Chamberlain Music is a Department for Education approved supplier for the Musical Instruments, Equipment & Technology Framework
Our services to schools
Chamberlain Music was formed in 1990 and has grown over the past three decades to become one of the foremost music education suppliers in the UK, working primarily with schools and Music Hubs.
In recent years we have also partnered with many British international schools across Europe, Asia and Africa for major projects, from consultation to delivery and installation.
Many of our staff are experienced musicians with decades of industry knowledge behind them, allowing us to provide exceptional service in all aspects of music education.
Creating a World Leading Performing Arts Facility
Director of Education William Thompson speaks on the 'Music Teachers in International Schools' podcast
Our offices and piano showroom
We are based in Haslemere, Surrey, UK, where we have a large piano showroom and offices for our education sales team, marketing department, accounts and distribution teams.
Our warehouse and distribution centre
Our 35,000 sq. ft warehouse is situated in the Kings Road Industrial estate, directly opposite our showroom and offices and connected by a peer-to-peer fibre connection.
We have two raised internal loading bays, piano workshops, and piano frame spray shop, lots of pallet storage space and a modern distribution packing department. We have a team of ten experienced and committed warehouse staff booking stock in and shipping goods throughout the UK and around the world.
Our services to international schools
We are a leading supplier to the education sector and have provided instruments and equipment to almost every educational institution in the UK, more than 30,000 schools.
In recent years we have gained many new customers from further afield, including British international schools in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Far East.
Our international work has included large-scale projects developing new music departments and other creative facilities for schools.
Consultancy and design
We have many years of experience in planning and developing new creative facilities for schools and colleges.
Our Director of Education, William Thompson works closely with designers to arrive at the best solution, ensuring that projects are implemented efficiently, on time and on budget.
Having studied at Cambridge and then at Queen's University, William taught music in Dublin and Belfast before becoming an advisor and examiner for GCSE and A-Level Music Technology in Northern Ireland. Now, he travels worldwide advising schools and colleges on the development of their creative education learning spaces, and providing music teachers with training and support on the relevant use of technology in the classroom.
Setting the standard for order fulfilment
Our fulfilment and dispatch operation has been developed and refined over many years. We work extremely hard to make sure every order possible is processed and dispatched on the same working day. Order tracking and email notification is all part of the service.
Every item is scanned on entry and exit, and we have CCTV that monitors all activity. This minimises the chances of human error and ensures exceptional accuracy!
Free storage and call off service
When you don't have the space at school, it's reassuring to know we can retain your goods in our modern and secure warehousing facilities. This means you can still take advantage of our amazing bulk discounts, and we can forward your orders whenever they are needed. Contact us for more details.
Warehousing and consolidation: a real one-stop shop!
We offer a consolidation service where schools can make purchases from various suppliers in the UK but ship the complete order in a single part or full container load from our warehouse in Haslemere. You can either use your own shipping agents and freight management or leave it all to us to arrange.
Our team
We employ talented musicians, skilled technicians, and music industry experts, and we're delighted to share our collective knowledge and skills with customers whenever the opportunity arises.
Our team includes specialists in piano, woodwind and brass, strings, orchestral and classroom percussion, and of course music technology. When you contact our sales department, you can be certain that you will receive sound advice. We like to think that the test of a good supplier is the after-sales service - ours is second to none.
Purchasing
We manufacture and purchase musical instruments in over twenty countries, and increasingly from Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Far East. Our team goes to great lengths to purchase products from ethical and cost-effective sources.
Transportation costs and taxes can affect the bottom line, so we take care to order efficiently, minimising hidden costs. We are committed to sustainable procurement, taking into account the impacts of environmental, economic, and social factors along with price and quality. We are working with the help of our supply partners to minimise our purchases of single use plastics (SUPs) and are always looking to source better and more sustainable choices for our products.
The Honestly Made range from Percussion Plus
The Honestly Made range of percussion products are manufactured in independent family workshops in countries including Bolivia, Chile, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Nepal, Senegal, Thailand and Tibet.
We use lots of recycled materials in our production and often in our packaging when we import and ship them on to our customers. We are loyal and reasonable in all dealings; we negotiate a fair price – never impose one. Most of our suppliers are too small to join Fair Trade groups or are located in countries that do not have such organisations, however they all follow Fair trade principles.
Chamberlain Pianos
Dominic Barnett, our piano and keyboard sales manager of over 15 years, is committed to providing the best possible advice towards making those all-important piano purchases. His friendly professional approach offers excellent guidance and assurance.
There are so many variables in choosing a piano, and a great deal of personal preference involved. We have a team of skilled technicians who do bespoke preparation work on every piano for optimum performance. Today's marketplace is incredibly competitive, and we aim to give sound advice as well as the best possible prices.
Sheet music and publishing
As a well respected name in sheet music distribution, we offer a personal service exclusively for schools, choirs, orchestras, teachers, and libraries, led by specialist Holly Baker. This makes us the preferred choice for many of the UK’s top educational institutions.
CyberSmart certification
Looking after our data and our customers data has never been more important and we take that responsibility very seriously.
Our company has been accessed by CyberSmart certification body and has met all the requirements of the Cyber Essentials Scheme. Read more here.
The Chamberlain Music Teacher Hub
Launched in September 2023, the Teacher Hub is your first stop for expert music education advice, teaching resources, and classroom strategies. Supporting UK music teachers with practical tips, buying advice, and professional development guidance.
Visit the Teacher Hub to find out more.