First thoughts on the Welsh national plan for music education

For many years, it seemed that the Land of Song was in serious danger of losing its voice.

Local councils, finances battered by the Great Recession and the decade of austerity which followed, looked to make savings wherever they could. For many, the music service – which had delivered free lessons to generations of children – provided a copious quantity of beans for the counters who sought to balance the books. Services were privatised, even closed completely, and music lessons became the prerogative of a select few.

Things are about to change, however, following the announcement of a National Plan for Music Education in Wales, along with the creation of a National Music Service which will be rolled out in September. Annual funding of £1.5m has been in place since 2018/9, providing support for music services and ensembles throughout the country. That figure has been trebled and is being guaranteed for the next three years, although the political consensus in the Senedd on the day of the announcement appeared to be that funding should continue after the three-year trial period.

Unusually for a parliamentary debating chamber, the often-febrile atmosphere of the political bearpit was harmonious, even amicable, with all parties welcoming the announcement of the new measures, which had been made one day prior at a primary school in Swansea. Reaction outside the Senedd has also resembled a collective sigh of relief from local authorities and their music services.

Making the announcement, Jeremy Miles, minister for education and the Welsh language, spoke of the ‘rich culture, heritage and communities all over Wales’, adding that foundations for the new service had already been laid. He described a ‘bold step forward’, adding that the ‘strength of a nation is its knowledge’.

‘The joy of music in all its forms should be at the heart of every school and setting,’ said Miles as he introduced the proposals to Senedd Members, ‘but we know that for too long, learning an instrument has been for those who can afford the tuition. And that is not acceptable. No child should miss out through a lack of means.’

Backed by training

All children, from three to 16, will have the opportunity to play an instrument. Indeed, Miles referred to his own experience of learning an instrument, becoming a baritone euphonium player and performing in a range of bands benefitting, he noted, from the free lessons he was offered. All primary school children will, under the ‘First Experiences’ strand of the new scheme, be offered half a term of taster sessions on an instrument of their choice.

Last year, £6.8m was spent on the purchase of musical instruments in readiness for the new national instrument and equipment library. Digital music licences have already been arranged for local authority music services, and training is in place for people working in the new set-up, thus ensuring the highest professional standards.

‘With music being one of the constituents in the Expressive Arts Area of the Curriculum for Wales, our schools need to be able to develop the skills and enhance the experience of all our children,’ said Miles.

Emphasis on accessibility

The National Music Service will be working closely not only with schools but also other parts of the education sector in Wales, as well as people involved in the wider arts community.

The programme will be managed by the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), which will ensure that it allocates resources and staff to local authorities across Wales to put into place what is being touted as a range of ‘more diverse opportunities’ for young people. Particular care is being taken to ensure that children from low-income households and for those with additional educational needs. There will be a review of music tutors’ terms and conditions, and the ‘Making Music with Others’ programme will allow secondary pupils to work with professional musicians to gain an insight into the working life of a performer.

Speaking to Music Teacher earlier this year, music consultant Dinah Pye recalled the 2018 Hitting the Right Note report which, she said, ‘was an incredible snapshot of how bad things were in Wales’. Her petition, started after that indictment, was a catalyst for proposals for a new music service to be included in the Labour manifesto for last year’s Senedd elections, and those promises have now been enacted.

Opposition parties were united in welcoming the new initiative, with Plaid Cymru member Heledd Fychan picking up that the word ‘joy’ had been used many times in the minister’s speech.

‘This is particularly welcome as we face the cost of living crisis,’ she said, ‘and the emphasis on accessibility is particularly important. There is a crisis in our schools and music is the most impacted. We can see this by a 14 per cent drop in GCSE Music entries since 2014 and a 40 per cent drop in A Level pupils. Half the pupils in private schools get music lessons, but only 15 per cent in our national schools have that option.

‘At last, we are addressing the underfunding which has seen music become a “nice to have but not essential” subject. This is an exciting, significant investment.’ 

‘Is this just another sticking plaster?’

Conservative Laura Anne Jones also welcomed the initiative, saying it was ‘long overdue’.

‘Music provision has always been a postcode lottery and this inequality of opportunity has to end,’ she said. ‘But is this just another sticking plaster? Music education needs rejuvenation, and I am well aware of the difficulties faced by cash-strapped councils. This new service has the potential to be a real catalyst.’

She asked whether children’s transport costs to travel to music lessons would be covered and whether there would be delivery costs for someone taking up a new instrument.

‘After six months, what happens to the primary school learner?’ she enquired. ‘Will there be vouchers so they can continue their lessons? When will those lessons be delivered? Will they fit into the school day? How will you identify those from economically challenged households when all school meals are now free in Wales?

The minister revealed that there is a new focus on making music accessible right through the school journey, with instrumental tuition remaining free if a pupil is taking GCSE or A Level exams. ‘The investment we are making now is from the grassroots up, and not from the top down,’ he said. ‘We can experiment here to get the best experience for young people.’

Schools could even be open beyond their present hours. ‘What about space for practice?’ asked Heledd Fychan. ‘What about those who live in small flats with thin walls? We all know that when people start playing it is not always a pleasant experience for the neighbours!’ 

‘Hopefully, schools may be open later,’ replied the minister, helpfully.

National strategy

Outside the chamber, there was a warm welcome for the proposals. The chief executive of Music Mark Bridget Whyte talked of the newfound ‘equitable access to a progressive musical learning programme in and out of school’. She continued: ‘The plan recognises the importance of the wider music education ecosystem beyond the school gates and looks to bring partnership working to the heart of provision at a local level, as well as to develop a stronger national partnership, too.’ 

A spokesperson for the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Wales’s national conservatoire, said: ‘We’ve seen time and time again how music ignites imagination and creativity and that should be an opportunity available to everyone, regardless of background. This sort of commitment could be transformative for a nation as creative as Wales.’

In 2014, music graduate and former Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Eluned Parrott spoke on a podcast about how music helped her mental health. ‘There were times in my life when I was troubled,’ she said. ‘I didn’t find it easy being a teenager. I didn’t always enjoy school. But I always had my music – something much bigger than me. It gave me confidence and that feeling that I am part of a team when I played in an orchestra for the first time.’

At the time, Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of poorest boroughs in the UK, was looking at privatising its music service and Powys had closed its service completely. ‘Everything is so fragmented,’ she observed then. ‘We need a national strategy.’

Eight years later, after many meetings, reports, consultations and all that happens before a decision is made, Welsh music education is looking at a new, more secure, future.

gov.wales/national-plan-music-education