The new National Plan for Music Education has finally landed, with the official title, ‘The power of music to change lives.’
The Plan, which is advisory rather than statutory, sets out ambitious aims for the development of music education, and for its ability to adapt within a constantly shifting socio-economic environment. It pays crucial attention to equality of opportunity and acknowledges the need for musical learning to encompass a variety of inspirations and pathways. Alongside explicit recommendations regarding timetabling and provision of music in school settings, the Plan invokes a strong need for a multi-agency approach to providing opportunities.
Unsurprisingly, the Plan and the conversation around it gives plenty of attention to Music Hubs and their place at the centre of the music education wheel. Bridget Whyte referenced this directly during the Music Mark webinar yesterday, but the important thing for the MI industry to note is that the list of spokes feeding from and into that hub did not include musical instrument manufacture and retail.
In the final section of the Plan, Partnerships with industry, we are told that the Government remains ‘committed to working closely with the music industry, including local music organisations, to help every young person have access to a high-quality musical education and the skills, training and advice they need to pursue a successful career in the music industry, particularly in the most deprived areas of the country.’
References to the ‘music industry’ focus on creators of music and supporting roles, but not those of us making and supplying the instruments and equipment on which that relies. This requires some collaborative thought around the ways in which our sector can more effectively engage with pathways for new and developing musicians – a collaboration that will not only enrich opportunities for learners but which will also benefit the MI sector.
There has been talk in the education press about a £25m sum dedicated to development of provision, but the content produced so far has suggested that this is already allocated to providing 250,000 music instruments, working out at £100 each. It became clear from Stefano Pozzi (DfE) and Gwyn Owens (DCMS) during the Music Mark webinar yesterday, that the allocation of this money is not yet decided, and in the chat on Zoom I did highlight the need for this to be given proper consideration. I also suggested that the expertise of musical instrument manufacturers and retailers would be useful in informing this. I intend to follow this up further to find out how the MIA membership can play a part in ensuring that any instrument procurement is given the due care and attention it deserves.
In the section Careers and Routes into Industry, the case studies focus on companies including Universal Music UK, Sony Music UK and Warner Media – all with a focus on artist development, promotion and recording. Valuable internships are already available with these companies, and the Plan also states that apprenticeships ‘…offer opportunities to gain valuable skills whilst working, with a growing number becoming available in the music sector.’ The Plan states that ‘A list of organisations offering such opportunities can be found within the resource information available alongside this plan’, but it is telling that the list includes no companies within the MI space. Do you offer any kind of apprenticeship or internship in your business? What are you doing to attract and develop young people to fulfilling music-related careers in our industry?
As we at the MIA have been saying for the last few years, let’s get music industry organisations included in their local hubs as partners. Let’s become more accessible, let’s come up with more ways for the young people to engage with us through events and work experience. Let’s remind them of the wealth of employment opportunities within our sector beyond the playing musician.
The new National Plan for Music Education 2 isn’t the end of the conversation, it’s a positive starting point. A great deal of discussion and action will come out of the plan, and it’s a great opportunity for MI companies to become more involved with investing in and supporting young musicians who not only have the potential to enjoy rewarding careers but could also be the future stream of customers we need.
On Friday 8th July, we’re holding a drop-in with Bridget Whyte of Music Mark, focusing on the National Plan and providing a forum for discussion of the ways in which our industry can engage with it to the benefit of both learners and MIA members. Please join us so that we can open the conversation in our space and develop positive engagement with the opportunities offered by the publication of this important document.
