Stick to the plan: what are music educators' hopes for the refreshed NPME?

The first National Plan for Music Education (NPME) – launched by Michael Gove and Ed Vaizey to much fanfare in 2011 – aimed to implement the first eight recommendations of the Henley Review. These were laudable and ambitious aims, which I summarise here: to provide a broad music curriculum including performing, composing, listening, reviewing and evaluating, with singing ‘an important part of school life from early years… to KS3’; to provide instrumental lessons for all children, with clear progression routes; music should be available to all children at Key Stage 4, in the form of BTECs and GCSEs; all children should have the opportunity to perform regularly and experience musical performances; all children should have opportunities to play in ensembles, and receive a combination of classroom teaching, instrumental and vocal music tuition and input from professional musicians.