Music & Drama Education Expo 2026 Recap

Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of attending the annual Music & Drama Education Expo in London. This is a very special show for me, as it was at the very first one, back in 2013, that we officially launched MusicFirst as a brand. A LOT has happened since then, but this show remains a consistently great event to showcase the many different solutions that MusicFirst offers, and as the largest annual conference of its kind in England, I’ve been to this show many, many times since. Unlike most shows in the United States, this one is completely FREE to attendees. It runs on Thursday and Friday every year, and while I do tend to get approached by numerous startups as the show provides free access to everyone, I always enjoy the chance to catch up with all of the members of the UK team, as well as many of our partners. What made this particular show special was the fact that for the first time, MusicFirst exhibited alongside Charanga, our sister company in the UK. Our stand was buzzing throughout the entire event, and it was so good to see so many of our existing partners and customers.

In addition to exhibiting, I had the pleasure of presenting a featured talk titled Music Education at the Crossroads: The Impact of AI on Music Making & Learning. It was absolutely standing room only and I thought that it went very well. It’s always very interesting to see how music educators react to the many complex issues surrounding AI when it comes to music education. If you’d like to download the slide deck from talk, click HERE.

One of my other favorite things to do at this show is to walk around and see the other companies that are exhibiting here - both competitors and non-competitors. Because this show also focused on drama, I tend to see LOTS of US-based companies - especially from New York City - promoting rights to perform musicals and plays, as well as trips to Broadway to see those shows in person. I saw LOTS of tech tools that focused on accessibility - all grouped together in the TiME stand just next door to the Charanga/MusicFirst stand. Companies like Digit Music and doing great things in this space.

Here are some pictures from the show, including some attempts at touristy snaps of London. Until next year, Music & Drama Education Expo! Enjoy!