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- Balls: Schools must get more pupils tuned in to classical and pop music -

 

- Renewed pledge to give free music lessons to primary school children -

 

- Research shows significant links between music and attainment in reading and writing -

 

Schools Secretary Ed Balls has today teamed up with Jamie Cullum to set the stage for the first ever National Year of Music.

 

The Secretary of State and chart topping music ‘teachers’, including VV Brown, Kila Kela and Jamie Cullum, will take over classrooms at a school in Acton, in what is being dubbed as the ‘biggest ever music lesson’ - to be transmitted live to thousands of pupils across the country. The Year of Music will also be supported by Lily Allen, rock legend guitarist Slash, N-Dubz, The Hoosiers, Girls Cant Catch, Vanessa Mae, Dannii Minogue, Katherine Jenkins, Guy Chambers, the English National Ballet, the cast of Wicked and Mamma Mia and DJ Yoda, who have all come together to inspire children and highlight the broad range of musical opportunities on offer.

 

In launching the Year of Music, Ed Balls has called on schools and local authorities to make a concerted effort to get more young people into music, so that by 2011 over 2 million primary school pupils will have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. This is backed by the Government’s £330 million investment in music, both inside and outside of the classroom.

 

The Year of Music will run from September 2009 to September 2010, with events taking place across the country throughout this week, and over the coming year. It will bring together opportunities available to children and young people across England, and encourage them – whatever their talent – to get involved in music.

 

Speaking ahead of the launch, Schools Secretary Ed Balls said:

 

“I want to create a generation of talented performers who can sing, dance, play instruments and fly the flag for Great Britain.

 

“Music is at the very heart of British popular culture - it’s what kids talk about, it’s what they aspire to. It’s fantastic that TV talent shows like X factor attract millions of viewers each week, but young people need to know that they can only become stars by mastering the basics when they’re young and by learning about a range of music - from classical to country. This is exactly why we need world class music education in schools.

 

“Headteachers tell me the reason why they want to teach music and dance is not just because they’re fun, but they also have a positive impact on pupils’ reading and writing. Research backs this up, showing direct links between music and attainment, better behaviour and better social cohesion.

 

“Far from it being a ‘soft subject’, the benefits of music are simply too important to ignore. This is exactly why we have invested £330million in music since 2008. This has provided nearly 1 million primary school children with access to free music tuition, along with hundreds of other opportunities to perform and learn from experts in the field, through programmes like ‘Sing up’ and Music Partnerships with world class classical musicians like the London Symphony Orchestra.

 

“But we want this investment to reach every child, to broaden more young people’s horizons and create more chances for them to both enjoy and learn from music and dance.

 

“Giving young people the chance to learn about music can teach them more than just the ins and outs of an instrument. It forms an integral part of our culture, and I believe it should be an integral part of every childhood. I want the National Year of Music to celebrate our great and diverse musical heritage, to champion our remarkable young talent, and enable more children and young people to experience the fantastic musical opportunities that are on offer in this country.”

 

Thousands of young people are now reaping the rewards of £330million investment in music, with over 3 million primary pupils now receiving valuable music resources from the ‘Sing up’ programme and funding has paid for over 230,000 new instruments since 2006. The In Harmony programme, chaired by Julian Lloyd Webber, is giving children in deprived areas such as Lambeth the chance to learn instruments and then perform with professionals to live audiences, and Music Partnerships are giving children and young people the opportunity to link up with high profile organisations, like the London Symphony Orchestra.

 

Record investment has seen more children getting into music, but there is more to do to give all children access to music opportunities. Since 2008, local authorities have received record funding to spend on music education – designed to help drive up standards in teaching, fund choirs and orchestras and to pay for free music tuition – by way of whole class or large group activity – for every key stage 2 child, for at least a year of primary school. The number of children learning a musical instrument at key stage 2 has more than doubled to 55% since 2005, but Ministers want to see a renewed drive to make sure every child has this opportunity – and they expect local authorities and schools to make sure this happens. The National Year of Music signals a renewed focus on what is a compulsory national curriculum subject, and will stress to both parents and schools the importance of good musical opportunities for a child’s personal, academic and social development.

 

Schools Minister Diana Johnson said:

 

“Music education is an important part of the national curriculum. Ofsted tells us that in schools where the music provision is good, it not only has a positive impact on pupils, but also on teachers and the wider community. This is exactly why having a varied and exciting curriculum, that engages young people and keeps them learning for longer, is a top priority for this Government - and we are freeing up the curriculum to give teachers the chance to do this.

 

“Research from the Institute of Education tells us that involvement with music can have a huge impact on the development of young people, and that it can even promote social cohesion and better behaviour. And because we know that learning to play an instrument can improve both reading and writing, it is right that music should play an important role in school life, and beyond.

