Our Biggest Ever Announcement...

Monday, October 18, 2021 | News

Dear Parents,

I am writing with some exciting news... 
Probably THE most exciting news I have ever shared in my whole 16 years of teaching!

I am officially opening my own PJC Music School Premises!

Where is this new premises?

It is in Yeadon- 36 Kirk Lane, LS19 7ET, and we finally signed the lease today!

This picture is a mock-up of what the front of the school could look like!

Which lessons will be moving there?

The plan is to move all our Horsforth lessons on MONDAYS and WEDNESDAYS to this premises (it is less than a 10 minute car journey from The Old Ball at Horsforth Roundabout).

We will also be moving the Baildon lessons on TUESDAYS to the new premises
(14 minute drive from The Malt Shovel at Baildon Roundabout). 

So Sundays are staying at Baildon, then?

SUNDAYS will be staying at Baildon for at least the time being, maybe indefinitely. However, students will still get the opportunity to attend our lovely premises for make-up lessons and to perform in the recitals or workshops that we discuss below. 

(If you are a Sunday parent and would rather your child have their lessons at the premises in Yeadon, please do let me know and we can discuss options for this. Conversely if you’re a Tuesday parent who would prefer to stay close to Baildon, please do let me know and we can see if there’s a space on Sundays.)

When is the moving date?

This has been a LONG time coming; we originally went to see this venue in September 2020, but with Covid delays and Brexit supply problems, it has been put back and put back continuously.

But the wait has been worth it- after all the work we've done with it, it is starting to look absolutely amazing and I'm so happy to announce that our official moving day is Monday 1st November!

As of this date, all Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday lessons will take place at our new, Yeadon premises.

We are having a celebratory grand opening party throughout the afternoon and early evening on Thursday 28th October- I hope you and your family drop in at some point to share a drink and a cake with us and have a little nosey round. Please put this date in your diary if you can make it, more details to follow soon!

What’s so great about this new premises then?

I know I should really start off by talking about all the amazing benefits it will offer to our students, however in all honesty, the best thing about this new place (in my opinion as a working mother of two!) is the benefits it will have for our parents!

Introducing... The PJC Family Room

Drum roll please……..Our new building has it’s very own WAITING ROOM for parents, grandparents, younger siblings etc. 

Yes that’s right- parents can come for their 50 or 90 minutes per week and sit in a nice café-style environment. There will be a self-serve coffee station with fancy coffees, juices, cakes and confectionery (which we won’t be charging for- just asking for reasonable donations to keep this lovely luxury turning over.) We’ll be having WiFi and plug sockets so that you can get some work done, or just take the opportunity to read a book and relax, or meet up with a friend and have a catch up! As a parent, I have to say, that I’m actually very jealous that I’ll be teaching- I wish my boys’ other after school activities allowed me to do this while they were learning!

Fab Student Facilities

There will be one large room, half of which will have brand new keyboards, all upgraded to 76 key semi-weighted Yamaha beauties! These are all ordered and ready to put up when the room is finished. The other half will include a fully weighted 88 key piano for recitals and exam practice (I have yet to pick which I’m going to buy but it’s very exciting deciding!) and a more open space where singing and games will take place.

As well as this, there is a further room where our Music Theory will take place, as well as Aural and some singing. This will also have a piano, as well as tables for writing. 

There is also a brand new fitted W.C. in the back which means unlike Horsforth, our students can escort themselves to the toilet. So safeguarding the welfare of our students will go hand in hand with more independence. 

Our Own Performance Space

The wall between our waiting room and the large music room is going to be a sound-insulated movable wall, which will allow us to open up the two rooms into one large L shaped room. This will allow us to host little recitals, giving us an easy way to give our students performing opportunities on a regular basis. 

There will be Saturday Brunch or Afternoon Tea Recitals for our students to gain experience performing in a more relaxed nature, in front of their friends and family, while they sit at a table enjoying tea and cakes! 

Once students are more confident at performing in front of an audience, they can graduate to taking part in more serious afternoon and evening recitals, where we can set the chairs out in rows and have a wider selection of students perform in a slightly more formal format. 

Workshops

This new set up opens up potential for us to hold events in the future that are longer and larger than just our 50-90 minute lessons. Whether they are one-off day workshops or holiday clubs, the sky is the limit.

Convenient Location

The building we have leased is the old ‘Harland’s Music Shop’ on Kirk Lane in Yeadon.

It is less than a minute to Aldi and only 3 minutes from Morrisons, and I’m sure many parents will take advantage of the lesson time to get their weekly shop done!

It is next to Kirk Lane Park/Nunroyd Park, so if there are younger siblings who wish to play in the playground or ride their bikes during the summer months, this is ideal! For those who have never been before, it is a beautiful park to have a look around anyway! 

I know that there’s a tradition from some of our parents of nipping to the pub for a quick pint during their child’s lesson- don’t worry, we’re just down the road from a really large selection of both traditional and trendy pubs and bars!

Parking

There is plenty of on street parking, both on the main road Kirk Lane, and off the several side streets. 

There is a really large pavement area just in front of the building entrance. We plan to keep this area free from parking and use it as a ‘drop off’ station for parents who are not staying, allowing a safe drop off space for our students right next to the front door!

An Exciting Adventure

The opening of our new premises is another wonderful step on our successful journey. I'm so excited in its potential to increase the progress, enjoyment and opportunities for our learners, and bring all our students and their families closer together as one big PJC Family! 

Love as always,
Phillippa ♪