“The children get immersed in the world of make believe… their make believe is the real thing.”
For almost three decades, a small community music school in south London has kept a sense of musical passion alive for local families, using toys and puppets to help teach children from the age of five months to 18.
James Osho, founder of The Music Boutique, said he had worked hard to create a place brimming with possibility following his own childhood in foster care.
However, this month the school came close to shutting its doors, on the brink of eviction after years of financial strain following the pandemic.
Due to close on 11 March, a last-minute lender stepped in with a loan to clear £80,000 in rent arrears and legal fees following a court order, adding: “I just didn’t want to walk past that space knowing that I could have done something to help and not just done it.”
‘Eclectic learning environment’
Founded 27 years ago, the Music Boutique is beloved by locals, known for its specialist early years teaching.
He said his philosophy comes from his own childhood, when music became a refuge, and shapes the school’s distinctive approach to learning, which relies heavily on imagination, storytelling and play.
“What got me through foster care was music… and the relationship to music, as time went on, continued to be a real force in my life,” he said.
Osho said when he became a father he wanted to pass that stabilising force on to his own children.
“It was a case of finding ways to teach them something that I thought was going to be valuable, not just in terms of them playing music, but in terms of their behaviour, their attitude [and] discipline.”
“It’s just the most wonderful journey that you start with these little pupils, these little beings that have come in… and everything is possible.”
Lessons taught by Osho and his colleagues include piano, drums and vocal
The lender, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the results can be seen in the children’s progression.
“Suddenly, they’ve gone from what looks like just banging around on some bells and shaking some maracas to actually reading music,” she said.
The venue is known for being an eclectic learning environment, designed to inspire a playful sense of whimsy and adventure.
She added: “It’s like walking into a beautiful museum of mid-century modern things that [Osho has] collected over the years. There’s loads of toys from the 1950s through to the1990s.
“The black history that he has amassed from all different articles is just beautiful,” she added.
‘Close to eviction’
The Music Boutique came close to eviction folllowing years of financial difficulties that began at the start of the pandemic.
Osho said the first lockdown came immediately after a 70% rent increase, which was he called “ridiculous and unnecessary”, adding it was doable prior to the pause in trade.
He said he asked the landlord, the housing association Watmos, for three months of rent‑free relief but was refused.
As a social enterprise and unincorporated business, the school did not qualify for government support.
“There were no benefits, we couldn’t claim any money, we couldn’t get any grants during the pandemic,” he said.
Osho explained he paid what he could in rent at the time but that arrears increased during the closure and again as costs went up.
He also had to rebuild his client base, during which attempts to agree a long‑term repayment plan failed.
The case eventually went to court resulting in a guillotine order, with arrears just over £52,000 and legal fees, bringing the total to nearly £80,000. Watmos obtained a court order on 11 February giving 28 days to make the payment in full.
The lender described The Music Boutique’s situation as “a casualty of a worldwide pandemic that nobody could have ever foreseen coming”.
Watmos said it always aimed to work with tenants in arrears and that rents set in commercial negotiations reflect market rates.
A spokesperson added: “Osho’s focus was for a stepped increase of his monthly rental payment over an extended period. However, as Osho was already paying below the monthly rent each month, this would have seen his arrears continue to grow.”