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News & campaigns
Why Lady Barran should not dismiss ‘crisis’ in creative subjects
Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the ISM, has written to Baroness Barran, the Minister for the School System, about the Baroness’s recent denial that creative subjects are struggling in English schools. Lady Barran’s comment was made in a Lords’ debate about the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and creative subjects in schools. In response to a question from Lord Storey, Lady Barran stated: ‘We simply do not accept that there is a crisis in creative subjects.’ The ISM believes this seriously underestimates the problems facing subjects such as music in English schools. The letter relayed findings from the ISM’s latest report, Music: A subject in peril?, which showed that music has been badly damaged by years of underfunding and the effects of accountability measures such as the EBacc and Progress 8. It also points out concerns over the recent Schools White Paper, which has moved from talking about a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum to a ‘broad and ambitious’ one, suggesting a possible narrowing of focus away from creative subjects such as music. Finally, the letter enquired about the refreshed New Plan for Music Education (NPME), which was due to be published in early 2022, and requested assurances that the government will keep its promise to consult teachers on the contents of the draft NPME before it is finalised. Read the letter in full: ism.org/news/ ism-letter-to-baroness-barran
ISM responds to the Schools White Paper
The Department for Education (DfE) has released the first Schools White Paper since 2016. Entitled Opportunity for All, it aims to make sure every child has an excellent teacher who delivers high standards of curriculum, behaviour and attendance, and puts targeted support in place for those who need it, all underpinned by a stronger and fairer school system in England. Much of the paper’s focus is on English and maths, with cultural education mentioned in just one paragraph: ‘As part of a richer school week, all children should be entitled to take part in sport, music and cultural opportunities. These opportunities are an essential part of a broad and ambitious curriculum, and support children’s health, wellbeing and wider development, particularly as we recover from the pandemic. The government will publish updated plans to support sport and music education in 2022, and will publish a cultural education plan in 2023, working with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England. This will include how best to support young people who wish to pursue careers in our creative and cultural industries.’ The ISM welcomes the government’s commitment to music as part of the school week. Music brings enormous educational and emotional benefits to students. However, additional funding will be required to ensure music education is delivered to all schools and at a high standard. We also look forward to engaging with the government on the new cultural education plan. We have sought assurances from the DfE that funding for this plan will not be at the detriment of funding for Music Education Hubs or indeed impact music funding in any way. Read the White Paper and the ISM’s response: ism.org/news/ ism-response-to-schools-white-paper
ISM members respond to government consultation on its damaging plans for Higher Education
Many thanks to all ISM members who responded to the Department for Education’s consultation on its plans to reform Higher Education (HE) courses. These include introducing caps on student numbers and restricting access to loans. The ISM believes the proposals will cause particular harm to arts courses, as well as damaging the government’s own levellingup agenda. The consultation was part of the DfE’s Review of Post18 Education and Funding, and an independent panel, chaired by Sir Philip Augar, produced a report for the review in May 2019. The consultation builds upon the HE elements of that report. The ISM drafted a model response to the consultation, which we also submitted as an organisation. Read the consultation’s details and our response: ism.org/news/ism-responds-to-damaginggovernment-higher-education-proposals
• a ‘Making Music with Others’ initiative, including opportunities for children and young people in secondary schools to gain industry experience through working alongside musicians and creative industries • a new national instrument and equipment library to support access to a resource bank to be shared across Wales. On launching the plan, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: ‘The establishment of a National Music Service for Wales is an important commitment in our Programme for Government and I’m delighted that we are delivering on this pledge. Learning an instrument was a formative part of my upbringing and a lack of money should not be a barrier to any young person who wants to learn to play music. We are fortunate in Wales to have a strong tradition of school, county and national ensembles, and we want to make sure that our children and young people are able to play a full part in these. This funding will support music services in schools and within the community to help nurture our young musical talent.’ The ISM is encouraged by this plan and will monitor implementation and progress closely. Find out more about the plan: ism.org/news/ npme-wales-launched
The Welsh National Plan for Music Education has been released. Measures in the plan, which take effect in September, include: • funding trebled, with £13.5m invested over the next three years • a review of music tutors’ terms and conditions • a ‘First Experiences’ programme to offer children in primary schools a minimum of half a term of musical instrument taster sessions To learn more about ISM members feedback on our work, see our feature on page 4
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Cabotage solution offers little help to touring musicians
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced new provisions for specialist hauliers, aimed at ensuring British artists can tour more freely between Great Britain and the EU. The new measure, called ‘dual registration’, will allow specialist hauliers working on touring to register their vehicles in both the UK and the EU order to travel between Britain and the EU without cabotage restrictions. The measure is temporary and will benefit large haulage companies working on extensive tours. However, as ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts pointed out, it is not a solution for all touring companies and artists: ‘While this announcement is welcome news for large hauliers, it is not a fix for the entirety of the music sector. Organisations such as orchestras that have their own specialist vehicles for touring are not likely to benefit and still face the difficulties and significant expense of cabotage. Medium-sized hauliers supporting smaller-scale tours may not have the resources to take advantage of “dual registration”. The Transport Secretary should treat this announcement as one step towards fixing the issues with cabotage and work towards a cultural exemption from cabotage. That is the measure that will benefit all touring musicians and industries.’ Read details here: ism.org/news/ changes-to-cabotage-restrictions-announced Discrimination in the music sector survey
The ISM has been surveying those who work in the UK music sector on ‘discrimination in the music sector’. The survey was a follow up to our 2018 survey, which found widespread discrimination across the music sector. This data was shared through the ISM’s important Dignity at Work report and shaped our calls for legislative change. It also led to the creation of the Joint Code of Practice with the Musicians’ Union, which asks music organisations to sign up to a set of principles and hold themselves to those standards. Over 115 organisations have signed up to the Code so far. The new survey, which covered all protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010, aimed to find whether there has there been any cultural change in the sector since the ISM’s last report, or if those working in music, including education, are still subject to inappropriate behaviours and discrimination. The results will be published in a new report and will inform our campaigning work, including formulating meaningful solutions that will affect culture. Legislative change may be part of the required solutions. ISM President Vick Bain said, ‘We need a music sector that is as open, inclusive, and safe as possible. We know through experience and research that our sector has at times fallen below the high standards that every musician and those in the workforce should expect. We are also acutely aware of the sometimes devastating consequences to individuals that can occur as a result of experiencing discrimination.’ Read about the survey: ism.org/news/discriminationin-the-music-sector-survey-launched Read Kathryn Williams’ blog on why we undertook this research: ism.org/blog/why-we-are-surveyingthe-music-sector-about-discrimination
Help to grow the ISM community
Encourage your musician friends and colleagues to become ISM members and save money on your membership fee. Each time someone new joins the ISM after your recommendation, we’ll give you up to £20 off your membership fee. Recommend us to enough musicians and you could get your next year’s membership free of charge! Find full details at: ism.org/recommend
