Sound Waves has meant different things at The Song School. The name itself was originally created by our young people — and we’ve always loved what it represents: energy, movement, connection, and the feeling of something building.

This year, we’re rebadging Sound Waves as an acoustic singer/songwriter night, powered by a series of workshops designed to help young musicians write original work they’re proud to share with audiences.

What Sound Waves is now: a Songwriting LAB

Sound Waves 2026 is our Songwriting LAB — focused on mentorship, collaboration and performance.

It’s a space for young people to:

Develop songwriting skills at any level (from first ideas to finished songs)
Learn how to collaborate and co-write (especially supportive for newer writers)
Build confidence sharing creative work in a safe, welcoming environment
Work towards a live performance where original music is celebrated

Whether a young musician is a vocalist, an instrumentalist, or already identifies as a singer/songwriter, they’re welcome here.

Who it’s for

We’re working in three groups:

Ages 11–13
Ages 14+
Young Musicians 16+

The live outcome: an acoustic night at The Fickle Pickle

Sound Waves culminates in a special live performance at The Fickle Pickle on Wednesday 1st April — an intimate candlelit acoustic night where young people can share their original songs on stage.

Our first-ever Song School field trip

We’re thrilled to be taking Sound Waves participants on our very first Song School field trip.

In February, we’ll be heading to the University of Surrey for a very special archive visit.

Why an archive visit?

This isn’t a “sit and listen” kind of trip — it’s a creative mission.

We’ll be exploring what archives are, how collections are cared for, and how artists and researchers use them. Most importantly, we’ll be collecting images, words, moods, and story sparks that can feed directly into the original work young people are developing for Sound Waves.

It’s a chance to step into a different kind of creative environment — and bring that inspiration straight back into songwriting. this portion of the LAB is in partnership with the University of Surrey, Dalcroze UK and supported by the Heritage Lottery.

Guest songwriters joining the LAB

We’re excited to announce that the following guest songwriters will be joining Sound Waves:

Heidi Boualili — Signed Artist: Multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and Song School alumni returns to TSS
MJ— A very talented gospel artist and multi instrumentalist.

Across the programme, they’ll be leading sessions, sharing their process, and supporting young people to:

Find ideas and turn them into songs
Strengthen lyrics, melody, and structure
Build confidence in their creative voice
Learn what collaboration can look like in real life

Tickets for SoundWaves will be going on sale very soon. To stay up to date with this and all the goings on at The Song School, sign up to our mailing list below:

SoundWaves: A Songwriting LAB, Guest Songwriters, and Our First Field Trip