Portsmouth Music Academy

What Portsmouth Music Academy does

Portsmouth Music Academy (PMA) is a privately-held music education business founded in 2012 and operating from two teaching centres in Cosham and Southsea, Portsmouth, United Kingdom. The company delivers one-to-one lessons across electric, acoustic, and classical guitar, bass guitar, piano, drums, vocals, ukulele, and banjo, available in 30, 45, and 60-minute formats priced at £17.96–£32.85 per week with a half-price trial (£9.98) for new students. Group tuition is offered in 10-week beginner cohorts for guitar (£165–£169), ukulele (£149, ukulele included), and adult singing (£179), supplemented by recurring community activities: weekly Pop Choir for ages 7–16 (£7.50/session), monthly Rock It Band Club for ages 8–16 (£12.50/session), and monthly Ukulele Jam Nights at Spice Island Inn (£5/session).

Beyond consumer lessons, PMA runs a B2B peripatetic service placing music teachers into Junior and Secondary Schools across Hampshire, with named contracts at Bosmere Junior, Castle Primary, Springfield, and Wimborne Junior Schools. The academy is an authorized exam host for ABRSM, Rockschool, and Trinity boards, runs the annual PMA Live concert (80+ performers, 600+ audience in 2019), and operates branded merchandise and performance video products. Distribution combines owned teaching centres, school contracts, community events including the Victorious Festival Piano Tree installation, and a WordPress-led digital presence.

The business is bootstrapped with no external funding, no parent company, and no public listing. It is led by three co-founders — Adrian G. (Director), Chris G. (Head of Tuition, ACM Music Performance graduate), and Shaun H. (Guitar) — supported by Academy Managers and a teaching roster. The revenue model is primarily recurring weekly lesson subscriptions, with one-off fees for group courses, exams, merchandise, and event-based add-ons. Customer segments split between distributed individual learners (all ages) and a smaller concentrated set of B2B school accounts.

Name

Portsmouth Music Academy

Legal name

Portsmouth Music Academy

Website

https://portsmouthmusicacademy.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Portsmouth Music Academy is a private music school in Portsmouth, UK, offering one-to-one and group lessons across multiple instruments at its Cosham and Southsea centres, plus peripatetic tuition to Hampshire schools, community performance events, and music exam hosting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Music Lessons (Instrumental) (EDAMANAA), Music Exam Prep & Certification (ABRSM, Trinity, RCM, AP Music Theory) (EDAMANAJ), Performance Coaching & Competition Preparation (Auditions, Recitals) (EDAMANAL)

Keywords

• Music lessons
• Instrument tuition
• Music education
• Peripatetic teaching
• Music exams

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. One-to-One Music Lessons: Weekly recurring lessons for guitar, piano, drums, vocals, bass guitar, ukulele, and banjo. Available in 30, 45, and 60 minute sessions with a half-price trial for new students.
2. Group Music Courses: 10-week beginner group courses for ukulele, guitar, and singing. Includes course materials and sometimes instruments.
3. Pop Choir: Weekly group choir sessions for 7-16 year olds at £7.50 per session with first session free.
4. Rock It Band Club: Monthly rock band workshop for young people ages 8-16 at £12.50 per session.
5. Ukulele Jam Nights: Monthly community jam nights at £5 per session, open to all abilities.
6. Music Exam Entry: Entry service for ABRSM, Rockschool, and Trinity music exams at the academy.
7. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, beanies, tote bags, drumsticks, and recordings of performances.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Portsmouth Music Academy is a private music school offering one-to-one and group music lessons in guitar, piano, drums, vocals, bass guitar, ukulele, and banjo from two teaching centres in Cosham and Southsea, Portsmouth. Lessons are delivered by professional musician teachers with sessions available in 30, 45 and 60-minute lengths, complemented by group beginner courses, ensemble activities (Pop Choir, Rock It Band Club, Ukulele Jam Nights), exam entry services for ABRSM/Rockschool/Trinity, peripatetic tuition to Hampshire schools, and branded merchandise.

Product overview

Portsmouth Music Academy (PMA) is a music education service business offering one-to-one and group lessons across multiple instruments (guitar, piano, drums, vocals, bass, ukulele, banjo) at its Cosham and Southsea centres in Portsmouth. The core offering consists of individual lessons with professional musicians, supplemented by group courses for beginners in guitar, ukulele, and singing. Beyond lessons, PMA provides performance opportunities through activities including Rock It band club, Pop Choir, Ukulele Jam Nights, and the annual PMA Live concert. The academy also partners with local schools for peripatetic lessons, offers music exam entry services (ABRSM, Rockschool, Trinity), and sells branded merchandise. The business operates on a platform of music lessons plus supplementary activities and community events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• One-to-One Instrument and Vocal Lessons
• Group Guitar Lessons
• Group Ukulele Courses
• Group Singing Lessons
• PMA Pop Choir
• Rock It Band Club
• Ukulele Jam Nights

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% exam pass rate mentioned on website

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ovation MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2023Partnership with Ovation Music to launch Saturday band workshops for 8-18 year olds at PMA Southsea. Initial 3 sessions offered free of charge. Sessions run by Ovation's tutors providing opportunities for performance at PMA live events and wider Ovation events. Spaces available for guitar, piano, drums, vocals and bass guitar.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Yousician: Online / app-based platform teaching guitar, piano, bass, vocals and ukulele via interactive lessons and AI feedback. Comparable threat rather than partner: overlaps directly with PMA's beginner cohort in instruments, lesson pricing, and lesson format.
• Kindermusik: International music education programme primarily for early years through structured group classes. Comparable as a curriculum-driven, programme-based music school model rather than one-off tuition, though targeting a younger segment than PMA.

Direct peers

• Junior Jam: UK provider delivering peripatetic music tuition to primary and secondary schools, with after-school clubs and holiday workshops. Directly comparable to PMA's school partnership channel and similar age target.
• Rocksteady Music School: UK-wide franchise running band-based rock and pop tuition for children in primary schools and dedicated teaching centres. Directly comparable to PMA: same UK market, same group lesson + performance philosophy, same age 8-16 cohort, but at far greater scale and via a franchise model.
• Monkey Music: UK franchise offering structured group music classes for young children (0-4) across hundreds of locations. Comparable as a UK private-sector music education operator with a class-based subscription model and strong community events catalogue.
• School of Rock: International franchise teaching rock and pop music through private lessons and group band performance programs for kids and adults. Closely aligned with PMA's Rock It Band Club, Pop Choir and PMA Live activities and its rock/pop exam board relationships (Rockschool, Trinity Rock & Pop).
• Stagecoach Performing Arts: UK franchise providing weekend performing arts education (singing, dancing, drama) for children aged 4-18. Comparable as a UK private music/arts education operator with multiple centres, recurring subscription model, and a similar community-events-driven proposition.
• Singing Lessons UK: UK-focused individual singing tuition provider with studios in multiple cities. Comparable as a private-studio vocal tuition business with recurring lessons, but largely singular-discipline (vocal only) versus PMA's broad instrument range.

Regional players

• Music House for Children: Charity-led music education provider for babies and young children in London offering group classes and workshops. Comparable as a structured, community-driven music education business with performance events, though London-based rather than coastal/South.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Academy of Music (Junior Programme): London-based conservatoire offering Junior Academy programmes for school-age students with ABRSM-aligned training. Comparable as a music education institution for young learners pursuing graded exams, though operating at much higher prestige and price point than a regional academy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PortsmouthMusicAcademy
• Xx.com/PMAmusicacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portsmouth-music-academy-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portsmouth Music Academy