APPG for Music Education Meeting
17 July 2023
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Music Education, Briefing Minutes
Monday 17 July 2023, 4.45pm
Opening Proceedings
Parliamentarians present: Simon Baynes MP, Barbara Keeley MP, office of Stephen Morgan MP, office of Sharon Hodgson MP
Apologies: Earl of Clancarty, Lord Clement Jones, Sir Desmond Swayne, Kerry McCarthy MP, Baroness Nicholson.
The attending parliamentarians were joined by members of the music education sector.
Welcome: Wera Hobhouse MP, Chair
Wera Hobhouse outlined the work of the Bath Philharmonia who had visited Parliament the previous week to highlight their work with young carers. Music is an escape and gives everyone the opportunity to express themselves. Yet music education is sadly under threat with falling GCSE and A-level entries and poor recruitment of music teachers. Fewer teachers means fewer music students, and fewer people with access to the huge benefits music can bring. She hopes that everyone associated with this APPG can work together to press the Government to give music education the importance it deserves.
Monday 17 July 2023, 4.45pm
Opening Proceedings
Parliamentarians present: Simon Baynes MP, Barbara Keeley MP, office of Stephen Morgan MP, office of Sharon Hodgson MP
Apologies: Earl of Clancarty, Lord Clement Jones, Sir Desmond Swayne, Kerry McCarthy MP, Baroness Nicholson.
The attending parliamentarians were joined by members of the music education sector.
Welcome: Wera Hobhouse MP, Chair
Wera Hobhouse outlined the work of the Bath Philharmonia who had visited Parliament the previous week to highlight their work with young carers. Music is an escape and gives everyone the opportunity to express themselves. Yet music education is sadly under threat with falling GCSE and A-level entries and poor recruitment of music teachers. Fewer teachers means fewer music students, and fewer people with access to the huge benefits music can bring. She hopes that everyone associated with this APPG can work together to press the Government to give music education the importance it deserves.
Presentations
Veronica Wadley, The Baroness Fleet, Chair of the advisory panel for the refreshed National Plan for Music Education and founder/chair of London Music Fund
Baroness Fleet spoke about how everyone in attendance had one thing in common – they care passionately about music and music education. It involves teachers, administrators, hubs, Arts Council England, governors, schools, and head teachers.
We want all primary and secondary schools to value music as the best do. Hubs are to get more support and help to do their amazing work. When working on the refreshed National Plan for Music Education, the expert panel looked very closely at the original Plan and acknowledged that what the DfE wanted to happen didn’t. The panel looked at what the barriers were and what could be done to change the mood/direction.
We need to recruit more teachers but this was sadly not part of the remit of the refreshed National Plan. Baroness Fleet is holding the government and minister to account to have the teachers to deliver it.
A high-quality music education should be possible in every school under existing budgets. We need to make sure every school in the country is aware of the refreshed National Plan. Attendees, Baroness Fleet and the minister must work hard to make sure every head teacher understands how important music is – for relationships, community, social and health wellbeing. Let’s win the hearts and minds of head teachers who say they don’t have enough time or talent to do it.
There are challenges; we are in a position to have the superhuman effort to make things better, to change things and to champion music and demonstrate how things can be done.
Q & A Session
Simon Baynes MP: thanked the Chair and Baroness Fleet and signalled his strong support for their work. He is Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and has experience with music services in Powys, so music education is a cause very dear to him.
Dr Adam Whittaker, Head of Pedagogy and lecturer in music at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Adam Whittaker spoke about the different operational models and underpinning philosophies of music hubs and how the new changes in geographical boundaries will see even more different ways of working.
He spoke about his work as the lead researcher on the national music education hub data return analysis and how this revealed there were lots of ways to ‘get in’ to music. However, there were regional variations in the offer depending on where you lived and this all impacts the extent to which someone can ‘get on’ with music.
The National Plan is not interchangeable with the National Curriculum for Music. The work of music hubs is to support and enhance the musical offer that should already be in place as a bare minimum until Key Stage 3. They are not, and never were, constituted to deliver that curriculum music entitlement in its entirety.
However, in response to almost any piece of news coverage or research about music education, official comments conflate provision that falls under the auspices of Music Hubs with those that take place specifically in school. It could be interpreted as learning to play an instrument = music education.
If the ambitious aims of the National Plan are to succeed then all aspects of the system to which it is directly connected must also hold music in the same place and prominence. Thinking about longer-term coordination of multiple pathways, and the ability to move between these over a larger area, is key to allow children to progress meaningfully.
Read Adam's presentation
Veronica Wadley, The Baroness Fleet, Chair of the advisory panel for the refreshed National Plan for Music Education and founder/chair of London Music Fund
Baroness Fleet spoke about how everyone in attendance had one thing in common – they care passionately about music and music education. It involves teachers, administrators, hubs, Arts Council England, governors, schools, and head teachers.
