King’s Music Academy

The King's Music Academy is King's College London's award-winning music outreach program. Founded in 2017 by Senior Research Fellow Dr Esther Cavett, Professor Katherine Schofield, and experienced local primary music teacher Mr Jonathan Pix, the Academy employs King's music students as teaching assistants in a after-school, primary music school in Southwark, South London.

The Academy was created to address the widespread absence of one-to-one music education opportunities in state schools, and the well-documented systemic barriers related to race and socioeconomic background in the UK education system. Unlike typical widening participation programs that begin at GCSE level, the Academy starts working with pupils in primary school. Simultaneously, the Academy offers opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to gain experience in music teaching, applied research, arts management, and collaborative performance. In 2018, the project won the college-wide King's Award for the "most significant contribution to widening participation and social mobility."

The Academy offers weekly, small-group, hour-long music lessons (typically keyboard, singing, theory, and recorder) to approximately 30 primary school pupils, taught by five King's music students, under the guidance of Mr Pix. Classes are funded by King's and managed in partnership with the music charity Water City Music. The Academy’s teaching delivery, program evaluation, and community engagement activities are overseen by King’s PhD candidate and Water City Music manager Javier Rivas. The Academy also organizes visits of pupils and their families to King's College London to perform alongside King's students.

The Academy is currently based in Friars Primary School, Southwark (Webber St, London SE1 0RF), and involves pupils from seven local primary schools.

Past Academy Teachers

King’s Music Academy teachers have pursued various professional paths: some have trained as primary and secondary school teachers; others have specialised in educational psychology or become educational researchers and outreach practitioners. Many former teachers have stayed in touch with the Academy ecosystem, performing alongside Academy pupils or bringing their own school pupils to outreach events organised by King's and Water City Music.

Research

Annual programme evaluations and qualitative research have led to two peer-reviewed publications in the International Journal of Community Music, authored by Esther Cavett, Javier Rivas, and several Academy teachers: "Voices from Southwark: Reflections on a collaborative music teaching project in London in the age of COVID-19" and "’It’s like you’re an activist’: Sustainable Teaching Practices in a Music Outreach Project in London".

How to Apply

The recruitment call is circulated during the Autumn term. To apply for an Academy teaching position, please email javier.rivas_rodriguez@kcl.ac.uk.

Participation in the Academy is currently open to UG, PGT, and PGR members of the Music Department.

Academy teachers are paid an honorarium funded by King’s College London.

Fundraising

We are very grateful for the financial and administrative support of the Department of Music at King's and our friends at Water City Music.

Additional donations enable us to cover the costs of instruments, transport, venue hire, and collaborations with professional musicians and music societies at King's.

If you would like to contribute to our work, please contact Dr Esther Cavett – esther.cavett@kcl.ac.uk.

Publications

Rivas Rodriguez, J., Sparey, R. T., Davies, J., Gleason-Mercier, C., Hughes, S., Knights, S., & Cavett, E. (2021). Voices from Southwark: Reflections on a collaborative music teaching project in London in the age of COVID-19. International Journal of Community Music, 169-189. Article 14:2-3. https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcm_00043_1

Rivas Rodriguez, J., & Cavett, E. (2025). 'It's like you're an activist': Sustainable teaching practices in a music outreach project in London. International Journal of Community Music, 17(3), 383 - 402. https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcm_00114_1