Ambition and Quality in Music Education: A Conversation for Everyone
2nd October 2025
On Monday 17th November, the Music Education Council will deliver a panel session at the Music Mark Conference exploring ambition and quality through the lens of inclusion and equity. Michelle James, Co-Chair of the Music Education Council, tells us more about what we can expect from the session.
What does ambition in music education really mean—and for whom? How do we define quality when the needs, identities, and lived experiences of learners and educators vary so widely? These are the central questions that the Music Education Council (MEC) trustees will bring to the stage at this year’s Music Mark Conference.
Chaired by Barry Farrimond-Chuong (known to many as Baz), the panel will feature MEC trustees Sooree Pillay, Caro Cooke, Sharon Jagdev Powell, and Wizdom Layne—each offering a distinct perspective shaped by their own work across the music education sector. Their conversation will challenge delegates to examine how our sector defines success, who benefits, and who remains excluded.
Ambition and Quality – For Whom?
The session begins by inviting delegates to reflect: what do ambition and quality in music education mean to you? This framing matters because ambition and quality can easily become abstract buzzwords unless we ask whose voices and values they represent.
The panel will explore whether the music education sector is truly serious about equity and diversity. They will question what it takes to create opportunities that reach beyond the usual participants and to design programmes that resonate with the full spectrum of learners.
Three Strategies for Change
At the heart of the session are three interlinked strategies drawn from MEC’s ongoing work:
1. Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
Innovation often lives in discomfort. The panel will discuss how risk-taking, challenging personal and industry norms, and confronting vulnerability can open doors to new artistic possibilities and more inclusive practices. Creativity, they argue, thrives when we are willing to push boundaries and accept that instability can be a catalyst for growth.
2. Speak to People Not Accessing Your Services
If someone is avoiding or unable to access a programme, the service—not the person—may be the barrier. Delegates will be encouraged to have genuine conversations with those who are not in the room, including grassroots organisations and underrepresented communities. Active listening and outreach can reveal hidden obstacles—be they financial, cultural, or logistical—and help shape services that are truly relevant.
3. Flexibility: No One Size Fits All
Flexibility, both in mindset and in delivery, is essential. The panel will highlight examples where adapting to participants’ preferences and cultural contexts has created more meaningful musical experiences. Whether it’s offering different learning formats, applying the social model of disability, or experimenting with participant-led programming, flexibility ensures that ambition and quality are defined by the people being served.
Questions to Spark Debate
To deepen the dialogue, the panel will pose provocative questions:
- How can we embrace discomfort in the creative process without letting fear or failure hold us back?
- What strategies best reach underserved communities and ensure programmes are genuinely accessible?
- How can flexibility in design and delivery lead to better musical outcomes and broader participation?
A Call to Action
This MEC session is not a presentation of finished answers but an invitation to collective inquiry. It challenges us to look beyond our own comfort zones, audit who is missing from our spaces, and reconsider long-held assumptions about excellence and success.
By the end of the discussion, conference attendees will be urged to see ambition and quality not as fixed benchmarks, but as living, inclusive practices shaped by dialogue, risk-taking, and the diverse voices of our communities.
This 60-minute panel promises to be an energising and thought-provoking highlight of the Music Mark Conference, sparking conversations that can reverberate long after delegates leave Nottingham.
Written by Michelle James, Co-Chair Music Education Council
Don’t miss your opportunity to hear from the panel and explore whether your approach to ambition and quality is truly inclusive. Book your ticket for the Music Mark Conference today!
