Live Music Now

Live Music Now is a UK charity that recruits professional musicians to deliver interactive music programmes in schools, hospitals, and care homes across the country. The scheme is open to established soloists or groups of up to five musicians who are new to community engagement work. Selected musicians receive comprehensive training, paid performances at Musicians' Union rates, mentoring, and access to a national network of performers. Live Music Now is not a traditional scholarship or grant. It is a paid performance and career development scheme for early-career musicians who want to build a portfolio career that includes community engagement work.

Application Details

Who Can Apply

Live Music Now looks for professional performers who have:

• A strong musical identity
• Excellent technical musicianship and performance skills
• A passion for sharing music and collaborating with others
• A willingness to engage with a diverse range of people
• An openness to learning new skills
• A belief that music can change lives

There are no formal entry criteria. The scheme encourages applications from both formally and non-formally trained musicians. You must be actively performing professionally and playing to a high standard. A typical Live Music Now performance requires you to perform a varied set for up to 60 minutes, so you need to demonstrate breadth and versatility in your repertoire.

How to Apply

Recruitment operates in two stages:

Stage 1: Video Submission

• Submit an audition application form
• Include a short video of you or your group playing
• Answer written questions about you and your music (audio or video responses are also accepted as an alternative format)

Stage 2: Recruitment Workshop

• If shortlisted, you are invited to a facilitated half-day workshop (approximately four hours)
• You will workshop performances with other applicants
• The session explores engaging audiences and communicating through music
• Workshop attendance is by invitation only

Recruitment Status

Live Music Now is not currently recruiting new musicians as of mid-2026. Interested musicians can sign up for notifications through the "Notify Me" form on the recruitment page. When recruitment opens, dates for workshops will be listed on the website and shared on social media and with partner organisations.

Live Music Now Scotland's 2026 auditions are also closed. Applications typically open annually, with auditions held in Glasgow.

What Musicians Receive

Paid Performances

• Fees set in line with Musicians' Union rates for educational work
• Fees vary depending on the length and type of performance
• Fees are reviewed annually to ensure they compare favourably with similar organisations
• Travel and subsistence contributions when working away from home
• Accommodation costs covered when necessary

Training and Development

The scheme follows an eight-stage journey:

1. Pipeline: Identifying potential musicians through open recruitment and partnerships
2. Recruitment: Half-day workshops to assess suitability
3. Induction and Basic Training: Practical overview of audiences, presentation skills, training on working with children with additional needs, older people in care, and healthcare settings. Introduction to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Mindfulness for Life
4. Probationary Work Deployment: Initial interactive concerts
5. Level 1 Training: Building confidence and skills, working alongside Lead Musicians in creative projects. Inspire and Live Music in Care Level 1 training
6. Level 2: Developing skills to lead extended creative projects (6 to 12 weeks) with mentor support. Inspire and Live Music in Care Level 2 training
7. Level 3 Fellowship: Confident and inclusive music leaders, year-long embedded placements
8. Mentoring and Training: Formalised partnership to train and mentor other musicians, leading evaluation projects and research

Additional Support

• A national network of musicians
• Mentoring and pastoral support
• Emotional resilience and wellbeing training
• Partnership with the Incorporated Society of Musicians (cut-price membership fees)
• Face-to-face support meetings with experienced music professionals

Key Benefits

• Paid work at union rates: You earn money while building your career, rather than receiving a one-off grant
• Comprehensive training: The eight-stage development programme covers performance, facilitation, leadership, and wellbeing skills that transfer to all areas of a music career
• Portfolio career development: The scheme helps you build the skills that many freelance musicians need to sustain a living (workshop leading, community engagement, facilitation)
• No formal training required: Musicians from non-formal training backgrounds are welcome, which is unusual for UK music schemes
• Group applications accepted: You can apply as an established ensemble of up to five musicians
• Travel and accommodation covered: The scheme contributes to travel costs and covers accommodation when needed
• National network: Access to over 200 musicians across the UK

Drawbacks / Things to Consider

• Not a scholarship or grant: Live Music Now does not provide a lump sum for tuition or study. It provides paid work and training. If you need funding for postgraduate study, look at Help Musicians UK or the Countess of Munster Musical Trust instead.
• Community engagement focus: The work involves performing in schools, hospitals, and care homes. If you are only interested in concert hall performances or recording careers, this scheme may not align with your goals.
• Recruitment is not always open: As of mid-2026, Live Music Now is not actively recruiting. You may need to wait months for the next recruitment cycle.
• Two-stage process: You must pass the video submission stage before being invited to a half-day workshop. This requires preparation time and, if shortlisted, travel to the workshop venue.
• Scotland has a separate process: Live Music Now Scotland operates its own auditions in Glasgow, with a 25 GBP refundable deposit to secure your audition place
• Ongoing commitment: The scheme is not a one-off opportunity. Musicians are expected to progress through the training stages and take on increasing responsibility over time
• Fee variability: Pay depends on the length and type of engagement. While fees meet MU rates, they may not replace a full-time income

Real-World Example

A 25-year-old jazz pianist based in Manchester applies to Live Music Now during an open recruitment period. She submits a video of herself performing a 10-minute set mixing standards and original compositions, along with written answers about her musical background and interest in community work.

She is shortlisted and invited to a half-day workshop in Manchester. At the workshop, she performs for the group, participates in exercises on audience engagement, and learns techniques for communicating through music in non-traditional settings. She is accepted onto the scheme.

Over the next year, she completes induction training, begins performing interactive concerts in local schools and care homes, and starts shadowing an experienced Lead Musician on a creative residency. She earns MU-rate fees for each engagement, typically 150 to 300 GBP per session depending on length. She also receives mentoring from an experienced Live Music Now musician and completes Level 1 training in the Inspire and Live Music in Care programmes.

By her second year, she is leading her own six-week creative projects in schools, earning higher fees for longer engagements, and building a reputation as both a performer and a facilitator. The skills she develops through Live Music Now complement her evening gig work and teaching portfolio, giving her a more sustainable freelance career.

Why It Matters for Independent Artists

Live Music Now is one of the few UK schemes that pays musicians while training them. Most scholarships and grants provide a lump sum and then leave you to figure out the rest. Live Music Now provides ongoing work, structured training, and a professional network over a period of years.

The scheme is particularly valuable for early-career musicians who want to build a portfolio career. The community engagement skills you develop are increasingly in demand. Schools, hospitals, and care homes are expanding their music programmes, and musicians who can facilitate workshops command higher fees than those who only perform.

If you are a musician who wants to perform exclusively in concert halls or recording studios, this scheme may not be the right fit. But if you are building a sustainable freelance career that combines performance with teaching, facilitation, and community work, Live Music Now is one of the best development opportunities in the UK.

Visit the Live Music Now recruitment page to sign up for notifications and learn more about the application process.

Related Opportunities

• Help Musicians UK for postgraduate study funding
• Countess of Munster Musical Trust for UK-based postgraduate performance study
• Musicians' Company Awards for postgraduate conservatoire students in the UK
• Music Scholarships Directory for the full list of funding opportunities
• 21 Ways Musicians Can Earn Income for building a portfolio career as a musician