We want all primary and secondary schools to value music as the best do. Hubs are to get more support and help to do their amazing work. When working on the refreshed National Plan for Music Education, the expert panel looked very closely at the original Plan and acknowledged that what the DfE wanted to happen didn’t. The panel looked at what the barriers were and what could be done to change the mood/direction.
We need to recruit more teachers but this was sadly not part of the remit of the refreshed National Plan. Baroness Fleet is holding the government and minister to account to have the teachers to deliver it.
A high-quality music education should be possible in every school under existing budgets. We need to make sure every school in the country is aware of the refreshed National Plan. Attendees, Baroness Fleet and the minister must work hard to make sure every head teacher understands how important music is – for relationships, community, social and health wellbeing. Let’s win the hearts and minds of head teachers who say they don’t have enough time or talent to do it.
There are challenges; we are in a position to have the superhuman effort to make things better, to change things and to champion music and demonstrate how things can be done.
Q & A Session
Simon Baynes MP: thanked the Chair and Baroness Fleet and signalled his strong support for their work. He is Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and has experience with music services in Powys, so music education is a cause very dear to him.
Dr Adam Whittaker, Head of Pedagogy and lecturer in music at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Adam Whittaker spoke about the different operational models and underpinning philosophies of music hubs and how the new changes in geographical boundaries will see even more different ways of working.
He spoke about his work as the lead researcher on the national music education hub data return analysis and how this revealed there were lots of ways to ‘get in’ to music. However, there were regional variations in the offer depending on where you lived and this all impacts the extent to which someone can ‘get on’ with music.
The National Plan is not interchangeable with the National Curriculum for Music. The work of music hubs is to support and enhance the musical offer that should already be in place as a bare minimum until Key Stage 3. They are not, and never were, constituted to deliver that curriculum music entitlement in its entirety.
However, in response to almost any piece of news coverage or research about music education, official comments conflate provision that falls under the auspices of Music Hubs with those that take place specifically in school. It could be interpreted as learning to play an instrument = music education.
If the ambitious aims of the National Plan are to succeed then all aspects of the system to which it is directly connected must also hold music in the same place and prominence. Thinking about longer-term coordination of multiple pathways, and the ability to move between these over a larger area, is key to allow children to progress meaningfully.
Read Adam's presentation
Stuart Whatmore, Head of Tri-Borough Music Hub
Stuart Whatmore began by explaining how Tri-Borough Music Hub is organised. It is the lead organisation that oversees the delivery of music education in the three West London boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster. They work with schools, pupils, music educators, and the community and operate a shared-services model across three Local Authorities to deliver an expansive programme of musical learning, in and out of school.
Partnerships are key to their structure and set-up, and they are fortunate to work with committed partners at a strategic and delivery level. But partnerships take time to establish and are successful when a 50/50 reciprocal relationship is the target with shared ambitions and outcomes. They need time to embed, to flourish, and then develop through a cycle of reflection and learning.
There are two main areas of challenge that we are facing: the timescale that has been given for the application process and the ecology of music education in schools.
Stuart then went on to explain the Music Makes Me event which was held at the Royal Albert Hall on 27th June which was a large-scale multi-school music education and performance programme focused on the importance of inclusive practice and celebrating everyone for who they are. On stage there were almost 1100 performers representing a total of 77 schools. The partners involved were the Royal Albert Hall, Royal College of Music, English National Opera, Cultural Inclusion Manifesto, The Rhythm Studio, JK Cartoon Studios, and the three Local Authorities that Tri-Borough serve and represent.
Read Stuart's presentation
Stuart Whatmore began by explaining how Tri-Borough Music Hub is organised. It is the lead organisation that oversees the delivery of music education in the three West London boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster. They work with schools, pupils, music educators, and the community and operate a shared-services model across three Local Authorities to deliver an expansive programme of musical learning, in and out of school.
Partnerships are key to their structure and set-up, and they are fortunate to work with committed partners at a strategic and delivery level. But partnerships take time to establish and are successful when a 50/50 reciprocal relationship is the target with shared ambitions and outcomes. They need time to embed, to flourish, and then develop through a cycle of reflection and learning.
There are two main areas of challenge that we are facing: the timescale that has been given for the application process and the ecology of music education in schools.
Stuart then went on to explain the Music Makes Me event which was held at the Royal Albert Hall on 27th June which was a large-scale multi-school music education and performance programme focused on the importance of inclusive practice and celebrating everyone for who they are. On stage there were almost 1100 performers representing a total of 77 schools. The partners involved were the Royal Albert Hall, Royal College of Music, English National Opera, Cultural Inclusion Manifesto, The Rhythm Studio, JK Cartoon Studios, and the three Local Authorities that Tri-Borough serve and represent.
