West of England Music and Arts

What West of England Music and Arts does

West of England Music and Arts (WEMA) is a UK not-for-profit organisation headquartered at Little Stoke School in Bristol, operating as the designated Music Hub for the North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire sub-region. WEMA delivers music education, cultural education, and creative health services through three integrated divisions: the Music Hub (instrumental and vocal lessons, curriculum music, PPA cover, ensembles, Beat Bus, Music Explorers, Let's Sing, workshops, and singing festivals), the Cultural Education Hub (Creatives In Schools, Creative Residency, and Creative Careers programmes, co-funded by Arts Council England and the West of England Combined Authority), and Creative Health (HCPC-registered music therapy, Music and Imagery Therapy, and wellbeing programmes). The organisation serves over 450 schools and 15,000 people, delivering more than 50,000 hours of arts activity per year and generating over £3m of value to the local creative economy, with a core headcount of 22 staff including nine music therapists.

WEMA's commercial activity spans five distinct revenue streams: per-term instrumental and vocal lessons billed to parents or schools; school curriculum and co-curricular services billed by the hour or programme; workshops and live music sessions charged per session or per day; music therapy at £72.20 per hour funded through parents, schools, EHCP plans, the Adoption Support Fund, community grants, or wellbeing/mental health budgets; and paid events and singing festivals (with Voices Together fully subsidised). Distribution is via direct in-school delivery, a music centre network for evening and weekend lessons, community and home settings for therapy, and a small set of partner workshop providers. Bookings flow through the Speedadmin portal and are supported by area Teach Meets, a schools music bulletin, and active social channels. There is no proprietary technology platform and no AI/ML capability — service delivery is human-led using conventional instruments and standard DAW software.

The business model is grant-anchored and price-disciplined: WEMA holds the DfE-backed Music Hub designation, co-funds its Cultural Education Hub with Arts Council England and the West of England Combined Authority, and operates a 20% discount for schools under 100 pupils plus free provision for children in local authority care and instrument hire for Pupil Premium students. Pricing is published transparently across all services, with package bundling to encourage school-wide uptake. Strategic activity over the past 12 months has focused on policy alignment with the UK Government Music Industry Plan, commissioning impact research on the Cultural Education Hub, launching Music and Imagery Therapy (including online delivery), and broadening the clinical commissioning channel via Adoption Support Fund accreditation.

Name

West of England Music and Arts

Legal name

West of England Music and Arts

Website

https://wema.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

West of England Music and Arts (WEMA) is a Bristol-based not-for-profit operating as the designated Music Hub for North Somerset, B&NES, and South Gloucestershire, delivering music education, cultural education, and creative health services to over 450 schools and 15,000 people annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Education Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Other Sound Recording Industries (51229), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK), Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC), Music Production & Composition (Songwriting, Recording, DJing) (EDAMAAAF)

Keywords

• Music education services
• School music programmes
• Music therapy services
• Cultural education workshops
• Creative health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Instrumental and Vocal Lessons: Music lessons delivered in schools and at WEMA Music Centres, billed per 10-lesson term to parents/carers or schools. Lessons are offered in groups (2-6 students) or individual format. Revenue is recurring per academic term (autumn, spring, summer).
2. School Curriculum and Co-curricular Services: WEMA charges schools hourly rates for curriculum music (PPA cover), ensemble/choir leadership, Beat Bus, Music Explorers whole-class instrumental programmes, and Let's Sing. These are billed per programme term to schools.
3. Workshops and Live Music: World music workshops (Caribbean Steel Pans, Japanese Taiko, Indonesian Gamelan, African Drumming, Brazilian Samba, Indian Music) and Live Music sessions are charged per session or per day to schools. Partner workshops (Music for Miniatures, Sabar Family, Zangi, Beat Goes On) are arranged and facilitated with separate billing.
4. Music Therapy: Music therapy sessions at £72.20/hour, booked in blocks of 10 with an initial assessment at £228. Funding may come from parents/carers, schools, EHCP plans, Adoption Support Fund, community grants, or wellbeing/mental health funding.
5. Events and Singing Festivals: Paid events for schools including Christmas Celebration (from £65), KS1 Big Sings (£44), and other regional singing festivals. Voices Together for secondary schools is fully funded/free.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WEMA is a not-for-profit music education hub delivering instrumental and vocal lessons, classroom music curriculum, whole-class instrumental programmes, workshops, singing festivals, and music therapy services to schools, families, and individuals across the West of England. Its work spans three divisions: Music Hub (lessons, curriculum, ensembles, events), Cultural Education Hub (creative practitioner workshops, residencies, creative careers), and Creative Health (music therapy, wellbeing programmes).

