Supporting Music at Higher Education

It has been a year since Music Mark welcomed MusicHE into our membership and it has certainly been a busy one. Adding Higher Education to the Music Mark remit has provided us with a 360-degree view of music education and helps us identify how we can continue to support, connect and inspire.

Here’s what we’ve been doing for our Higher Education members and what is coming up.

Current Projects 

• Guide to Outreach 
  Music Mark is creating a Guide to Outreach, intended as a call to action to encourage and inspire those with the ability to offer unique musical experiences for young people. The guide will be launched at our first annual Higher Education Conference which will take place at the School of Music, Cardiff University on Wednesday 6th May 2026.  
• UCAS Subject and Personal Statement Guides 
  As part of our commitment to encouraging music education as a lifelong journey, we have been in conversation with UCAS and have gained their permission to amend the subject and personal statement guides for Music to make them more representative of the breadth and value of the study of music at an undergraduate level.  
• Toolkit for Advocacy at Higher Education Music 
  Music Mark is collaborating with the The Musicians’ Union to create a Toolkit for Advocacy at Higher Education Music, compiling the experiences of those within Music Mark and those we have supported to offer practical guidance on how to identify red flags, engage with vital data and navigate external influences. 

Advocacy 

This year has continued to bring challenges for music at higher education in the proposed closures of the music courses at Cardiff University and University of Nottingham, amongst others. Music Mark has worked with the staff at multiple universities to understand their data and construct counterproposals, along with releasing public statements. 

At an event held on 20th November 2025, colleagues from Goldsmiths and Cardiff University offered insights into their experiences defending their music courses and consulting with the University Executive Boards. This will feed into the Toolkit for Advocacy at Higher Education Music. 

• Advocating for Music at the University of Nottingham
  In response to the University of Nottingham’s proposal to suspend all four of its music programmes, we wrote to the University to express our concern and urge reconsideration. As a UK subject association for music, we are committed to championing the value and importance of music education at every level. The letter highlights the national policy landscape, the value of Nottingham’s Department of Music, and the wider implications of such a closure for students, staff, and the local community.

• Advocating our concerns on the Post-16 White Paper
  The Government published a white paper on post-16 education and skills. We welcomed attention to the Higher and Further Education sector at a time when it faces great financial difficulty and instability. However, we are concerned by the proposed introduction of an international levy to fund an increase in maintenance grants and the lack of clarity with regards to the financial security of higher education institutions. We will be completing a comprehensive review of the white paper and providing a more detailed analysis in due course, together with preparing a formal response to send to the Secretary of State for Education in partnership with other key national representatives of music in higher and further education.
• Advocating for the Initial Teacher Training Bursary for Music 
  We wrote to the Secretary of State for Education to challenge the decision to withdraw the bursary available to study to become a music teacher in England. A bursary was reintroduced in 2023/24 to increase take up of places to train as a specialist in music, recognising the shortfall in skilled teachers in the workforce. The government has missed its targets for recruiting teachers to train for many years and it was hoped that this incentive would address the fact that there were not enough teachers to ensure every secondary school had a qualified music teacher to deliver a statutory curriculum subject until the end of Key Stage 3 and to offer qualifications at Key Stages 4 and 5.

What’s Coming Up: Training & Events   

• Higher Education Conference
  Laying the Pipeline: Past, Current and Future Progression Routes to Higher Education   
  6th May, School of Music, Cardiff University 
  Our first Higher Education Annual Conference will provide an opportunity for colleagues to discuss the role of higher education as a vital part of the wider music education ecology. It will offer a space to champion outreach and engagement across the sector and explore potential fixes to the leaks in the pipeline, bringing in the voices of member bodies and partners from across the wider Music Mark membership. The conference will act as a space for colleagues to share best practices, and openly discuss the challenges faced by the sector whilst offering proactive and actionable solutions.

• Beyond Enrichment: Rethinking Music and Employability  
  18th March 3pm – 5pm, Online 
  This virtual session considers how to strike a balance between championing music’s transferable skills and simultaneously advocating for music as a discipline in its own right. A panel of experts from inside and outside music education will reflect on music’s role in an AI-driven world, where human characteristics are increasing in perceived value. This session will be followed by a wider discussion to explore the next steps, such as who we need to reach, what language best articulates our message, and how we can work across levels of education as a united voice. Ideal for Further Education and Higher Education professionals, careers advisors, and Industry Partners. 

• Join our Higher & Further Education Peer Groups
  Next session: 15th January, 2:30pm, Online
  Meet with colleagues working across Further and Higher Education to share best practice, discuss challenges, and support departmental excellence through collaboration and peer support. 

Opportunities 

• Higher Education Conference: Call for Papers
  We are looking for submissions to include in the Higher Education Conference next May. Themes may include but are not limited to: outreach and engagement, student recruitment, graduate outcomes, the skills agenda, employability, devolved curricula and entry requirements.

• Research shorts 
  Research shorts is a series of blogs produced by our Research Manager, Dr Kerry Bunkhall. Kerry chats to researchers and academics in the music education sector to spread awareness of their work and research. Email Kerry to get involved. 

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