The structure of Music Education in England is changing, and Arts Council England wants your opinion. As part of the National Plan for Music Education, the Government announced that Arts Council England would deliver a new Investment Programme for Music Hubs, wth the new Music Hub Programme starting in September 2024.
Music Education Hubs are groups of organisations such as local authorities, schools, other hubs, arts organisations, community or voluntary organisations, working together to create joined-up music education provision, respond to local need and fulfil the objectives of the Hub as set out in the national plan for music education. Each Hub is managed by a Hub Lead Organisation, which is the recipient of the Arts Council England grant. Should community brass organisations be a part of their local Music Education Hub? Absolutely. Are they currently? Sporadically.
As set out in the new national plan, the Hub Lead Organisation is responsible for five strategic areas delivered through partnership.
- Partnership: Take a leading role in building a sustainable, local infrastructure for high-quality music education and music-making, in partnership with schools, early years and other education providers, community music organisations, and other regional and national youth music organisations and industry. Capture this offer in a Local Plan for Music Education.
- Schools: Support all state-funded schools in their area through ongoing relationships to help them deliver high-quality music education, including a quality curriculum support offer, specialist tuition, instruments and ensembles, and a broad range of progression routes and musical experiences for all pupils.
- Progression and Development: Support children and young people to develop and progress with music, including into national or specialist opportunities, higher education and employment, so that the chance to be involved in high-quality music-making is shared more widely in our society. Support children and young people to access the wider world of music, including live performance and community music.
- Inclusion: Drive broad access to music education, so every child has the opportunity to participate irrespective of their circumstances, background, where they live or their SEND status.
- Sustainability: Ensure the strategic, financial, and operational sustainability of the Music Hub by: (i) supporting a dynamic and well-training workforce, (ii) leveraging Department for Education funding to develop wider investment into young people’s music from a range of sources and revenue streams; (iii) being accountable and transparent by publishing plans, needs analysis and impact data; and (iv) considering and acting on the Hub’s environmental responsibilities.
The consultation
Following an initial consultation that Brass Bands England took part in earlier this year, Arts Council England has launched a survey seeking responses from individuals (such as freelancers) and organisations, focused on the proposed new geographic areas for the new Music Hub Investment Programme. This proposed change means that there will be 43 Music Hubs in England rather than the 120 hubs currently, the rationale being the ambition for Hub Lead Organisations “to become more strategic, building a wider range of strong partnerships with schools, academy trusts, local authorities and others, so that children and young people receive high quality support in every local area and to ensure there are no local ‘cold spots’ where access to provision is limited. It is therefore our [government’s] expectation that, through the competitive process, we will see a reduced number of Hub Lead Organisations establishing partners across wider geographical areas.”
For example the proposed geography sees Barnsley, Rotherham Doncaster and Sheffield becoming one South Yorkshire Hub; County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland becoming one North East Hub; and Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest and City of London becoming one London-East Hub.
The open survey questions are concentrated on the impact these geographic changes will have, in particular, if the proposed geographic area appropriately reflects the updated rationale and how children and young people, families, communities, schools access music education and creative and cultural experiences.
Our thoughts
- Will bands still be able to forge partnerships successfully? Fewer Hub Lead Organisations covering larger areas means it may become more difficult for brass bands and other smaller community organisations to become hub partners, and advocate for their very localised offer.
- Will every child’s voice be heard? The gap between each child’s voice and the head of a Hub Lead Organisations is becoming increasingly wider. Can a larger more ‘strategic’ organisation realistically be as inclusive and dynamic as the set up we have currently?
- Will greater breadth of opportunity result in greater breadth of access? Although a wider area has the potential to result in more diverse partnerships, that doesn’t mean that varied and diverse delivery is possible for every child in the area to access.
- Is there sufficient time to ensure good governance? The time frame for Hub Lead Organisations to organise, develop partnerships, apply and prepare for a delivery plan in September 2024 is incredibly tight. In the negotiations between current Music Hubs to decide who will partner together and who will take on the role of HLO, where will quality factor in that decision? Confirmed geography and guidance for applicants will be announced in ‘late spring’, following the completion of this survey at the end of March, and the application portal opening in ‘early summer’, with currently no guidance as to when the application deadline will be, only that successful applicants will be announced in ‘early 2024’.
- What about council relationships? For many Music Hubs local council funding is a vital contribution to ensure the books balance and the offer they want to deliver is possible. Will local councils be as favourable in distributing funding that is equitable across an area larger than their own local authority?
We have similar concerns to Music Mark in terms of the lack of rationale for fewer Hub Lead Organisations, the money available to deliver the ambitious offer set out in NMPE2, and the increasing potential for public money to be spent on additional layers of management and administration taking away the amount available for delivery to children and young people.
To keep bands up to date with the investment process, BBE will be hosting online meetings to support in understanding what the impact will be for them and to support potential partnership development in their areas. Dates will be confirmed once application guidance for HLO’s in late Spring 2023.
Why you should pay attention to the investment programme, and add your thoughts to the survey
Brass Bands in England are a vital part of the music education ecology, working directly with young people in your locality, providing essential ensemble and performance opportunities, and offering something many other organisations cannot: lifelong participation. In terms of how this will impact your local area - that’s where your voice is so important as you will know best how the changes impact your local area.
Find out more about the Arts Council England Music Hub Investment Programme and add your contribution to the survey until midday on Friday 31 March.