With Louisa Strachan.....Founder Of The Song School

Louisa Strachan is the Director of The Song School - a community music organisation in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The Song School actually began as a vocal coaching business - that’s Louisa's background: She is a vocalist, vocal coach and writer. 

But even early on, she knew she wanted to build something that was more than traditional “singing lessons”. She wanted a space that broke the mould: creative, community-led, and genuinely accessible to young people who don’t usually get access to these kinds of extra-curricular opportunities. In many ways, The Song School is the space Southend didn’t have when Louisa was 13, writing songs in her bedroom.

In 2022, that vision naturally evolved into a Community Interest Company - and that’s when The Song School sprung to life. Over time, it's grown - delivering music education and creative programmes for children and young people, including those from low-income households and those who face additional barriers in mainstream settings. They now support a large weekly community of young people through sessions that provide opportunities to learn, make, perform and for some, earn in music - and work closely with families, schools and partners to make sure cost and circumstance aren’t the thing that shuts the door.

Louisa's role has evolved alongside the organisation. She's still deeply connected to the “why” - community, belonging, and young people being able to tell their stories - but also spends a lot of time on the less visible work: building partnerships, securing funding, developing programmes, supporting staff, and constantly trying to make the experience clearer and more accessible for families.

What she's most proud of is how The Song School has grown without losing it's heart: it's still relationship-led, still rooted in Southend, and still focused on making music a real, lived experience - not just a lesson.

You can find out more about The Song School HERE.

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