Music Hub Investment Programme
The Music Hub Investment Programme, administered by Arts Council England, gave organisations the opportunity to apply to become a Hub Lead Organisation for the Music Hub programme sarting in September 2024. We collated resources relating to the Investment Programme here.
The Music Hub Investment Programme, which the Department for Education commissioned Arts Council England to administer seeks to appoint organistions to become the strategic Hub Lead Organisations for a new set of Music Hub partnerships which will be in place from September 2024. We collated resources that relate to the Investment Programme below.
- Timeline: Arts Council England updates the timeline for the Music Hub Investment Programme on their website. View the timeline.
- FAQs: Read answers to frequently asked questions.
- Updates: Arts Council England has a dedicated mailing list for news about the Investment Programme. Sign up to their mailing list or read previous communications here.
- Briefing Note: Download our briefing note for local autorities which other organisations can adapt to their needs.
- The National Plan: In June 2022, the Department for Education and Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport published the National Plan for Music Education: the power of music to change lives. Find out more about the National Plan.
Read about the Music Hub Investment Programme on the Arts Council England website.
Applications
The application deadline for the Music Hub Investment Programme was 12:00 on Thursday 12th October 2023. Arts Council England expect to announce the new Hub Lead Organisations in April 2024.
- Documentation:
- Read the information and guidance for applicants.
- Download templates and how-to guides.
- Watch the 5-minute explainer videos:
- Funding: Download a spreadsheet showing the confirmed grant allocation for each Hub area.
- Watch the Webinar: On 28th June, Arts Council England held a webinar outlining the application process and answering questions. Watch the webinar and download the transcript.
On 16th June 2023, Music Mark held a ‘Big Meet’ with members to discuss the latest announcements. Music Mark members can access notes and other resources from this meeting.
Music Mark Support
Music Mark Members were invited to request support in preparing bids to the Music Hub Investment Programme. The three levels of support available were as follows:
- Consultation with a lawyer from Bates Wells
- Facilitation led by Åsa Malmsten, Marion Friend or Gary Griffiths
- Conversation with Bridget Whyte, Gary Griffiths or an existing multi-area Hub lead
Partnerships
Music Hub Lead Organisations work with a wide range of partner organisations, drawing on their knowledge and experience to ensure every child and young person has access to high-quality music education.
- Develop your Partnerships: Arts Council England are producing a regularly updated resource listing organisations who are interested in working in partnership with a Music Hub. Find out more and register your interest in being included in the resource.
Bates Wells: Formalising Partnerships
Music Mark hosted two online webinars (one in April and one in July) in which law firm Bates Wells discussed the legal and governance options available to organisations looking to collaborate as part of a new Music Hub. Watch the recording of the webinars and download resources from the sessions.
Music Hub Partnership Models with Arts Council England
On 21st September 2022, Music Mark and Arts Council England hosted an event exploring different partnership models across the creative, culture and education sectors, including research on current multi-area Music Hub Partnerships by Andrea Spain. Watch the recording of the webinars and download resources from the sessions.
Music Hub Geographies
New Music Hub Geographic Areas
On 6th June 2o23, the Department for Education released the new Music Hub geographic areas.
Proposed Music Hub Geographic Areas
On 10th March 2023, the Department for Education shared their expectations for the future Music Hub geographies.
Current Music Education Hub Geographic Areas
Rationale
The rationale behind the new geographies was updated in March 2023 following feedback from the January consultation.
On 16th March 2023, Music Mark held a ‘Big Meet’ with members to discuss the proposed geography and the latest announcements. Music Mark members can access notes and other resources from this meeting.
Consultation
Arts Council England began a consultation phase in autumn 2022. Find out more about the consultation phase.
- Surveys:
- Arts Council England ran a survey from 4th – 15th January 2023 focusing on ‘potential methodologies for creating new prescribed geographic areas for Music Hubs and what the implications might be for partnership development, governance, access and engagement’. Find out more about the survey and the findings from it.
- A second survey asking for feedback on the proposed Music Hub geographies closed on 31st March 2023. Find out more about the survey and the findings from it.
- Focus Groups: In December 2022, Arts Council England invited expressions of interest from people who would like to take part in a digital or in-person focus group. Find out more about the focus groups and the findings from them.
On 10th January 2022, Music Mark published a statement outlining our concerns around the consultation phase. Read the statement.
Music Mark held a consultation with its members to discuss their concerns around the Music Hub Investment Programme. The results of this consultation, including recommendations to take to the Department for Education and the next steps for Music Mark are outlined in a document which Music Mark Members can download here.