Who are we?

 

We are Rugby Music Centre! We are the future of music in Rugby. At Rugby Music Centre, we believe music should be for all, and we strive to keep access to music education available to every child who wants it. All of our classes and lessons are conducted from the centre of our town, at Lawrence Sheriff School.

Our staff team is made up of experienced industry professionals with a passion for teaching the next generation. Currently we specialise in strings, guitars (both electric and acoustic) folk music, music theory, choral singing and teacher mentor development. Over the past 2 years we have built a peripatetic teaching team also, delivering 1:1 lessons in piano, guitar, violin and singing. We now offer 1:1 lessons for adults too!

We established our new and reformed Rugby Music Centre in September 2021, and we have been working tirelessly since we launched to bring opportunity and access to music education for all. Every term we grow bigger, encouraging and nurturing the talent of the amazing young musicians in our town.

Check out our awesome events here.

Musical Opportunities at RMC

Details on our classes, 1:1 lessons and teacher mentorship scheme

  • Electric Guitar Orchestra

    Headed up by our very own rock god and music production whizz, Andy Walker, the Electric Guitar Orchestra and its junior counterpart meet on a Tuesday evening to create incredible medleys of popular music.

    Everything is learnt by ear and memorised, and EGO members have a hand in arranging their performances. This gives them a great grounding for forming their own bands.

    The Music Centre also provides a space for bands formed from EGO to rehearse on a Tuesday.

    So far EGO have covered everything from Michael Jackson to Star Wars. We can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

  • Classical Guitar Ensembles

    The world’s most energetic guitar genius, Steve George, runs our amazing guitar ensembles on a Wednesday evening.

    These groups cater to all abilities, with the junior ensemble able to take on new members as soon as they have mastered their first few notes.

    After a pause in Summer 2025 so our students could focus on exams, we are now back - just in time to deliver some classical Christmassy delights.

    Steve’s ambition is to have an army of 100 guitarists playing in our concerts, and he’s already well on the way.

  • Choirs

    Rugby Music Centre offers two choirs, which will be headed up by the lovely Esther McCormick this year, while Emma is on maternity leave.

    Our senior choir is a growing group of singers who explore a broad and exciting range of repertoire, while receiving specialist vocal coaching as their voices mature. The senior choir is suitable for students from Year 6 upwards.

    The junior choir, as well as being very cute, is full of talented primary-school-aged musicians who are constantly developing their aural skills through games and song. Students as young as 4 are welcome in our junior choir!

    Both choirs welcome instrumentalists who want to develop their passion for singing, as well as experienced singers. There are lots of solo opportunities too!

  • Folk Band

    Our folk band is led by multi-instrumentalist Mel Coupe, a violin teacher and passionate “folkie” since childhood.

    The band learns tunes using a mixture of “dots” (sheet music with chords) and learning by ear. This is a great way for classical players to develop their aural skills.

    The folk band is also starting to branch out into improvisation and storytelling. Players are encouraged to learn about the traditional music of a range of cultures.

    Folk band rehearsals are very laid back, and we aim to have a good giggle in every session!

  • Orchestra

    The Rugby Music Centre Orchestra is an ensemble designed for young musicians to get a taste of classcial repertoire.

    Ensemble playing is a requirement for GCSE and A Level Music, so we strongly recommend candidates for the subject come and try it out.

    The sheet music is arranged by band leader Melody Coupe, designed to challenge the specific players in the orchestra at the time, while creating a great performance in time for the end-of-term concerts. Each member has opportunities to suggest repertoire, and everyone has the choice of how much their instrument features.

  • Music Theory Support

    This year, our music theory support group will specialise in providing extra practice for GCSE and A Level Music students.

    The group now meets on a Tuesday evening, to work on music theory and analysis, as well as breaking down the basics of composition.

    Students in the theory class enjoy taking part in discussions where we appraise different types of music, learning how to talk about key features of each style.

    Rugby Music Centre has also helped various students to pass their ABRSM Grade 5 Theory exams. The class will continue to support students wishing to study for Grade 5 Theory and above.

1:1 Lessons with RMC

At RMC, we currently offer 1:1 lessons in Piano, Guitar, Violin and Singing. We cater to all styles and capabilities, and we teach adults too!

We run 10 lessons per term with performance opportunities along the way. We have prepared students for grades with different exam boards, including ABRSM, LCM and Rock School.

Our amazing team of peris work on Tuesday evening, Wednesday evening and Saturday mornings. Drop us a message if you’re interested in signing up!

Teacher Mentorship Scheme

In 2022, RMC launched a teacher mentorship scheme whereby we place one of our fully qualified, experienced teachers with a post Grade 8 trainee teacher to mentor them in teaching skills. For the student, this essentially means 2 teachers for the price of 1, and for the trainee they get hands on teaching experience for 6-12 months, ending in taking a teaching qualification exam.

We are really proud of this scheme. It gives RMC another avenue to take our students down, giving us opportunity to continue supporting our students post Grade 8. This has been an invaluable asset and qualification which some of our teachers have taken with them as they have gone on to further study music at University.

So far, we have trained up 4 teachers who all achieved their Teaching Diplomas with RMC in 2023, 2 of which are now part of our 1:1 Teaching Team.

If you are a post Grade 8 musician thinking of training as a 1:1 teacher, drop us a message on enquiries@rugbymusiccentre.co.uk