Making Music’s Adopt a Music Creator scheme supports leisure time music groups to commission new music from an emerging composer (anyone in the first seven, non-continuous, years of their professional composing career).

Each year fifteen groups receive £1000 to put towards their commissioning fee and/or other expenses related to working with a composer on a new piece of music.

The groups and composers involved will have access to support and guidance from Making Music and professional mentors for the duration of the project.

The groups that are selected for the subsidy choose the composer that they would like to work with.

Some groups will apply for the scheme with a composer already in mind. For those who don’t, we will offer support in finding a composer for them to work with.

If you are a composer in the first seven years of your professional practice and are keen to work with a leisure time music group, we would like to hear from you.

Please fill out this form with a brief pitch of who you are as a composer and what you feel you could provide working with a leisure time music group. There will be a place for you to provide links to your work.

Deadline Friday 13 March 2026

We will produce a document with all the pitches to circulate to the groups selected onto the scheme that do not already have a composer in mind.

Any questions get in touch with Harriet Laidler at harriet@makingmusic.org.uk