The gardens of the US Embassy, surrounded by the new builds of Nine Elms and the regenerated Battersea Power Station, aren't where you'd expect to find a music academy driven by ‘a non-exclusive, non-elitist philosophy’. World Heart Beat is a registered charity, with 45 teachers and 400 students at the Wandsworth and new Nine Elms site. The academy runs multiple programmes, including Adventures into d&b Soundscape, First Beats for primary students, and EMERGE for help with career progression. These are funded by the likes of Arts Council England, The Helen Hamlyn Trust, The Thistle Trust and restaurant chain Wagamama, as well as public donations and from profits from the onsite café.
‘As soon as a young person walks through that door, they're a musician, whether they're learning the violin for the first time or mixing beats’, said Sahana Gero, the founder of World Heart Beat. Gero converted a derelict warehouse in Wandsworth 12 years ago, with just a piano and £3,500 from a Merrill Lynch award scheme. Now, Gero has an MBE and has expanded World Heart Beat, to Nine Elms, to provide education from top musicians to all students – particularly those facing financial barriers. This involves free lessons and access to instruments for those most in need.
Grassroots support
The team finds students, aged 5–25, through partnerships with primary and secondary schools. This involves travelling to careers fairs, running trial instrument days on Saturdays, and inviting local schools to trial programmes.
Taking a tour of the Nine Elms site, I noticed the impressive facilities available to students. There are multiple practice rooms, and a studio including a rare Solid State Logic ORIGIN 32-channel analogue mixing console. Though I didn't observe one-to-one teaching, I witnessed a masterclass with pianist and teacher Hilary Coates. Students played classical piano pieces and received feedback.
Studio, featuring a Solid State Logic ORIGIN 32-channel analogue mixing console
Michael Csányi-Wills, head of the piano department, has taught within World Heart Beat since its fruition – and it all began from a chance encounter with Gero in a French delicatessen, where he ‘immediately felt a connection’ with the cause. Gero found out about his musical background as a composer and pianist and recruited him.
‘What I find so engaging about World Heart Beat is that over half of the students are bursary-funded. I didn't set out to be a teacher, but it's now become a central part of my life,’ said Csányi-Wills. He tells me how the repertoire is varied and ‘student led’, spanning from jazz to Indian classical and everything in between, making it ‘the perfect place to be exposed to different types of music at five years old, not just at 18’.
‘Songwriting, Celtic violin and gig training are examples of what we deliver in groups, but with piano teaching it's important to foster a one-on-one connection with students through individual lessons,’ Csányi-Wills said.
‘We work at grassroots level support,’ added Gero. ‘We often get children wrongly labelled by their schools as “naughty” when they're not – they just need a creative outlet.’
From student to teacher
The academy helps students plan for their futures. The expected progression for older students is for them to enter the music industry, either as performers or in a behind-the-scenes role. The organisation takes on former students as apprentices through the Jack Petchey award scheme.
Callum Langford is one student at the academy who has gone into music teaching. When he first joined, at 17, Callum took jazz band classes. Now, at 23, he focuses on classical piano, receiving teaching once a week from Csányi-Wills. Alongside having his own piano lessons, he teaches piano to 5- to 17-year-olds at the academy.
‘I was desperate for piano lessons. I attended a concert at World Heart Beat, Wandsworth, with my neighbour, and I really wanted to be involved, so I emailed Sahana,’ said Langford. ‘The transition to becoming a teacher improved my own skillset and confidence. I'd love to keep up with teaching in the future. The academy has been very supportive of me, and they were flexible with my practice hours when I had school deadlines.’
Former students wanting to teach at the academy is a healthy endorsement. It also speaks of community roots.
