Chetham’s New ‘Sign, Sing, Share’ Framework

Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester has announced the launch of Sign, Sing, Share, a new framework for musicianship developed over two years with leading musical polymath Dr Jonathan James.

Young people from all over the world come to Chetham’s School of Music in the heart of Manchester to nurture a love of music. A common bond of musical passion makes it a truly inspirational place to live, learn, and make connections. Around 330 students, aged 8-18, attend Chethan’s and are taught by world-class tutors. It is the largest specialist music school in the UK and the only one in the north of England. Students are awarded places based on musical ability and potential, not ability to pay, thanks to bursaries through the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme.

Sign, Sing, Share, which is a new framework for musicianship developed over two years by Chetham’s School of Music in collaboration with musical polymath Dr Jonathan James. The framework explores:

• Building a portfolio musician for the future – how do we ensure music graduates in 2026 are equipped to have ‘portfolio careers’, pivoting seamlessly between performance, teaching, digital session work and other opportunities.
• Threat of AI – While the music industry debates the impact of AI, how does ‘human language’ ensure the next generation of musicians is irreplaceable?
• The common language problem – how do you find a common language to teach musicianship when students come from all over the world and work with different tutors on instrumental, aural, analysis, composition, choral and theory?

Tom Redmond, Music Director and Joint CEO at Chetham’s, says:

‘Music graduates in 2026 are required to have ‘portfolio careers’, pivoting seamlessly between performance, teaching, digital session work and other opportunities. If a musician only speaks violin, for instance, they will lose opportunities in their professional life.

Chetham’s therefore faced a unique challenge – how do you ensure students develop the cognitive agility and resilience required to adapt to different settings, work with diverse groups of people and, in turn, have sustainable careers? And just as challenging is how do you use a common language to teach when students come from all over the world and work with different tutors on everything from instrumental, aural, analysis, composition, choral and theory.

Sign, Sing, Share provides that common thread and ensures every student has a toolkit to navigate their studies and help them to adapt easily in different settings.’

Read the full Press Release