While we welcome students from around the world to all three of our core disciplines, the music department enjoys a particularly wide intake. Musicians come in some cases thousands of miles to study at Fenbrook, enjoying one-on-one tuition from the very best. We have offered classes for all classical instruments for many years, and in 1990 became one of the first of the classic institutions to offer training in electric and bass guitar, drums and keyboard. Fenbrook also features its own orchestra, which plays charity concerts around the city and provides a way for students to learn the discipline and teamwork required to play en masse.

Fenbrook’s music program also includes vocal training, either as a dedicated discipline or studied alongside an instrument (or cross-trained: acting is a popular companion discipline for those hoping to work in theater). The department has a thriving student music community, with many students forming string quartets and bands and playing at venues around the city.

You get cellists eating lunch next to rock guitarists – Karen, music student

Our students have achieved great success within both classical and popular music, with several Grammy and Mercury Music Prize winners beginning their journeys at Fenbrook. The academy has also been the birthplace of a number of chart-topping bands.

The music department occupies the second floor of the academy and features several rehearsal rooms of different sizes, from a hall able to accommodate the orchestra right down to rooms for solo practice. The music faculty offices can also be found on the second floor, while music students can mingle with the rest of the student body in the basement cafeteria.