A music tuition company has secured £100,000 in new funding to expand its range of lessons. Totally RAD has struck the deal with the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.
The Leamington Spa-based company currently provides face-to-face music lessons to more than 300 schools across the 海角视频 through a network of over 200 teachers, covering a range of instruments and vocals.
It handles all administration, provides the instruments and offers free lessons to pupils from low-income families. It is now on course to double its income from schools in the current financial year to £1.2 million.
It will now use this additional capital to develop its new online platform and expand its service to include adult learners at all levels, from beginners to accomplished musicians.
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Its online platform launched in August and will support its service to schools but also allow it to expand its audience by offering one-to-one lessons.
The company, which currently employs eight staff at its base in Leamington, expects to create five new jobs in the year ahead.
The business was founded in 2013 by Christopher Rush, a professional drummer who toured with bands and worked as a session artist for music label Sony.
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To supplement his income between gigs, he began offering tuition along with a group of other musicians.
Totally RAD has expanded rapidly in the past few years after the team started providing music lessons in schools.
Mr Rush said: "We believe that professional music tuition should be accessible to everyone and are leading the way with our work in schools.
"The online platform will complement the existing service by enabling pupils to continue lessons during the school holidays or allow those in rural areas to access lessons when there are no local teachers available.
"It will also give others the chance to develop their musical skills cost effectively and support our professional musicians too by enabling them to continue their teaching work while they are away on tour."
Birmingham-based Frontier Development Capital is one of the managers of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.
Investment manager Marie Kelly added: "Christopher and the team are passionate about music tuition and have recognised the potential to use remote technology to make it accessible to a wider audience.
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"The funding will enable the company to complete its online platform and transform the music education landscape to meet the needs of students of all ages."
The Midlands Engine Investment Fund is operated by the Government-owned British Business Bank and provides debt and equity funding to small companies.