Industry versus education: why it's time for dialogue and new pathways

As a former artist and youth worker, and now as a music industry specialist, I have always been aware of an uncomfortable divide between formal education organisations and the music industry they’re preparing young people for. Regardless of whether you leave education after school, college or university, the transition into the creative industries seems a perilous one, especially if you don’t have a personal connection with someone on the inside to help you traverse that path.

It is similar in informal education settings. Third-sector organisations and charities – with limited resources – provide young talent with access to everything from video-editing software and time in a recording studio to radio experience and performance opportunities, all of which help young people to build the experience and networks that they need to progress. Yet these organisations generally lack the direct connection to the industries that facilitates progression.

One of the few areas bucking this trend are gospel musicians from Black majority churches, who anecdotally appear to account for about 60% of the top touring musicians behind major pop acts (notably for bass, drums, keys and backing vocals) according to the Gospel Music Industry Alliance (GMIA). Despite this, churches do not currently have the ability to provide qualifications for the musicians that they train, although this is something that the GMIA is trying to rectify.

Issue of trust in education

From an industry point of view, if I’m honest, these musicians do not appear to trust education. Many practitioners had a difficult time with formal education and have had to forge their own routes after finding out that a qualification didn’t guarantee a job. Having taken non-linear paths into the industry, they may also encounter someone with a degree in events management who has never put on a real-world event with their own money, which seldom sits well. Similarly, we have witnessed the power of independent school networks. The Sutton Trust found in 2019 that 38% of the wealthiest individuals in TV, film and music and 44% of newspaper columnists attended private schools, with 60% of those in music, performing and visual arts being from more ‘privileged’ backgrounds (Ashton, 2022).

As a result, the music industry is circumventing education organisations and connecting with brands/programmes such as Wray & Nephew and Apple’s Made In LDN to engage with young people directly. The Great Escape Festival, too, hosts industry talks and lectures at their education conference, but the event is on a Wednesday in term time, in Brighton, so not easy for the education world to connect with.

Need for conversation and relationships

Having been on all sides of this situation, I can’t help but think, ‘can’t you all just talk to each other?’ It seems as though relationships between education and industry are fractured (at best) or non-existent (at worst). The creative industries are incredibly fast-changing and often difficult for the education world to keep up with. Many universities have been able to engage creative industry practitioners to work within their courses to add that level of authenticity, but this is much more difficult at school or college level. I have seen a concerted effort to encourage more musicians into schools as teachers, but they are often put off by the rigidity of the curriculum, and inflexibility in working hours and commitment. Interestingly, low pay is rarely the largest barrier.

The government’s restructuring of music hubs has put greater emphasis on progression routes, and the industry’s need to replenish its workforce after the Covid-19 pandemic, amid a boom in content creators, could help with this. It is with this in mind that I joined Sound Connections, the charity and sector support organisation, while continuing to lead MOBO’s artist development programme, drawing on my previous work running the creative industry engagement programme We Are Impact (formerly Tileyard Impact).

New pathways

The revised National Plan for Music Education (‘The Power of Music to Change Lives’), published in June 2022, encourages music hubs to engage actively with the music industry around pathways to employment. It states: ‘Music hubs should invite local music employers and organisations to join their partnership, to help facilitate stronger connections between music education and progression into musical careers.’

At the same time, the development of the Media Broadcast & Production T Level – the vocational qualification replacing BTEC – is underway. I’m involved in writing the T Level as part of an industry panel. Whereas formal education concentrates primarily on exams that produce grades, the creative industries value experience. The new T Level, which involves exams and 45 days of work experience, should accommodate both. However, there is a lack of consensus as to how this will be done effectively, and it is within this detail that the success of the qualification will be determined. I am heavily involved in trying to help find solutions that utilise the wealth of what is on offer within the music industry, such as on- and off-stage roles at music festivals across the UK.

The way I see it, the creative industries are responsible for opening the door, and education needs to support young people through this opportunity with some type of network resource that teachers can rely on. One such resource is PRS Connects, the events in which the industry is actively reaching out and empowering the sector. However, it is clear from my interactions with the DfE and DCMS that there is still considerable work to be done on both sides – industry and education – in better understanding the needs of the other. To do that, we need to talk and work together.

Current successes

There are many examples that we can draw on for how partnerships could work. Nike and Spotify have recently launched the ‘Make Moves Fund’, inviting their followers to suggest UK-based community organisations that promote wellbeing for women through dance and movement. This seems like a great idea and is an approach I have previously seen with Apple’s Made in LDN career sessions with Spotlight Youth Centre, and Capital Xtra’s Music Potential programme with UK Youth and Universal. There is also American Express Gold Unsigned, a great collaboration involving the BIMM institute and NME magazine.

In addition, the MOBO Unsung artist development programme has received amazing support from the Marshall Music Group, TikTok/SoundOn and PRS Foundation; funding from Help Musicians; and training opportunities from We Are Impact and Pathways to Music. The key is that these partnerships play to the parties’ strengths, offering valuable lessons for both formal and informal education settings.

What next?

The T Levels and new music hubs will be launching in September 2024, providing potential opportunities for education organisations to connect more effectively with the music industry.

For music teachers specifically, this means identifying partnerships, leveraging existing relationships, and adopting an asset-based approach to collaborating with local organisations. Think how youth workers, churches and community charities can help the young people you work with to access more cultural and performance events and experiences.

Those working in the music industry, meanwhile, should find out who their local music organisations are and connect with them. They must find a way to contribute and partner with them, whether through time, resources, or lending their name (which will bring kudos in the eyes of young people). This is much more effective than duplicating projects that other people have been doing for years, or working in silos.

I was very encouraged by the interest shown towards the Pathways to Music Industry session at the Music Mark conference last November. Sound Connections is working closely with Chris Cooke and Phil Nelson (directors of Pathways to Music) and hope to have some resources available soon for helping build relationships.

In conclusion, let’s make sure that we involve everyone, ensuring that all young people have access to as wide a range of opportunities and experiences as possible. Please feel welcome to contact Sound Connections if you would like to get involved or find out how we might support you and your organisation.

Links and references

• Sound Connections
• Gospel Music Industry Alliance (GMIA)
• Ashton, H. (2022) ‘Class inequality in the Creative Industries is rooted in unequal access to arts and cultural education’, Creative Industries, Policy and Evidence Centre
• What is The Big Music Project? (YouTube)
• MOBO UnSung Class Of 2022 Graduation (YouTube) 
• PRS Connects
• Today at Apple’s Made in LDN (YouTube)