Charanga founders

Charanga was founded in 1997 by Mark Burke, a graduate of the Royal College of Music in London, and Paul Fletcher, a computer scientist specialising in educational technology.

Growing up in Bolton, the pair were childhood friends and have since established Charanga as a world leader in educational technology, curriculum development and training for music education.

Mark and Paul have made light of the idea that you shouldn’t go into business with friends. While having different skill sets, their shared background and an almost 50-year friendship, have proven to be great assets to the company.

Operating as underdogs in a top-down music education structure, the pair is as driven today as at any point in the past 25 years and is committed to promoting bottom-up transformation. Their passion for ensuring everyone should be able to have a fantastic time teaching and learning music, not just a privileged few, is matched only by their passion for those other great underdogs – Bolton Wanderers.