The Song School secures social investment from Fredericks Foundation

Last year, The Song School secured social investment from Fredericks Foundation - a major milestone for our organisation and for the young people and families we serve in Southend-on-Sea.

This investment recognises what our community has always known: that music-making can be life-changing when it’s inclusive, affordable, and genuinely built around young people - not just as learners, but as creators, collaborators, and leaders.

Fredericks shared:

“Fredericks is very pleased to be investing in the Song School - an organisation that is playing an important role in providing affordable and inclusive access to the many benefits of playing and producing music and encouraging and supporting career pathways in the music industry. The strong Song School community offers a fantastically supportive environment for young people and helps them develop not just music based skills but important life and employability skills. This community reflects the passion of the founder, Louisa Strachan, and the member development programmes that are core to the ethos of the organisation such as peer mentoring - so the organisation is truly run by and for its members.”

For us, the impact has been immediate — and deeply meaningful. As Louisa Strachan, Founder/Director of The Song School, shared:

“Working with Fredericks has been truly transformational for The Song School. The investment has enabled us to focus on the sustainability of our model, develop our workforce and realise a deeper social impact for the communities we serve. Alongside the investment, their support and advice underpins the roll out of all of the above. Thank you Fredericks!”

What this investment is helping us build

Because of Fredericks’ investment (and their ongoing support), we’ve been able to strengthen the foundations of The Song School — so more young people can access high-quality music opportunities, now and for the long term. This includes:

Sustaining and strengthening our model so we can keep showing up for our community consistently
Developing our workforce to support young people with care, skill, and ambition
Deepening our social impact, including pathways, progression, and community-led development