Product overview

West of England Music and Arts (WEMA) is a not-for-profit music education and creative arts organization operating as a unified service with three interconnected divisions: the Music Hub (delivering instrumental/vocal lessons, curriculum music, and school services), the Cultural Education Hub (connecting schools with creative practitioners through workshops and residencies), and Creative Health (offering music therapy and wellbeing services). The organization serves over 450 schools and 15,000 people across North Somerset, Bath & North East Somerset, and South Gloucestershire, delivering over 50,000 hours of arts activities annually. The core Music Hub encompasses individual/group lessons, Beat Bus, Let's Sing, Music Explorers (whole class instrumental), Live Music Sessions, World Music Workshops, and Events/Festivals. The Cultural Education Hub includes the Creatives In Schools Programme, Creative Residency Programme, and Creative Careers initiatives. Creative Health provides Music Therapy, Music and Imagery Therapy, and wellbeing programmes. Additional services include instrument hire, financial assistance for Pupil Premium students, and Teacher CPD/Support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Music Hub Comprehensive music education service offering instrumental and vocal lessons, music centres, ensembles, and curriculum support for schools across the West of England region.
• Instrumental and Voice Lessons Individual, paired, and group music lessons taught by experienced tutors covering brass, woodwind, strings, singing, piano, keyboard, percussion, guitar, and DJ/Music Production for children and young people.
• Curriculum Music / PPA Cover Music lessons delivered in schools during the school day to deliver classroom music curriculum at primary or secondary level, providing PPA cover time to teachers at £79 per hour.
• Beat Bus! Whole class KS1 music programme developing musical skills in pulse, rhythm and pitch using body, voice and tuned percussion, delivered by a Music Teacher at £299 per class for 10 sessions.
• Let's Sing! Five-week primary singing programme providing progressive sessions with a performance opportunity, designed to upskill class teachers and raise standards of singing in schools at £164 for five sessions.
• Music Explorers Whole class ensemble teaching programme covering strings, woodwind, brass, percussion, keyboard, and Music Production using DAW software, available as 10, 20, or 30 week programmes.
• Events and Singing Festivals Music concerts and singing events throughout the year including Christmas Celebration, KS1 Big Sings, KS2 Big Sings, and Voices Together secondary school singing events.
• Live Music Sessions Live music performances in schools by professional musician teachers at £294 per 45-minute session, featuring small ensembles of 3-5 musicians performing classical, rock, pop, folk, and jazz music with Q&A.
• World Music Workshops Cultural music workshops including Caribbean Steel Pans, Japanese Taiko Drumming, Indonesian Gamelan, African Music & Drumming, Brazilian Samba, and Indian Music & Culture, charged per day or half-day.
• Teacher Support & CPD Professional development services for music teachers including Area School Network Teach Meets, curriculum advice, singing CPD, wellbeing curriculum support, NQT music support, and whole staff music CPD.
• Cultural Education Hub Programme building connections between schools and creative practitioners to offer young people quality cultural education opportunities across the West of England.
• Creatives In Schools Programme Free cultural education workshops by creative practitioners covering drama, African dance, video making, audio and storytelling, visual arts, photography, poetry and collage, and writing and theatre.
• Creative Residency Programme Co-designed cultural programmes that address school priorities, embed creativity across the curriculum, build staff confidence, and widen young people's access to high-quality arts experiences.
• Creative Careers Initiative connecting students with professionals from across cultural and creative sectors through workshops, talks, and hands-on experiences to explore creative industry career pathways.
• Creative Health Music therapy and creative wellbeing services using the power of music to support people in challenging circumstances, including Music Therapy, Music and Imagery Therapy, and wellbeing programmes.
• Music Therapy Established psychological clinical intervention delivered by HCPC-registered music therapists at £72.20 per hour to support psychological, emotional, cognitive, physical, communicative, and social needs of people of all ages.
• Music and Imagery Therapy Gentle music-centred therapy combining music listening with creative expression using art materials, helping clients explore difficulties, build inner resources, and enhance emotional wellbeing; available online and in person.
• Instrument Hire Rental service for musical instruments at £41 per term for individuals, with free hire for Pupil Premium students; available for all instruments except keyboard, ukulele, recorder, and drum kit.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 450 schools and 15,000 people served annually across North Somerset, B&NES, and South Gloucestershire
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Music for MiniaturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic for Miniatures is a partner organisation delivering live, interactive music performances for Primary Schools, Special Schools, and EYFS Settings. They are booked through WEMA at a price of £400 for two cohorts per school, and WEMA facilitates bookings.
