family income.
When I asked my daughter what the guitar lessons mean for her during the lockdowns she replied “Getting out of bed!”. Let me explain. During the first lockdown it was a really hard period for everyone but I think the children suffered more as they can’t always express their feelings. Kenza is 13 years old, and she at a age where she questions everything . She suffers from slight anxiety normally but during that lockdown it went fully blown. I was really worried, she didn’t want to do anything, didn’t phone her friends, she would stay in bed in pyjamas most of the day. My gorgeous sassy girl was just a shadow of herself. I suffer from autoimmune diseases so I unfortunately had to shield all that time. We live in a small flat and we don’t have a garden, she didn’t even want to go out with her dad to take some fresh air.
She didn’t have much interaction with her school during the first lockdown as they didn’t have video calls at that time. Therefore, the only time she was out of her bed except for eating and doing her homework, was to play guitar and have her lessons with William. Remember she didn’t want to do anything even guitar but she didn’t want to let him down. So for the lesson she would dress herself, do her hair, in other words, make herself presentable for her lesson. He would also talk to her about what he was up to and have his normal chitchat with her.
As a mum, that period really broke my heart. But these 30 min each week was the thing that I looked forward to most. So from the bottom of my heart thank you.
- Mother of Bursary Recipient
Over the 2022-23 academic year we granted 121 free places for group classes such as painting skills for juniors, youth theatre, story-telling, junior musicianship and sculpture.
"I." was very proud of achieving a distinction for his Grade 3 in harp He also benefits from the sensory and social aspect of playing music. I.'s ASD presents in anxiety, social communication issues and sensory difficulties which can make it hard to get through a typical day. He has started secondary school and is finding it very overwhelming in sensory and social terms. He lacks the confidence to ask for help or take breaks and to socialise with unfamiliar children. He often has panic attacks in the evenings and the mornings before school.
I. also has a motor planning and gross/fine motor disorder which means that sport and writing cause him difficulty/pain. Music is a consistent presence in his life, where he knows he is good at something, is not pointed out as different and where he has the opportunity to develop relationships from that basis e.g. with his tutor Verity and with an audience. It helps to have this activity, separate from school, which helps give him a routine and allows him to feel he is succeeding at something. Music is a skill which opens up his life for him.
- Mother of Bursary Recipient
Opportunities for creative enrichment are increasingly being side-lined in school curriculums, which lead to school leaders contacting us to provide tuition for their pupils. We have run successful past projects with Trinity Lee, Thomas Tallis and John Roan. Most recently, we worked with St. Matthew Academy to deliver high quality, small group, violin tuition on-site in the school, offering year 7, 8 and 9 students opportunities for creative fulfilment, conveniently slotted into their working day.
Her lessons have had a great impact on her - there is not only a huge change in her attitude towards learning the piano, but in general, she seems to be able to focus on her other subjects, is more confident taking part in her school shows, and in public in general, she explores different genres of music, organises her homework so she can practise every day. We live quite far from the Conservatoire but we are always happy to get her to her lessons.
- Father of Bursary Pupil
We are very pleased to provide Early Years workshops to Blackheath Junior School Nursery to complement their curriculum and their focus on wellbeing. The children have enjoyed music workshops based on their topics such as travel and the story Peace at last, as well as yoga and mindfulness workshops exploring how to express their feelings.
We know that music and the arts promotes well-being - it has the power to move, to relax, to energise and to console. Singing is particularly beneficial for improving breathing, posture and muscle tension. Learning new skills is also cognitively stimulating and helps the memory so can aid those suffering dementia. Socially too, there is more and more evidence suggesting that our social connections can play a role in maintaining our health.
The Conservatoire’s Womens’ Choir has been running for over 30 years and provides a supportive and caring environment for singers of all abilities to come together, make new friends, learn new pieces and perform to the public. We received a grant from the Utley Foundation to mount a performance of Faure’s Requiem at St Margaret’s Church and invited residents from the nearby local dementia care facility Rectory Court. We had over 80 members of the public in the audience!
Our choir is much more than a choir, it's a social group of friends.
- Marilyn, choir member for 30 years
We tackle so many different things... we sing everything, we go from Vivaldi's Gloria to Queen! It's an hour of absolute joy.
- Leslee, choir member for 29 years
The Conservatoire’s Artistic Director, Mairéad Sheerin, has run a choir for the elderly residents of Morden College every week since 2017. The College and Conservatoire are both historic landmarks and community hubs of Blackheath village, although Morden College’s 300 years in existence is double our own impressive record. According to the residents, the choir is the longest running activity from an external provider. The choir has gone from strength to strength and now numbers over 30 singers from residents and staff. Members were delighted to return to communal singing after Covid.
Singing has become much more popular since Covid, especially for members of choirs who were forced to "singalongazoom" in living rooms, maybe with a handy cup of coffee. Thanks goodness we can now meet "live" and sing our hearts out.
I was thrilled to discover on moving to Morden College, that there was a choir. With the help of Blackheath Conservatoire we have been able to make music together. We are a friendly bunch where nobody is auditioned to join or turned away. Singing is for anyone and everyone, we can ALL sing, even if not always in tune. We have performed a few times each year, growing more confident and taking great pleasure in showing what we can do. From Verdi to McCartney, we have an eclectic mix of repertoire.