 

“Through the National Year of Music, we not only want to celebrate the wealth of young musical talent that we have in this country, but we also want to make more schools – and parents – aware of the importance of good music opportunities. More funding, more exciting resources, and more opportunities to work with the music industry mean that music should no longer be a side-lined subject in the timetable.”

 

Editor's Notes
This press notice relates to 'England'

1. The National Year of Music is part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to providing access to quality music opportunities for young people, through the National Curriculum and successful programmes including Sing Up, In Harmony and the Music Manifesto. It will bring together the wide range of music-related experiences available to children and young people across England, and to encourage them – whatever their talent – to get involved in music. Tune In – Year of Music will run from September 2009 to September 2010, with events taking place across the country throughout the coming year.

 

2. Launching the Year of Music will be a music lesson like no other. It will take place at 12.30pm, at Twyford CE High School on September 10th 2009. Attended by Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, the lesson will be streamed live into schools throughout the nation. VV Brown, Jamie Cullum and Kila Kela will lead the lesson, with contributions from Lily Allen, Slash, Amanda Holden, The Hoosiers, Girls Cant Catch, Vanessa Mae, Dannii Minogue, Katherine Jenkins, N-Dubz, Guy Chambers, the English National Ballet, cast of Wicked and Mamma Mia, and DJ Yoda, who have all come together to advise and inspire children and highlight the broad range of musical opportunities available.

 

3. The research referenced in this press release is taken from The Universal Language. The power of music: its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. Susan Hallam, Dean of the Faculty of Policy and Society. Institute of Education, University of London.

 

4. After the first music lesson, which is taking place at Twyford CE High School, the launch will run with three additional exciting activities and events across the country, from a Dawn Chorus of junior musical ensembles in Newcastle (Friday 11 September), a children’s attempt on the Guinness World Record for Air Guitar Monday 14 September), culminating with a unique Mobile Symphony with Jaz Cole and Gabriel Prokofiev in Plymouth (Tuesday 15 September).

 

5. In November 2007, Ed Balls announced £332 million funding to be made available from 2008 - 2011. This includes:

 

• £82million a year of continued funding for local authorities to spend on music education. This will pay for free music tuition – by way of whole class or large group activity – for every primary school child for a year in the early years of primary school and the Government wants to see at least half of primary school pupils continuing with further tuition thereafter. It will also fund choirs, orchestras and other ensembles

 

• £40million to the Sing Up programme to run an awareness campaign; provide a web-based national song bank and training to put singing back into the classroom and enable every primary school to be a singing school by 2011.

 

6. Concentrating on the pledge that every key stage 2 primary child should have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument by 2011 (whilst also providing support and challenge to Local Authorities through the National Music Participation Director) has seen a move from around 22% of children in key stage 2 having an opportunity to learn a musical instrument in the 05/06 academic year, with over 55% having that opportunity in the 08/09 academic year.

 

7. Over 75% of all primary schools have registered to receive the Sing Up resources and the re-launched website now includes over 300 songs and warm-ups. Issue 7 of the magazine will shortly be sent to schools so that Sing up will have directly provided 70 songs to schools complete with backing tracks, call and response tracks and example performances of the songs on the cover CDs. Over 100 schools have successfully gained Sing up Awards in the first academic year of them being offered.

 

8. The In Harmony project aims to reach very young children from the most deprived backgrounds and to provide them with opportunities to grow and develop both socially and musically. There are currently three In Harmony Projects (Lambeth, Liverpool and Norwich), and these are all showing good progress in terms of musical excellence, in terms of the development of the children involved and the aspirations of the communities in which the projects are based.

 

9. Music Partnership projects are aimed at improving music education for all children in the area through collaborative working; and making the music offer more than the sum of its parts. Five partnerships have just come to an end of their funding (Bristol, Devon, Staffordshire, East London (LSO lead) and North West (Halle lead) and five have just started work (Wiltshire, Hertfordshire, East London (Barbican lead), Birmingham and Northamptonshire (Orchestras Live lead). We will learn from the pilots just how effective working in partnership can be and how this can be replicated around the country.

 

10. There are now 30 schools with Music as their main specialism and a further 10 have Music combined with another specialism. Additionally 17 schools have Music as a Second Specialism.

 

11. For more information about the events that are taking place this week, and throughout the year, and to bid for artists or Ministers, contact Nicola Williamson at Freud Communications on 020 3003 6448 or Danielle Robinson on 020 3003 6316.

 

12. For general information about the Year of Music or about music policy, contact the DCSF press office on 020 7925 6789, or to find out more visit >http://www.tuneinyearofmusic.com/a> Media can also visit http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/news/

 

Contact Details
Public Enquiries 0870 000 2288, info@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk