Advocacy

• Climate Crisis
• Other

As part of our ‘This Is Not A Rehearsal’ campaign, we shared case studies from Oxfordshire County Music Service, Southampton and Isle of Wight Music Hub and Portsmouth Music Service demonstrating some of the different approaches music organisations can take to embed sustainability into their work.

• Funding
• Higher Education
• Letter

In a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Education, Music Mark and the Royal Musical Association called on the government to reverse the proposed cut to Price Group C1.2 funding and reaffirm its commitment to supporting a sector that makes a vital contribution to the United Kingdom’s economy, global reputation, health and wellbeing.

• Music in Schools
• Recruitment and Retention
• Letter

Music Mark, the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), and the Music Teachers’ Association (MTA) wrote jointly to the Secretary of State for Education, urging the government to reverse its decision to reduce its target for secondary music teacher trainees and withdrawn the £10,000 music initial teacher training bursary for 2026/27.

• Funding
• Other

We published a blog written by Gary Griffiths, Music Mark’s Music Hub support consultant, explaining the impact of standstill funding in England.

• Higher Education
• The Value of Music Education
• Other

We responded to a report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) about the financial value of higher education qualifications and provided a more balanced perspective on career choices, particularly where music is concerned.

• Funding
• Letter

Our letter to the Secretary of State outlines our concerns and asks for an urgent review of funding levels and immediate confirmation of funding beyond August 2027 in line with the timeframe published as part of the Music Hub investment process.

• National Politics
• Other

Music Mark CEO, Bridget Whyte, was invited by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Music Education secretariat, the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), to speak at the APPG meeting on 8th June and provide an update on the music hub network.

• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Music in Schools
• Resource

To ensure that our response to the SEND Consultation represented the views of young people, we gathered responses from 11 young disabled musicians from Drake Music’s Future Leaders programme and the National Open Youth Orchestra. Their thoughts are insightful and valuable in helping us ensure ‘every child is achieving and thriving’ in music education. We provided a summary of the insights gained from the young people.

• Higher Education
• Resource

Over the past decade, UK university music departments have faced significant challenges, reflecting wider pressures across the arts and humanities. To help address these challenges, Music Mark and the Musicians’ Union collaborated to produce a practical toolkit to support departments during periods of uncertainty.

• Music in Schools
• Resource

The government’s key stage 4 performance measures and targeted RISE extension consultation sought views on proposals to improve key stage 4 academic performance measures and to extend school improvement support from the Department for Education’s targeted regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) service. We put together a resource to provide help with completing the consultation.

• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
• Music in Schools
• Resource

To help with responses to the SEND Reform Consultation, we provided a list of questions in the consultation organised by the type of person they may be relevant to.

• Funding
• National Centre for Arts & Music Education
• Statement

We raised concerns about the gap between ambition and funding for the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education.