We are all very grateful to Mairead and Micah for their help week on week. Their patience, kindness and humour help to make this the highlight of my week. Singing is FREE, yet it has amazing medical advantages for our better mental health. Above all, Morden College Choir is, quite simply, GREAT FUN.
What does the choir mean to me? How can one find the words to truly explain what happens to the heart and soul when we sing together? Our choir is healing, it is restorative, it is spiritual. We become a united group of people wanting to express ourselves through music. It makes me feel liberated from the stresses of life, it gives me an hour a week of communal pleasure with other residents.
- Choir Members
The Conservatoire delivers a free Ukulele group each week for older people identified as at risk of social isolation by the Charlton Primary Care Network. The group meets at Charlton FC and is looking to expand in the future to include adult drama.
[I] absolutely would love for this to carry on.
- Group member
Again, thanks for the support it has been such a huge benefit to us and the group.
- Activity Organiser
We have been building relationships with many community organisations during our 140 years of operation. Most recently, the rapid influx of large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers into the local area have created a new and growing population of young people at the margins of society with very little resources. Our aim is to better understand and begin to address the needs of these new community members, many of whom have distinct cultural practices around music-making, singing, art and play.
In 2022 we received seed funding from Royal Borough of Greenwich to establish a Ukrainian choir and Ukrainian art classes. These are led by Ukrainian nationals and native Ukrainian speakers and have provided a weekly opportunity for displaced community to meet together and maintain their culture. Funding from D’Oyly Carte and Big Give has allowed the choir to continue since 2023.
'I am alone. But in choir I am not alone - I feel happy'. 'Choir is a lovely atmosphere...we feel supported and we can relax. I feel peaceful and quiet. I love singing.' 'It is a community. It feels warm. Singing with others unites us.' 'Singing harmonies makes us feel full and joyful and happy'. 'It is good to be improving at something'.
- Ukrainian Choir Members
We value spending time with Ukrainians. It is important for us to sing Ukrainian folk songs and we can see it is important for our choir. It is good to have a connection with home and it is good for non-Ukrainians to hear Ukrainian language and music. The Conservatoire is a lovely place, it's a lovely room - we feel warm and welcome.
- Ukrainian Choir Leaders
Engaging in the arts is well documented as a way to manage stress and anxiety, whilst group classes offer the opportunity to meet people and make friends. Under The Conservatoire’s refugee programme, people of all ages who have fled war and persecution have been offered access to music tuition, drama and art classes at no cost. The programme has also been a wonderful learning opportunity for our tutors. Here, in their own words, are the impressions of some of those who have joined our classes this year:
Anna
Anna arrived in Greenwich as a refugee from Ukraine, and soon heard about the opportunity to join free art classes at the Blackheath Conservatoire.
- Creating art is like meditation. For two hours I must focus on what I’m making with my hands. I can’t think about the news or what is happening at home. I really appreciate this time.
Yosef from Ethiopia
Yosef from Ethiopia described his lessons as “Absolutely amazing!”. Yosef’s tutor, John, reported, “It’s been a great pleasure to get to know Yosef. In a very short time, he’s progressed from complete beginner to a point where he’s able to play confidently. We've looked at music from various genres including, at his suggestion, some in Amharic. This isn’t music I’d have encountered had I not been teaching Yosef, so it's been an interesting cultural exchange from my point of view."
Betul from Turkey
- I am very happy with my tutor and my lessons. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Delsy, Yarneline and Lilian from Honduras
- We are very happy and delighted with the courses, likewise with our tutors. In a short time we have learned a lot and that makes us very excited.
Maryam from Iran
- This painting class has helped me a lot in this difficult stage of my life. I am really grateful for your kindness.
Kristen, Maryam’s tutor: “Maryam has started the course as a complete beginner. It has been great to see her growing in confidence with the painting techniques and materials and to develop her own style. The Victorian art studio at the Conservatoire with its high ceilings and Northern light offers a space for respite and focus. It’s a special and unique atmosphere. It’s rare to find this kind of dedicated art space in which to experiment, to be creative and to be ‘present’ in the moment.”
The Evelina is a trailblazing children’s hospital, offering not only world-leading care in a compassionate setting, but also offering a range of innovative programmes to stimulate patients keeping them mentally, socially and emotionally occupied. The Conservatoire currently provides one-to-one mini-harp, guitar and song-writing. The service is highly valued by the children and their families. The deputy head of the school believes that music is an invaluable tool to help the children express themselves at a difficult time in their lives.
The Conservatoire’s bursary and funded places schemes are funded by internal fundraising, donations from local patrons and small grants from foundations and local authorities.
We are especially grateful to the Hearn Foundation for their programme of bursaries over three years. This programme his provided funded 1-to-1 tuition and group activities for 69 low income families.
Your support could help provide life-changing access to music and arts education for children and adults who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend. If you would like to sponsor one of community projects or support our work in other ways, please contact the Executive Director, Patrick Holden, on patrick.holden@conservatoire.org.uk.
"The courses are well-structured, easy to follow, and cover a wide range of topics. Teachers are supportive, and the user-friendly interface makes it simple to stay on track."
"The courses are well-structured, easy to follow, and cover a wide range of topics. Teachers are supportive, and the user-friendly interface makes it simple to stay on track."
"The courses are well-structured, easy to follow, and cover a wide range of topics. Teachers are supportive, and the user-friendly interface makes it simple to stay on track."
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