Read Stuart's presentation
Q & A Session
Barbara Keeley MP: Attended Music Makes Me and congratulates Stuart on a remarkable evening/piece of work. A very moving event to attend. She had received feedback on social media that people in outer London boroughs can’t find people to work with, can’t engage organisations such as the ENO etc. Partnership working is difficult for some music hubs. Working with schools and getting them to do events does involve transport and quite a number of schools say they don’t have the money to attend concerts.
SW: London has better transport links than rural or coastal areas, although some still won’t travel.
Baroness Fleet: One of the reasons for cutting the number of music hubs is to deal exactly with this issue. By reducing them to 43, each of those areas will include a large urban conurbation and will have access to fantastic facilities for music (orchestras, choirs, including amateur, church etc). The idea is by having a larger area you won’t have cold spots. Would like to see hubs bring in orchestras, universities and businesses.
Vera Hobhouse: Bath Philharmonia cannot do their work without financial support from wealthy and willing donors. Worries about areas not like Bath where it is much harder to get partnerships, money from councils or private donations.
Ray Oudkerk (BRIT School): Wanted to fly the flag for free specialist providers of the arts. The Brit School is 32 years old and a free state school with 1400 students currently; 20% eligible for FSM. It has a diverse population representative of greater London with 44% of young people from the global majority. Hundreds of students are studying music and musical theatre – the need is there. Work with music hub enhances that. Partnerships are critical to the Brit school’s work and they have a close relationship with Croydon hub. Really need that support to make sure access is there and all young people are able to come through. If it becomes only the preserve of people who can afford it, it won’t be representative of the industry.
Richard Jones: Is a MEC trustee, chairs three music hubs and is an ex-hub lead. Would like people to know in depth partnerships do exist and have existed for the past 10 years. Some are commissioning hubs. Stuart presented a superb resume of what is going on at the moment and that every hub lead will do their best to deliver the new programme regardless of whether they agree with it because they care about music education. No evidence from the DfE for reducing the number of hubs and there is a risk to the system. They should be looking for a very strong investment in primary teaching. If we get it right in primary it will carry on into secondary. To get from one end of the authority to the other is 2hrs 58 mins on public transport. Rurality as an issue facing larger geographic hubs is enormous and hasn’t really been considered.
Barbara Keeley MP: Attended Music Makes Me and congratulates Stuart on a remarkable evening/piece of work. A very moving event to attend. She had received feedback on social media that people in outer London boroughs can’t find people to work with, can’t engage organisations such as the ENO etc. Partnership working is difficult for some music hubs. Working with schools and getting them to do events does involve transport and quite a number of schools say they don’t have the money to attend concerts.
SW: London has better transport links than rural or coastal areas, although some still won’t travel.
Baroness Fleet: One of the reasons for cutting the number of music hubs is to deal exactly with this issue. By reducing them to 43, each of those areas will include a large urban conurbation and will have access to fantastic facilities for music (orchestras, choirs, including amateur, church etc). The idea is by having a larger area you won’t have cold spots. Would like to see hubs bring in orchestras, universities and businesses.
Vera Hobhouse: Bath Philharmonia cannot do their work without financial support from wealthy and willing donors. Worries about areas not like Bath where it is much harder to get partnerships, money from councils or private donations.
Ray Oudkerk (BRIT School): Wanted to fly the flag for free specialist providers of the arts. The Brit School is 32 years old and a free state school with 1400 students currently; 20% eligible for FSM. It has a diverse population representative of greater London with 44% of young people from the global majority. Hundreds of students are studying music and musical theatre – the need is there. Work with music hub enhances that. Partnerships are critical to the Brit school’s work and they have a close relationship with Croydon hub. Really need that support to make sure access is there and all young people are able to come through. If it becomes only the preserve of people who can afford it, it won’t be representative of the industry.
Richard Jones: Is a MEC trustee, chairs three music hubs and is an ex-hub lead. Would like people to know in depth partnerships do exist and have existed for the past 10 years. Some are commissioning hubs. Stuart presented a superb resume of what is going on at the moment and that every hub lead will do their best to deliver the new programme regardless of whether they agree with it because they care about music education. No evidence from the DfE for reducing the number of hubs and there is a risk to the system. They should be looking for a very strong investment in primary teaching. If we get it right in primary it will carry on into secondary. To get from one end of the authority to the other is 2hrs 58 mins on public transport. Rurality as an issue facing larger geographic hubs is enormous and hasn’t really been considered.
Closing proceedings
The next APPG for Music Education meeting date to be confirmed.
Wera Hobhouse thanked the speakers and declared the APPG meeting closed at 5.45pm.
The next APPG for Music Education meeting date to be confirmed.
Wera Hobhouse thanked the speakers and declared the APPG meeting closed at 5.45pm.
