Welcoming the National Plan for Music Education

Today the government published a refreshed National Plan for Music Education. I’ve had the privilege of being on the panel to help shape this plan alongside talented colleagues across the music and education sector under the wise and skilful chairing of Baroness Fleet.  

Music has always been a big part of my life. Before I joined the Arts Council, I worked for more than two decades at Classic FM, making radio programmes, writing books, running record labels, promoting live concerts and developing digital platforms all of which had the aim of making music accessible for everyone, including babies, young children and teenagers. Back in 2011, I wrote an independent review of music education in England for the Department for Education (DfE) and DCMS which led to the publication of the first National Plan for Music Education. 

Since then, the Arts Council has developed a network of Music Education Hubs on behalf of the DfE, ensuring children and young people across the country have access to high-quality music education, in and beyond, the school gates. We’ve invested over £7 million into National Youth Music Organisations since 2013, and proudly invest £9.6m per year into Youth Music, pioneers in developing life-changing music programmes and opportunities for children aged 0-25.  

But, as the National Plan acknowledges, we still have a way to go to ensure every young person can realise their musical potential. Here at the Arts Council, we recognise that opportunities for children and young people to experience creativity and culture inside and outside school are still not equal across the country. Let’s Create, our 10-year strategy, places children and young people at its heart, ensuring we address this inequality.  

One of the most joyful parts of the job I have today, is to hear music ringing through the halls of schools when I visit. I am privileged to regularly meet and talk to young musicians and creators who are articulate and passionate about the music they make, as part of a vast range of genres and musical traditions. They are the foundation of England’s diverse and world-leading music industry. This only happens because of the excellent work that’s done by music teachers in schools, and by the teachers and practitioners who work as part of our network of Music Education Hubs, and in youth, community, and cultural spaces across the country.  

I’m really enthused by the new National Plan for Music Education and what Baroness Fleet and her team have set out. So, let me share three reflections on the new Plan:  

1. Equality and inclusion   

I’m delighted to see that engagement with music in early years is formally acknowledged. The importance and impact of creativity during a child’s early years is something we have been exploring through Talent 25, an action research programme we are delivering in Leicester under the inspirational leadership of Professor Bertha Ochieng at De Montfort University. The plan also includes a focus on young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and pupils in special schools or alternative provision. The government’s new investment of £25 million for the purchase of musical instruments and technology, including adaptive instruments where needed for disabled young people or those with additional needs, is a particularly welcome boost. Our ambition for Let’s Create is to ensure that the creativity in each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish, and where everyone has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences.   

2. School Music Development Plans 

The plan recommends that every school has a Music Development Plan, ensuring that music is built into school improvement plans. We know from our Artsmark Award schools, where schools commit to embedding creativity – including music – across their whole school, it enriches their curriculum, enhances the educational experience for pupils, and improves their confidence, well-being, and overall engagement in learning. So, I’m pleased to see this recommendation for schools, which will go a long way to ensuring every child has access to a high-quality music education.   

3. Music Hubs  

The refreshed plan clearly demonstrates the government’s commitment to strengthening the success of Music Hubs (currently referred to as Music Education Hubs). The plan recognises that a dynamic and inclusive offer for young people cannot be provided by a single organisation. The planned refresh to Music Hubs focuses on building stronger partnerships and developing inclusion and progression strategies that will support young people to engage with a range of musical opportunities in and out of school. Therefore, the new investment in musical instruments is a welcome boost. I’m delighted that DfE have confirmed that the Arts Council will continue to deliver the Music Hub programme.  

Our investment in everyone’s creativity at the Arts Council starts from childhood, with the aim of widening and improving opportunities for children and young people so that they can fulfil their creative potential and access the highest-quality cultural experiences no matter where they live, where they go to school, or where they spend their free time.  

Over the coming months and years, I look forward to working closely with colleagues at DfE and DCMS, music educators in nurseries, schools, colleges, universities, music organisations and conservatoires, along with music professionals from across our diverse creative and cultural industries to bring the plan to life. Together, I believe we can improve musical opportunities for our children and young people, guided by this new plan.  

Read the National Plan for Music Education here.