Born in Ipswich in 1975, Tom Monger spent his very earliest years surrounded by traditional Celtic music, travelling to numerous festivals and folk events with his musician parents.
He took up the harp at the age of six, playing a clarsach built for him by his grandfather, John Morgan. His first harp teacher was Margaret Crisp, whose own particular interest was Scottish song.

Details of Tom's Clarsach

Tom became interested and involved in a wide
variety of classical, popular and folk music.
When he was nine he was invited to join the West Suffolk Youth Orchestra. He began playing an antique Erard Grecian harp, built in 1829.

 Details of Tom's Erard harp

During his time at Combs Middle School, Stowmarket, he twice appeared at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, in the finals of the Barclays Youth Music Theatre Awards, playing in musicals composed by the music/drama team Simon Clover and Ian Crissell; he played the Erard harp in Cold Comfort, and in a jazz style on the clarsach in the comedy Odysseus Waives the Rules.

His next harp teacher was Patsy Wise. At the age of ten he began studying with Hugh Webb, and was asked to join the Suffolk Youth Orchestra.