Musical Routes provides information about different types of music and which teachers and colleges are teaching. You can use the Route-Finder to help you narrow down what you are looking for. You can choose the area you want to study in and find out more information about different types of music you can get involved in.

Sound Connections supports organisations and practitioners who provide music training and learning opportunities for young people, particularly those operating within the ‘non-formal’ sector. In 2007 it will be running a professional development programme for practitioners working, or with plans to work, in primary schools.  It is for school based teachers, teachers working for music services and for community musicians or others working on a freelance basis.

London's 2012 Olympics and Paralympics will offer opportunities for pre-Olympic events, benefiting the capital's economy and promoting music-related tourism. In addition to the Olympics, investments through the massive Thames Gateway development all point to a bright future for London. Music has a role to play in regenerating the Thames Gateway, helping to create stronger, safer and potentially more prosperous communities as identified in the Office of The Deputy Prime Minister’s (ODPM) Sustainable Communities Plan.

London offers huge potential in terms of talent recognition and development. Music employs over 55,000 Londoners - the equivalent of some 32,000 full time jobs, of which 13,350 are full-time jobs for musicians and composers. As the country's capital city, London is seen as a cultural hotspot - particularly for the music industry - with a large number of training institutions, employers, venues etc. This in turn attracts music students to study in the region who are more likely to stay. Other musicians are attracted to London because of employment opportunities. Whilst not 'proven', there are estimated to be 41% of all musicians in the UK working in London and the South East. Certainly there are likely to be more practitioners in London than any other region. In October 2006, the Musicians’ Union had 12,500 registered members in the London region.

A major benefit to London is that the potential and actual workforce for music education extends beyond school and the qualified classroom teacher. This large number of musicians from which music education providers can draw from, represents a music career financially viable to all sorts of musicians. Such a wealth in numbers and opportunities enables musicians to become more specialised (in genre, teaching methods, communities served, etc.) possibly more than anywhere else in the country. Equally it is possible for a musician to become 'lost' and isolated within a sea of apparent opportunity. The issues they may face in working within one area may be quite different to those of another.

There are four symphony orchestras, two chamber orchestras and two opera companies of international standing and in receipt of large public funds for production and performance related activity of the western classical canon. The bulk of orchestra's and opera company's Arts Council grants go towards the rehearsal, production, presentation and touring of repertoire (see table). Their education departments have relatively small budgets and are usually eager to develop wider partnerships within the youth music sector. Community musicians working for their outreach and education programmes are now regarded as mainstream practitioners rather than colourful diversions from traditional learning.

There are nearly 2,400 full-time equivalent workers in music education in secondary schools, colleges, universities, conservatoires and private teaching in London. Greater London is home to four music conservatoires, 40 universities and 60 Further Education colleges and more than 300,000 students. London includes many of the country's leading institutions for arts and creative industries. There are 12 university music departments. London’s four conservatoires are the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Trinity College of Music, Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music.

Music leaders need to engage in continuing professional development if they are to keep abreast of these developments. The challenges confronting musicians working in non-formal contexts are increasingly complex, whilst the growing demands arising from cross-sector collaborations are opening up new possibilities. Opportunities for their ongoing development have to be built into their career portfolio.

MusicLeader London provides training courses to community and freelance musicians, music leaders, facilitators, classroom teachers and music service tutors. There is considerable potential for the workers in these sectors to benefit from the sharing of knowledge and skills gained in their respective fields. MusicLeader courses are geared to a range of specific musical and personal needs and to developing particular skills, such as facilitating individual and group work; working in different settings; leading workshops and managing group sessions; acquiring practical and theoretical knowledge and expertise.

There are lots of local, regional and national courses too ranging from starter courses up to graduate programmes. Some require previous qualifications, but many do not. Many organisations, colleges and projects also run, fund or monitor in-house courses with and without accreditation or qualifications. Some orchestras and music festivals offer training sessions or courses. All types of music and teaching methods are encouraged in these courses.

An effective workshop leader has to be a multi-skilled musician who can perform many diverse roles, including those of composer, arranger, facilitator, improviser, performer, mentor, tutor, conductor, teacher and catalyst. But fundamental to those workshop contexts that embrace a wide social, cultural and musical perspective is having an artistic leader who can speak a number of musical 'languages' simultaneously.

Music leaders, like teachers, are now operating within a system of public accountability that is increasingly shaped by benchmarks, targets, performance indicators and the whole apparatus of Quality Assurance. It has to be underpinned by a commitment to reflective practice in which each music leader engages in a continuing process of self-assessment.