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HILLINGDON MUSIC CENTRE

Hillingdon Music Centre is a vibrant music school which runs on Saturday mornings. Around 300 young musicians come along to play in bands and orchestras and to sing in choirs. The environment is informal. It’s a friendly place to be and provides a setting in which children and young people flourish.

The Music Centre caters for students who have some experience on their instrument and who have reached about Grade 2 level. Some students may have their Special Place lesson on Saturday and some may also choose to support their music studies by taking theory and aural classes.

Activities at the Music Centre include:
three full-size orchestras
four string orchestras
three wind bands
two choirs
a brass ensemble
a percussion group
string quartets
a saxophone group
music theory, keyboard skills and aural work

Just as important to the students as music-making is the socialising. The young people who choose to attend can socialise together with like-minded fellow musicians. The social hub of the Music Centre is the coffee bar which is run by the Friends of Hillingdon Music Service. There is also a small shop which takes orders for sheet music and holds a limited stock of essential items such as strings, reeds and valve oil.

A calendar of events is published each year with concerts and other activities for all Music Centre groups. There are many concerts throughout the year and this schedule of performances, events and activities include foreign tours, courses, major CD recording projects and concerts both locally and at major London venues such as the South Bank Centre and the Royal Albert Hall. Groups have also performed in major high-profile events, such as the visit to the Borough of Hillingdon by Her Majesty, The Queen. A huge diversity of music is explored and the team of dedicated staff directing groups are imaginative and creative in their choice of repertoire.

Every Music Centre student has a timetable for Saturday morning showing which groups they take part in. This may include a band, orchestra and choir. Theory and aural sessions are optional for students from the second year of their membership. First year students will normally attend a general musicianship class.

To keep students and parents well informed about the workings of the Music Centre, a regular newsletter is published.

Archived newsletters can be viewed here.

The Music Centre operates on the Abbotsfield and Swakeleys schools site, Clifton Gardens, off Long Lane, Hillingdon UB10 0JE. Rehearsals run between 9.00am - 1.30pm and the Music Centre meets for a total of 30 sessions per academic year.

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Hillingdon Music Service | London Borough of Hillingdon | Hosted by HGfL