Hire

Hire

Two girls in blue shirts play French horns in a music class. Other musical instruments are visible in the background, highlighting the talent you can hire through the Merton Music Foundation, whose logo appears in the lower right corner.

An affordable way to help your child to start their musical journey.

Hire an instrument from us whilst your child is learning to play. As their needs change, simply return it to us and exchange for an upgrade. If you are applying for lessons with us, you can request instrument hire as part of the sign-up process.

We offer different rates of hire depending if your child is learning with us or not. Members of our Music Centre who have external tuition may also hire instruments at the lower rate.

All hire is subject to availability and payment of hire deposit, where required.

Hire fees

NB. For pupils in receipt of TEMPO Fund support, instrument hire is £15 per term

Group 1 Instruments:

Violin / Viola / Acoustic Guitar (Nylon Strings) / Electric Guitar (doesn’t include amp)

Fees (Sept 2025 – July 2026):

MMF Pupils

  • Lessons Online or in a Merton School/Music Centre Members: £41 per term (no deposit required).

External Hire

  • External Hire: £64 per term (£20 refundable deposit).

Group 2 Instruments:

Flute / Clarinet / Alto Saxophone / Trumpet / Cornet / Trombone / Mini Horn / Baritone Horn / Tenor Horn / Cello / Electric Guitar Start Set (inc. amp)

Fees (Sept 24 – July 25):

MMF Pupils

  • Lessons Online or in a Merton School/Music Centre Members: £53 per term (no deposit required).

External Hire

  • External Hire: £84 per term (£50 refundable deposit).

Group 3 Instruments

N.B. For Group 3 instruments, you must provide a copy of a relevant insurance document before the start of the hire period.

Oboe / Bassoon / Tenor Saxophone / French Horn / Euphonium, Tuba / Double Bass / Xylophone

Fees (Sept 24 – July 25):

MMF Pupils

  • Lessons Online or in a Merton School/Music Centre Members: £58 per term (£100 refundable deposit).

External Hire

  • External Hire: £106 per term (£100 refundable deposit).

Hire Period

  • The hire period is normally limited to 3 terms but may be extended subjected to availability.

Fees

  • Hire fees must be paid in full by the date shown on the invoice prior to lessons commencing each term.

Deposit

  • Deposits are required on all Group 3 and external hire instruments and will be refunded after inspection of the returned instrument.

Liability

  • Any person hiring an instrument from MMF must accept full responsibility for the safekeeping of the instrument and in the event of loss, theft or damage make restitution to MMF. MMF accepts no responsibility for damage to, or the loss or theft of hired instruments. You are strongly advised to provide your own insurance for any instrument you hire from MMF.

Repairs

  • Instruments in need of repair must be returned to the MMF office and not repaired privately. No payments will be made by MMF in respect of repairs undertaken privately.

Ending the Hire Period

  • On the discontinuance of hire, the instrument must be returned immediately to the MMF office and not to the school. Fees remain payable until the instrument has been returned.

Consumables

  • All reeds, oils, grease, strings and other consumables are the responsibility of the hirer.

MMF Identification Tags

  • Instruments must remain labelled for identification purposes.

PAYMENT OF YOUR MMF INVOICE CONFIRMS THAT YOU HAVE READ AND AGREED WITH THE ABOVE CONDITIONS CONCERNING TUITION AND HIRE WITH MMF.

Returning instruments

  1. Contact us: Before returning your instrument, please call us on 020 8640 5446 to arrange a time to return your instrument to our offices at Merton Abbey Primary School.
  2. Check your instrument: Make sure that all parts of the instrument are stored safely in its case and remove any items that belong to you.
  3. Drop the instrument off: Come to Merton Abbey Primary School, High Path, South Wimbledon, SW19 2JY at your pre-arranged time.

NB. Once we have processed your return we will email you confirmation of receipt and arrange to refund your deposit via bank transfer.

MMF Shop

We update our shop with pre-loved instruments available for purchase and collection from our offices in Merton Abbey Primary School, South Wimbledon SW19 2JY