Education Today Education Today Magazine
Music is a bedrock artform, and one which has key societal impact in its tutelage and proliferation. From a young age, we are encouraged to engage with music in the form of dance and expression, appreciation and critique, and pure creativity. The music industry has a foundational impact on creative arts as a whole, and its wider importance to civilisation cannot be truly measured.
Music education, though, has seen rocky support in the UK over the past few decades. Successive cuts to school and community funding have seen arts departments and community programmes bear the brunt of budget shifts.
Recently, though, the UK government has sought to redress the balance, through the introduction of a National Plan for Music Education. But what does the plan detail, exactly, and what will it mean for music education and the wider industry?
The Importance of Music Education
In attempts to justify prior austerity cuts to arts programmes and education, music education is often mistakenly considered to be a frivolous exercise – one that should be resigned to extra-curricular activity, that does not provide any real-terms development or useful knowledge. But music education is multiply impactful for students, and a powerful way to assist students in realising their potential.
For one, musical ability is more than a talent. It demonstrates increased faculties with regard to memory and hand-eye co-ordination, serving as evidence of underlying characteristics with universal application. Music education can help students develop these skills, as well as to foster teamwork and problem-solving skills.
What is the National Plan for Music Education?
The National Plan for Music Education is a government plan that outlines key reforms and initiatives planned within the UK’s music education infrastructure. The first National Plan for Music Education was published in 2011, heralding the launch of a national network of community Music Hubs. In the most recent Plan, though, the government sets its sights on the place of music in schools.
A key takeaway from the new National Plan for Music Education is that Key Stage 1-3 music education is a new priority, and one which will see the introduction of new schemas in schools across the country. The Plan is wide-ranging, with chief aims to see music finding space in school leadership structures, and to see the development of an equitable Music Progression Fund that forefronts marginalised children.
What Does the Announcement Mean for Music Education?
The plan has been received well by educators and musicians in the industry, showing as it does a commitment to grassroots music and education structures in the UK. However, concerns have been raised regarding funding. Music Hub funding has been renewed but not increased, which, against the backdrop of an ever-increasing rate of inflation, represents a real-terms cut in funding for community music.
Still, the National Plan is seen as a strong start for the proliferation of music education opportunities in the UK, and a powerful route to expanding the role of music in the lives of young people. With equity at the centre of the conversation, music could stand to benefit from more diverse interest and experience.
