MusicStation on Bank Street gives free lessons on six instruments, noon to 4pm on Sunday 11 October. Book ahead: it is the only Kent venue on the list.
Anyone in Tonbridge who has ever thought about picking up an instrument can have a free lesson on Sunday 11 October. MusicStation, at 3 Bank Street, TN9 1BL, is running free taster sessions from 12 noon to 4pm as part of Learn to Play, the national weekend run by the charity Music for All.
It is free, but it is not a drop-in. The charity’s provider list says slots at MusicStation must be booked in advance, on 01732 350629 or at info@musicstation.pro.
Six instruments are on offer:
- acoustic guitar
- electric guitar
- bass guitar
- drum kit
- piano and keyboard
- singing
MusicStation’s own lesson page also lists ukulele among the instruments it teaches, and James Sedge at MusicStation mentions it in the charity’s press release, so it is worth asking when you ring.
Tonbridge has the only venue in Kent
This is the detail the press release does not carry. Music for All publishes every participating venue on a public list, and when we read it on 18 September it held 61 venues across the UK: 54 in England, three in Wales, three in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland. MusicStation in Tonbridge is the only one in Kent.
The nearest others are outside the county. Redhill Corps of Drums and Band is open in Redhill, Surrey on Saturday 10 October from 10am to 4pm, and Croydon Music and Arts is open on the Thursday evening and the Saturday morning. Anyone in the Tonbridge, Malling or Kings Hill area who wants a free lesson without a long drive has one venue and one afternoon.
The list is not final. The charity says new providers are added right up until the weekend itself, so another Kent venue may yet appear on it.
What a free lesson is worth
MusicStation’s website prices small group lessons from £15.50 and online one to one lessons at £22, so the taster is a real saving rather than a token one. The school says it caters for all ages and ability levels, and its opening hours are 10am to 7.30pm on weekdays and 10am to 3pm on Saturdays.
James Sedge at MusicStation says many of the school’s current pupils arrived this way.
“Many of our students have started with a LTP free trial lesson. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain, so contact us to book your free guitar, bass, ukulele, keyboard, drums or singing lesson.”
Learn to Play runs from Thursday 8 October to Sunday 11 October nationally, and the charity describes it as the UK’s largest free music-making weekend. It has run for over a decade. The Tonbridge session falls on the last of the four days.
Kenza Blanca, a British Moroccan Afro-Amazigh-Arabian singer-songwriter and an ambassador for the charity, says the point is access rather than talent.
“Learn to Play offers free music lessons for those wanting the opportunity to start an instrument or pick one back up. I’m supporting Learn to Play because music should be available and accessible to everyone, it can help build confidence and bring people together, it’s a real sense of achievement learning to play.”
Why the charity says it matters this year
Music for All frames this year’s event against funding pressure in music education. These are the charity’s own figures and its own characterisation, and we have not independently verified them.
Sonali Banerjee, the charity’s general manager, said in the release:
“This year’s funding landscape presents a great challenge for the UK arts sector. With performing arts teaching grants having been reduced to zero and specialist training institutions facing cuts of up to 50%, the pipeline of future talent is under real pressure. Music Hubs continue to be impacted by decreased funding for the seventh consecutive year, meaning unavoidable reductions to provision and opportunities.”
She added that the charity runs a year-round awards programme of cash grants and instruments for disadvantaged individuals, schools and community groups, and that Learn to Play “remains a fundamental part of this mission”.
The charity also says engagement in music has long been linked to reduced depression, anxiety and pain, and to improved quality of life.
Learn to Play ‘26 is supported by the Richer Sounds Foundation. Its partners are Black Lives in Music, Making Music, the Music Industries Association, Music Mark, the Music Teachers Association, Rockschool and Take it Away. The charity’s patron is Jools Holland.
What it means for you
If you want a lesson, the useful steps are short.
- Ring 01732 350629 or email info@musicstation.pro and ask for a Learn to Play slot on Sunday 11 October. Booking ahead is how this venue is handling it.
- Say which instrument you want, because the six on offer will be running in one building across four hours and the slots are finite.
- You do not need to have played before. The charity says the sessions are open to everyone regardless of age, experience and background.
- Bank Street is in the middle of town, a short walk from the High Street and the station. Sunday parking in Tonbridge costs the same as a weekday, so check our parking guide before you set off.
If the date does not work, MusicStation teaches through the week from its Bank Street rooms, and there is more to do locally in our guide to things to do in Tonbridge.
Sources: Music for All, Learn to Play participant information and its published provider list, read 18 September 2026; MusicStation lesson information and prices; and the charity’s regional press release for Kent, sent to Tonbridge Today on 18 September 2026.
Photographs supplied by Music for All.
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