Peninsula Music Co-operative Ltd. is a consortium of local Independent Music tutors - all of our members are self-employed and work completely independently, however Peninsula Music brings these tutors together as a collaboration. There are many advantages to this:One easy point of access for schools looking for a tutor, or perhaps looking to expand their musical offer. All of the safeguarding benefits of a company, without the management costs. To become a member of Peninsula Music Co-op Ltd. tutors must pass a safer recruitement process as part of their membership application, along with evidence of DBS, Safeguarding training, and relevant insurances - this is the same process an employee at a large provider would have to go through.Peninsula Music Co-operative Limited is not a profit making company, rather a community of excellent tutors who are working together to both provide high quality musical education, whilst making sure there is still a place for Independent providers. Tutors are able to share ideas, hints and tips, resources etc. so whilst you may be engaging one Independent tutor, they have the support of many others behind them.

Many of our tutors worked for the music service prior to being made redundant in October 2025, so they are the tutors you will have previously seen in school providing your instrumental tutition. Many schools have continued to engage these tutors on an Independent basis - when you find a tutor that is a great fit for your school, it shouldn't matter whether they are Independent or contracted by the Hub (the Hub's tutors are also self-employed contractors).One of the biggest advantages to choosing an Independent tutor, is that you can actually choose your tutor, rather than have one allocated - this ensures that you have continuity of provision with a tutor you have built a relationship with.When your school uses an independent tutor for individual and small group lessons, all the admin is taken care of by the tutor e.g. billing, parent contact. As the tutor has a contract directly with the parent, this also allows for flexibility in provision, for example arranging graded exams outside of school hours.Another advantage, both for the school and the Tutor, is financial. By cutting out the middle-man, the school pays less for tuition, whilst the tutor receives an income closer to the union rates - it's a win for everyone!Young people are still able to join Hub ensembles without having a Hub tutor. During the pervious provision, children who received lessons through Edsential were able to join ensembles for free, however this is not the case with the current provision from the Hub - a child receiving lessons from an Independent Tutor will pay the same for access to these ensembles as those receiving lessons from the Hub.

We understand that sometimes schools may have felt more comfortable engaging tutors who are employed/contracted by an established company, and we appreciate that many of these concerns relate to safeguarding and safer recruitment processes in place, for instance through the previous Music Service provided by Edsential.This is one of the main reasons Peninsula Music Co-Operative Ltd. was created. Many of our Members worked for Edsential prior to the music service being disbanded, and have proven track records of success in both whole-class grant-funded courses such as First Access, and individual and small group tuition.Peninsula Music has a stringent application process for members, so please be assured that all our Member Tutors have provided evidence of up to date DBS Check, Safeguarding training, such as that provided by the NSPCC and courses ran directly in schools, relevent insurances such as PLI and Professional Indemnity Insurance, and a safer recuitment process which also includes references from multiple sources.

No, althought the grant funding from the Arts Council is administered through the Hub, there is no requirement for you to use one of their tutors. Schools have the right to choose their own supplier, and chosing an Independent Tutor can often work out as a the most cost effective way of accessing these courses, as there is no middle man. All our Tutors who provide grant funded courses have been Quality Assured by the Hub (or will be during their grant funded work) so you can be assured you will receive quality musicial instruction.

Many schools now have their own class set of instruments, particularly things like Ukuleles, and if you are looking to run Ukulele courses in your school over the next few years, purchasing a class set can sometimes the most cost effective way to do this (Ukuleles are reasonably inexpensive, and make an excellent extra-curricular music project too!)However, if your school does not have instruments, or fancies perhaps an orchestral instrument (such as clarinet, trumpet, or violin) the Hub holds a large store of instruments which are asset-locked for use in Wirral and Cheshire schools. There is a hire charge for these instruments, and this is different depending on whether you use a Hub or an Independent Tutor. For Hub tutors in 2026-27 the charge is £2 per instrument for the length of the project, and this year the Hub has raised the cost for schools using Independent Tutors to £5 per instrument. The good news is that some of our tutors now also have instruments they are able to hire to schools and individual learners, so we would recommend discussing this with the tutor directly as they may be able to help.