The power of music to change lives

Hannah Fouracre shares how Arts Council England continue to support music education across the nation.

Every day, music helps children and young people across the country with their wellbeing and, critically, gives them new tools to help shape their sense of who they are and how they fit into the world.

You don’t have to take my word for it. Music’s power to inform young people’s identities and how they live their lives was highlighted among the findings of the recently updated Sound of the Next Generation report from the charity Youth Music, which I am proud to say we invest in through National Lottery funding.

The nationally representative sample of 2,100 children and young people who took part in the research made one thing clear: whether they play an instrument, listen to a streaming service, produce their own music or take part in one of the host of other ways in which they can access, make or consume music, it plays an important and powerful role in their lives.

And yet we know there are significant inequalities and access barriers, for this generation who have already been through so much, to participate in and excel at the things they love It is not fair that for some children, their circumstances can impact their opportunity to take part in music and discover and fulfil their talent.

This does nothing to serve the interests and needs of our children, our worldleading music sector, or indeed our country - and this is why we at Arts Council England believe music education is so important and why we support organisations and programmes that are changing this country’s musical landscape, one child at a time.

In order to understand how we are doing this, I want to begin by explaining that our investment is informed by our 10-year strategy Let’s Create, which outlines our belief that facilitating the creativity, agency, wellbeing and potential of all children and young people, from birth through to early adulthood, is central to our country’s future.

We want to build a strong and dynamic music sector with deep pipelines that enable young people to progress their musical interests and potential as far as they want to take them. We know that to achieve this, there needs to be equal access across the country to opportunities, facilities, resources, and expertise, both within school and beyond it. Young people need to be empowered to make decisions about their own creative lives and practice. And they need this where they live, go to school, and spend their free time.

80% of our 985 National Portfolio Organisations are delivering activity specifically for children and young people. In Nottinghamshire, for example, Mish Mash Music is aiming to introduce children in England to live classical music through touring events in theatres, concert halls, schools, and libraries In Manchester, Reform Radio is working with creatives, DJs, and young people to develop and showcase new work online. And in London, Ruff Sqwad Arts Foundation helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to reach their full potential by combining youth work, high quality art, and industry connections to access essential music industry training. Across the UK, Music Mark is working to champion diverse and accessible music education and provide even greater training opportunities and resources to those working in the sector.

In our role as fundholder for the Department for Education’s Music Hub Programme, we are continuing our work which spans two investment processes, and 12 years of development and delivery. Nine out of ten schools in England are working with Music Hubs, supported with annual funding of £76m from the Department for Education, and, from 2024 to 2026 with an additional £25m in capital investment to purchase the instruments, equipment, and technology children and young people need.

From the start of this school year, our new cohort of Music Hub Lead Organisations have begun leading a diverse and exciting network of partners to create Local Plans for Music Education. By operating across wider geographic areas, they are able to collaborate with, learn from, and connect with a broader network of professionals, organisations, and schools, and are currently developing place-specific programmes and strategies that reflect and engage with the lived experience of the children and young people in their areas.

Supporting the music education workforce is also key – every day brilliant teachers are transforming lives and inspiring children and young people through their work in classrooms, community centres, youth clubs, playgroups, cultural spaces and beyond. Hubs are there to support them, directly employing over 9,000 teaching staff across England, but also providing the CPD, resources, and networks the wider music education workforce needs to thrive and progress.

Another big part of our work with the Department for Education involves the co-funding of 15 National Youth Music Organisations through the National Portfolio These organisations are developing young musicians across a range of genres – from Black music to folk, jazz to Indian classical, choral singing to musical theatre - including through a focus on supporting young people who are navigating disadvantage or disability.

Finally, we are also directing £9.7m per year of National Lottery funds to Youth Music so that they can invest in projects that support those facing barriers in life.

Our very own In Harmony programme is transforming the lives of children and families facing disadvantage through the power and discipline of ensemble music making. Approximately 9000 children per year from around 50 schools in Lambeth, Leeds, Halifax, Telford, Stoke, Newcastle, Gateshead, Nottingham, and Liverpool are accessing In Harmony provision.

In a recent speech, the Prime Minister spoke about how playing the flute led to his first trip abroad as part of Croydon Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and expressed his own view that every one of us deserves a chance to not only access, but thrive in the arts. At the Arts Council, this is something we passionately believe in. We know that the music education organisations and programmes we invest in play a central role in making this happen – so that more of our children and young people have the chances and choices to express their identity and joy through music.