Sweet Symphony’s aim is to give people from all social, economic and academic backgrounds access to professional, affordable music tuition. We’ve been around for over 13 years now and that aim is still as relevant today as when I first started.
Let me tell you a little bit about us…
The story of Sweet Symphony
Sweet Symphony is born
Sweet Symphony started off when I left university and decided to follow my love of music by becoming a Piano Teacher. I’d already been teaching part-time for several years, and I felt it was the right time to fully throw myself into the job. I joined Sunderland Local Authority as a peripatetic teacher and each week I visited several primary and secondary schools in the Tyne and Wear area, teaching both Piano and Keyboard to Students from age 5 through to 16. On an evening, I built up an ever-growing base of Students of all ages, and would spend nights travelling from home to home for lessons.
Our New Home
I moved to our current location in Speculation House, Washington where I began by renting just one small room among several other businesses in the building. Being permanently based in one location enabled me to ensure that all of my teaching supplies were always at hand, and meant I could offer more flexibility with lesson availability.
Change of Name
As we began plans to offer tuition in several instruments other than piano/keyboard, we decided that a slight change of name was in order. Sweet Symphony Piano & Keyboard Tuition became known as Sweet Symphony School of Music.
Became a Registered Trinity Exam Centre
Our application to be a registered Trinity exam centre was approved, meaning we could hold all of our exams right here in the Sweet Symphony studio – great news for our Students!
Newsworthy results
We held our first Studio exam session and achieved a fantastic 100% pass-rate for all of our Students. News of our success spread quickly and we were featured in the local news.
Tyne & Wear Business Awards Finalist
We were a finalist in the 2019 Tyne & Wear Business Awards for Best Training & Education.
Building for the future
It was only a matter of time before we outgrew our teaching space! So we undertook some building work in the Studio and built another teaching room. We also added another instrument to our long list of lessons offered – Drums!
Best of Sunderland Business Awards 2020 Finalist
We were thrilled to discover that we are a finalist in the Best of Sunderland Business Awards 2020. The final is in March – fingers crossed!
Spreading the Word
At the beginning of 2020, we caught the eye of a local paper who wrote an article about our growing Studio.
Returning To The Studio – Socially-Distanced!
When lockdown was eased, we were able to return to the Studio for face-to-face lessons once again. We’d put into place lots of protective measures for our Students and staff, including hand-sanitising stations, clear screens in rooms, maximising the distance between instruments in each room, and social-distancing stickers everywhere!
North England Prestige Awards 2020 Winner
We were awarded the title of “Music School of the Year” in the 2020 North England Prestige Awards. Wow!
Best Of Sunderland Business Awards 2020 Winner
Due to Covid, the awards evening for the Best of Sunderland Business Awards was first delayed and then, unfortunately, cancelled. But the results were announced and we were delighted to have won our category – Best Community Spirit!
Battling On, Despite A Pandemic
Despite the ongoing Covid pandemic and its economic effects, we managed to continuing battling through. Our Students thrived in their Zoom lessons, and we continued to receive lots of new enquiries every month. Our fight to survive and thrive caught the attention of the local news.