• Sabar Family (Batch Gueye)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Senegalese artist Batch Gueye, Sabar Family offers West African performing arts workshops (dance, drumming, singing, storytelling, theatre) for primary, secondary, SEN schools, and performing arts colleges. Workshops are booked via email through WEMA.
• Zangi / Alex GichohiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZangi is an award-winning gospel artist and creative music workshop facilitator who offers singing and percussion workshops for schools across WEMA's region. Available for half-day (£225) or whole-day (£450) bookings.
• Beat Goes OnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeat Goes On delivers percussion workshops and CPD sessions including STOMP-style body percussion, samba drumming, junk percussion, and West African drumming. Their team includes former STOMP cast members and qualified music teachers.
• Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThis NHS Trust collaborated with WEMA to produce a video showcasing music therapy in a local mental health setting, providing visibility for WEMA's therapeutic work.
• Adoption West (Adoption Support Fund)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWEMA is an accredited ASF (Adoption Support Fund) provider for Adoption West, enabling adopted children and families to access funded music therapy sessions through the ASF scheme.
• HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll WEMA music therapists are registered Allied Health Professionals under the HCPC. This regulatory registration is a professional requirement and quality assurance for WEMA's creative health services.
• BAMT (British Association for Music Therapy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWEMA's music therapy team works to the professional code of conduct set out by BAMT, the UK professional body for music therapy. BAMT provides professional standards and guidelines that WEMA adheres to.
• St George's BristolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt George's Bristol hosts the Voices Together secondary school singing event in its iconic Main Hall. The venue partnership enables WEMA to deliver a large-scale music event for young people in a prestigious cultural setting.
• The Forum, BathminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Forum in Bath serves as a venue for WEMA's Christmas Celebration event, providing a professional performance venue in Bath & North East Somerset.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hampshire Music Service: Hampshire's designated Music Education Hub delivering instrumental lessons, curriculum music, ensembles, and music therapy to schools across a comparable UK local authority footprint. Closely comparable in structure, service mix, and non-profit Hub model.
• Kent Music: Kent's designated Music Education Hub offering instrumental lessons, county ensembles, school music services, and music therapy. Highly comparable in scale, school-facing delivery, and service breadth to WEMA.
• Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust: Music Education Hub covering Northamptonshire with instrumental tuition, ensembles, music therapy, and creative health services. Closely comparable given its combined music education and therapy portfolio delivered on a non-profit basis.
• Hertfordshire Music Service (Hertsmus): Designated Music Education Hub for Hertfordshire providing instrumental tuition, whole-class programmes, ensembles, and events. Operates the same government-backed Hub framework as WEMA with a similar in-school delivery model.
• Berkshire Maestros: Music Education Hub for Berkshire delivering instrumental lessons, music therapy, ensembles, and school-facing programmes. Closely aligned non-profit Hub structure with combined music education and creative health offerings.
• Suffolk County Music Hub (Suffolk Music Service): Music Education Hub delivering instrumental lessons, school music services, and ensembles across Suffolk. Operates within the same DfE Music Hub framework as WEMA with comparable non-profit governance.

Broad incumbents

• Chroma Therapies: UK-wide provider of music therapy, dramatherapy, and neurorehabilitation commissioned by schools, NHS, and social care. Comparable for WEMA's Creative Health division as a larger commercial operator in the same HCPC-registered music therapy space.

Regional players

• Bristol Music Trust (Bristol Beacon): Bristol-based music education and live music charity delivering learning, participation, and performance programmes in the same West of England region as WEMA. Comparable in city-level music education mission but focuses more on venue-based live music alongside learning.

Others

• Music Mark: UK trade association and membership body for Music Education Hubs and music services. WEMA's peer Hub organisations are members; relevant as the sector umbrella and policy advocate shaping the framework within which WEMA operates.

Emerging players

• Sistema Scotland (Big Noise): Scottish charity delivering intensive orchestral music education programmes for children in areas of multiple deprivation. Comparable as a non-profit music education model with therapeutic/social impact goals, though operating in a different geographic and funding context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WestOfEnglandMusicandarts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westofenglandmusicarts
• Instagraminstagram.com/westofenglandmusicandarts

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 West of England Music and Arts