A local music school founded by Andy McLaughlan has reopened its doors in Netherton, offering a platform for students from Wishaw to learn instruments together and perform on stage. The school is committed to supporting local primary schools through a partnership program that donates a portion of students' fees to the music programs in the partnered schools.
Level Up Music , founded by local musician and producer Andy McLaughlan, has officially opened its doors at Pickering House in Netherton Level Up Music , founded by local musician and producer Andy McLaughlan, has officially opened its doors at Pickering House in Netherton , more than five years after its predecessor, Play Music Now, was forced to close during the pandemic.
For a generation of Wishaw families who remember the buzz of the Main Street school’s annual concerts at Coltness High School, the return marks the end of a long absence.
“Since Play Music Now closed, there hasn’t really been a place locally where kids could learn an instrument together, form a band, and actually perform on a stage,” said Andy. “Parents have been asking when something like this would come back. We’re delighted to finally say it’s back, and it’s better.
”Level Up Music brings together a brand new team of professional tutors, with Mark Butt, a well-known local guitarist and music tutor, as Studio Manager, alongside Andrew Richens and Billy Warren teaching across guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and singing. The school offers group and one-to-one tuition, monthly band workshops, quarterly live concerts and a flagship annual concert at Coltness High School, the same venue that hosted Play Music Now’s celebrated end-of-year shows.
What sets Level Up Music apart is its commitment to the community that built it. The school has launched a partnership programme with local primaries in which 10 per cent of every participating student’s monthly fees is donated directly back to their school’s music programme.
“It works like this,” said Andy. “If a school signs up to our partnership programme and shares our sign-up link with their families, then every child who joins us through that link triggers a quarterly donation back to the school. “So if a child from, say, Calderbridge or Wishaw Academy signs up via their school’s partnership link, their school gets a quarterly contribution that goes straight into the music department.
“It’s our way of recognising that these schools are doing brilliant work with the resources they have, and we want to be part of that, not separate from it. ”Level Up Music is also working in partnership with REACH Lanarkshire Autism, the charity that has supported autistic young people and their families across Lanarkshire since 2012.
Andy and his team are in the process of establishing their own charitable arm, Live Through Music, designed to widen access for children with additional support needs and disabilities.
“Live Through Music is about making sure that no child is excluded from the experience of playing in a band, getting on a stage, and feeling that buzz, regardless of their needs. ” Andy's return to local music education comes alongside one of the most ambitious events on the Scottish cultural calendar.
As director of Nexus Events, he is producing Bowie: Live on the Loch, a two-day gala at Cameron House on Loch Lomond on 7th and 8th November 2026, in aid of Save the Children. The event will feature David Bowie’s reunited Glastonbury band, guitarist Earl Slick, pianist Mike Garson, bassist Gail Ann Dorsey, guitarist Mark Plati and drummer Sterling Campbell, performing together for the first time in years.
It will also host the first ever Scottish exhibition of Brian Duffy’s iconic Bowie photography, including images from the legendary Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust shoots, alongside a Michelin-starred dinner and further special guests to be announced.
“It’s surreal, honestly,” Andy said. “One day I’m in the studio helping a nine-year-old nail their first solo, and the next I’m on a call with Earl Slick about the Loch Lomond show. But to me they’re the same job.
“It’s all about putting Wishaw on the map for music. Homegrown talent, world-class connections, and giving back wherever we can. ”Level Up Music is now accepting students of all ages and abilities at Pickering House, Netherton. More information at
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