PRESS RELEASE : New board to oversee government’s plan to improve music education [June 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Education on 13 June 2023.
The government is today launching a new music education monitoring board with a wide range of expertise.
A team of experts has been brought together by the government to make sure that all children and young people have access to high-quality music education. The new music education monitoring board consists of over 10 panel members with a wealth of experience ranging from teachers to music industry representatives.
Last year, the government set out its national plan for music education to 2030, which ensures that all young people and children have the opportunity to progress in the world of music by learning to sing, play an instrument and create music together.
Under these plans, all children and young people will experience a broad musical culture in schools and education settings and will access a high-quality music curriculum, as exemplified by the model music curriculum, published in 2021. Starting this September, schools are also being asked to teach music for at least an hour a week as part of their music development plan, supported by our national network of music hubs.
From September 2024, music hubs will also receive £25 million to fund a wide variety of instruments for children and young people, to be played in and out of school, including adapted instruments for those with special educational needs and disabilities.
The board will keep track of the progress in delivering the commitments in the plan and will be chaired by Veronica Wadley CBE, Baroness Fleet. The panel of experts will have its first meeting later this month and plan to meet termly.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said:
Every pupil should have the opportunity to be taught a high-quality music curriculum, introducing them to the world’s best music and ensuring they are taught to read and write musical notation.
Music offers an enriching experience which is why we want all schools to teach a fulfilling music curriculum. The new board, chaired by Baroness Fleet, will help our schools deliver this by guiding the implementation of the National Plan for Music Education.
Veronica Wadley CBE, Baroness Fleet, said:
I am delighted to be chairing the monitoring board, continuing the work we started in 2021. It is so important to do all we can to ensure that high quality music is embedded in schools and accessible to young people from all backgrounds.
This is vital for the pipeline of talent and for the future of our great orchestras, the music industry and the wider creative industries.
