Music Hubs: Let's Create opportunity

At the Arts Council, our vision is for the creativity of every one of us to be valued and given the chance to flourish.  In our strategy, Let’s Create, we commit to everyone having access to high-quality creative and cultural experiences across every artform, including music. This chimes with the Government’s ambition for music education, which, as Minister of State for Schools, Nick Gibb MP, said, “can be summed up in two words: equity and quality”.  

That’s why I’m delighted we’re working so closely with the Department for Education on the latest milestone in music education: a new geographic structure for Music Hubs in England, which we have published today.  

What’s changing? 

Music Hubs, first established in 2012, are partnerships that work together to deliver music education under the leadership of a Hub Lead Organisation. The government’s refreshed National Plan for Music Education sets out a bold vision that all children and young people should be able to sing and create music, and progress their interests and talents. In order to achieve this, the Plan stated that Hubs should be refreshed to become more strategic, with “a reduced number of Hub Lead Organisations establishing partners across wider geographical areas”. This aims to drive more diverse, dynamic partnerships that will improve quality and consistency. You can find out more about the DfE’s intentions and how it will improve music education on our website > 

We’ve worked with the DfE to design this new programme, harnessing the sector’s expertise as we did so. Building on the 5,000 children, young people, parents, carers and teachers who fed into the National Plan, we conducted further, targeted consultation, hearing from across the music education sector to develop the areas we publish today. Take a look at the new Music Hub areas > 

The new structure is exciting. It builds on the successes of the current Hubs programme, while helping us to connect and work together. You can see how we’ve acted on sector feedback in the new Music Hub areas. Most supported the proposals but, in some areas, the sector shared a compelling case for new Hubs to retain existing operating structures that were already working across more than one local authority.  

But the structure is also designed to create new opportunities.  

Some towns and cities now partner with rural and suburban areas, like in the South West where Dorset and Somerset will share expertise between inland and coastal communities. Slough and Luton can bring their expertise in working with diverse communities to the wider area. And London now avoids any divide between inner and outer boroughs, with a new structure linking outer boroughs with the organisations and assets concentrated at the centre.  

Areas currently served by smaller Hubs can also benefit from a wider collective reach and impact. In the Midlands, the four Black Country local authorities (all Arts Council Priority Places) come together. This creates a new area of a similar size to Birmingham (one of a handful of areas staying as a single local authority Hub due to size, number of pupils, or number of schools).  

There is much to be gained from this new structure, on a local, regional and national level. All children and young people can flourish with access to a broader and equitable range of musical activities, teachers and instruments. Organisations sharing their resources, expertise and processes will diversify opportunities for young people. It will support career development for the music education workforce while providing new avenues for research and generating income. And closer working between established partnerships and new organisations – including specialist music schools and place-based infrastructure like Local Cultural Education Partnerships – will allow young people to gain from clearer and more connected progression pathways as they follow their creativity as far as they wish to, including into a career. 

We can already see the success of wider collaboration throughout the country – in homes, schools and concert halls. Look at our network of National Youth Music Organisations, who work collectively to provide musical opportunities for thousands of young people. Now think of the excellent work of current Music Hubs and imagine it amplified by the benefits above.   

What’s next? 

This is exciting, but change can be challenging. It is important to remember that new Music Hub partnerships do not need to be finalised when organisations make an application. We want to hear your vision for your Hub area – that’s how you intend to work with partners to develop and deliver a plan that meets the needs of all children and young people in that area.  

We firmly believe that this change will create a new Hub structure that is even greater than the sum of its parts. Hubs will contribute even more to the rich creative and cultural ecology of England that the Arts Council is proud to support – including through our new National Portfolio, where we’re investing over £375.5 million per year for three years in organisations that are delivering work for children and young people. And in doing so, this new Hub structure will help us achieve not only the government’s vision for music education, but also our Let’s Create ambition to help all children and young people fulfil their creative potential through music.