Findings from the survey, which closed at the end of March, paint a sobering picture. Nearly half of the teachers reported a decline in extracurricular music participation over the past five years. The story is the same for instrumental lessons, with 45% noting a drop, while only one in five observed an increase.
Behind the numbers is a troubling trend: despite the proven social and educational benefits of learning an instrument, students are being edged out – most often due to financial pressures. Cost was cited as the top barrier to continuing instrumental lessons, followed by lack of time, curriculum clashes, and lack of school provision.
‘It’s a multifaceted problem,’ one teacher wrote. Budget cuts, disinterest, and lack of school support all contribute to the decline, though ‘parents not seeing it [music] as important’ was also a factor, according to around 5% of respondents.
While over 86% of respondents were specialist music teachers, a vast majority reported working in schools where less than 30% of students participate in extracurricular music. In many cases, just 10% of pupils receive instrumental lessons, often only those who can afford them.
Inequality is persistent. Over 40% of schools where the teachers work have at least 20% of their pupils eligible for Pupil Premium, yet these are often the very schools with the lowest participation in music, suggesting a systemic challenge. At other times, ‘Some of our students' attainment in non-music subjects increases significantly when Pupil Premium is used to fund 1:1 instrumental lessons’, said one respondent.
Underfunding compounds the problem. Over a third of teachers reported an annual music budget of under £1,000, and just 10% have more than £50,000 to cover both staffing and resources. Many teachers say they rely on free resources, second-hand instruments, and goodwill to run basic programmes.
‘Growing Musicians, Shaping Lives’ drew responses from nearly 400 music educators working in mostly primary and secondary education (44% and 46% respectively), with the remaining 10% drawn from early years, further and adult education. The survey was launched at the 2025 Music & Drama Education Awards.
Diminished profile
Despite the challenges, the commitment of music educators is unwavering. Over 60% said they support other subject teachers, running or organising CPD sessions, writing schemes of work, and providing musical content such as songs in foreign language classes. They also mentor non-specialists, with 10% claiming to train Teaching Assistants and EYFS teachers.
Yet many expressed frustration that music is undervalued, with 30% ranking its subject profile at just 4 or lower on a 10-point scale.
The survey’s findings come amid broader concerns about the marginalisation of the arts in education. While many teachers spoke passionately about the cross-curricular benefits of music – improving memory, literacy, maths, and mental health – several lamented the pressure to justify music’s place in the curriculum by its utility to other subjects.
‘I believe it is a subject in its own right and [we] should not be made to justify its existence’, said one teacher, pointing to the competition for timetable space with core subjects. Another reported a ‘Pressure to justify music’s academic value in a data-driven education system’, and several lamented the decline of GCSE and A Level Music entries due to schools prioritising subjects that contribute to Progress 8 and EBacc measures.
With participation falling, budgets shrinking, and specialist expertise underused, the findings raise serious questions about the future of music in some state schools. As policymakers champion STEM and data-driven outcomes, teachers warn that a generation of children is growing up without the creative outlet, discipline, and joy that music once offered.
Biggest challenge
When asked what the biggest pressures were facing music teachers in schools and colleges, the vast majority said budgetary and time constraints. Often these linked to how music was valued as a subject, with respondents citing the focus on STEM and the decline of GCSE and A Level Music entries due to schools prioritising subjects that contribute to Progress 8 and EBacc measures.
About 7% also referred to an ‘unprofessionalism’ or ‘apathy’ among school management when it came to understanding secondary Music. One respondent said, ‘Leaders do not understand the place of music in [the] wider curriculum, which translates in the way they communicate to creative subject leaders. The pressure to achieve high marks in GCSE – as a school – impacts music, where the focus on Maths, Science and English is forefront. Students are not as committed to music when leaders continue to label it as non-core or “less important”’.
Another significant challenge was continuity. Music hub support was ‘patchy’, with some hubs focusing on Saturday music schools, for example; and primary pupils had various levels of classroom music experience, or none at all, before joining secondary schools. This patchy provision extended to instrumental music teaching, with one teacher highlighting how ‘Secondary schools are faced with the pressure of delivering music performance at Grade 5 or above at GCSE. This is miraculous for instrumental learning if pupils start learning in Year 7. Primary schools hold responsibility of delivering at least 3/4 years of consistent teaching on an instrument for pupils to have access to this area of their secondary music education. This is very imbalanced, and not achievable on the finances of primary-school settings.’
At the end of the survey, teachers were asked to describe areas of their work in which they feel they need more support. Music Teacher and Gramophone will be looking at these over the coming months to inform their respective coverage and help tackle some of the pressures faced by teachers and ‘growing musicians’.
