Meet Monkey Music

Monkey Music – the leading light in pre-school premium music education in the UK, is the brainchild of Founder and CEO Angie Coates.  Having trained as a classical musician at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, alongside many stars of our stage and screen, Angie has used her passion for music and the performing arts to build a thriving business.  Established in London, 1993, Angie chose to franchise her company in 1998.  The decision to franchise has given hundreds of mainly women, the opportunity to pursue rewarding careers and successful businesses whilst being supported by a specialist head office team and thriving franchise family.

Since it began, Monkey Music has been a rite of passage for hundreds of thousands of young families throughout the country. Over 2.4 million hours of classes have been taught by teachers who have sung their way to a combined revenue of more than £40 million.  Today, each week, over 700 hours of classes are taught to more than 20,000 children by 150 specially trained teachers.

As a mother is 5, Angie Coates is passionate about giving flexible opportunities to working parents who strive to find their work/life balance.  Whilst our original and innovative musical curricula have been widely applauded and won many awards, it is hard work and determination that has made Monkey Music the success that it is today. Angie is always on the lookout for new talent and has always firmly believed that everyone should be encouraged to work in an environment that enables them to follow their passion. Our recruitment strategy is very much led by us seeking to identify 3 key characteristics; passion, drive and determination - “everything else we can train!” as Angie is always saying along with “I believe following your passion in life is the No 1 driver for creating a successful business”.  

As one of the first woman to franchise their business in the UK, Angie understands the importance of longevity and scalability.  By creating a franchise business model, Angie has been able to extend the reach of Monkey Music to people who dream of owning their own business but who may also seek peace of mind, preferring a bespoke business rule book to follow along with specialist support from a friendly team and like-minded colleagues as opposed to starting a business from scratch. The idea behind a Monkey Music franchise is that in order to be successful,  a franchisee must follow the Monkey Music rule book but that in order for them to feel like a business owner,  each franchisee will inject their own personality, creativity and energy in to their business so that it reflects their own passion for life.  

As a Director of the British Franchise Association and regularly speaking on all things business, expansion, brand-building and nurturing creative talent, Angie’s passion for her subject is still burning brightly and she is lucky to live and breathe Monkey Music with joy, even after 25 years!

What is Monkey Music? 

At the heart of the Monkey Music success is its brilliant ‘bible’: over 500 original songs and musical activities, supporting a 4 stage, age specific curricula, specially created by Angie and a team of musicians and child development experts. The range and quality of this material, which features a much-loved pink Monkey and his little friend, Mo, underpins the brand’s success. As well as the weekly classes, there are plush characters, stickers, t-shirts, downloads, nursery sessions, party entertainment and holiday workshops.

Angie is currently working in partnership with a major European company specialising in the distribution and production of percussion instruments, to produce a range of branded Monkey Music instruments to be launched in 2020 and in partnership with publishers, MacMillan Books, Angie has also written a series of children’s books based on Monkey’s adventures.   

For a very real idea of what it means to be a Monkey Music franchisee, watch the ‘Meet the franchise family’ film on www.monkeymusic.co.uk or our YouTube channel Monkey Music Showtime.