Charity record label NMC Recordings has launched a series of initiatives to assist the development of emerging talent, including a remix app and an interactive music map.

Pupils and teachers will be able to access the resources, which NMC hopes will bring ‘contemporary classical music to the classroom’.

R:strng is a free app featuring a remix of Kate Whitley’s music by Olugbenga Adelekan of Metronomy which allows students to create their own remixes and submit them to be featured on NMC’s website.

Other materials include help with GCSE composition and the NMC Music Map – an online educational tool that helps students to discover more about the classical music of today.

Speaking about the new resources, NMC said in a press release: ‘Young people are our future composers, performers, critics, and listeners and it is important in these challenging times for music education that we are creative with the resources we have, and find ways to support schools, music hubs, and outreach programmes in making music available to everyone’.

NMC founder and executive producer Colin Matthews recently received the Special Achievement Gramophone Award at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards 2017 for his unique contribution to British contemporary music.

Sir Mark Elder, music director of the Hallé, paid tribute with a speech that praised Matthews’ achievements and championed the resources as a ‘wonderful idea’.

Read our Colin Matthews interview here >

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The academic director of Trinity College London has called for better music education in UK schools, describing the lack of emphasis on the arts and creativity as ‘shocking’.

Appearing at a Westminster Media Forum on the global music market last week, Nick Beach said: ‘We need to get better at music education if we’re going to help children and young people become the creative workforce in the future.’

‘The drop in numbers for GCSE music is a long-term trend and we should perhaps ask about whether that qualification is actually providing the needs of the future workforce.’

Proposing better qualifications and teacher training as the solution to supporting improvements, he added: ‘There’s currently no teaching quality standard. We still rely on the well-meaning, somewhat amateur approach to music education, where anyone can call themselves a music teacher.’

‘Almost every other professional service is regulated or regulates itself. If the music education sector is going to meet the needs of employers in post-Brexit Britain, perhaps this is one of the things we should consider focusing on.’

Beach was speaking on a panel titled, Key Brexit challenges and opportunities, and the sector’s role in the UK’s Industrial Strategy: skills, trade and attracting inward investment.

Also focusing on the need for better music education was Henry Vann, head of external affairs at the Incorporated Society of Musicians.

Referring to the UK’s new industrial strategy, which set out the government’s plan to boost earning power and address long-term challenges to the economy, Vann said: ‘It’s 250 pages long and there are 656 words on the creative industries sector deal.

‘We must get our education system right, so that the creative industry – worth £128.4bn by 2025 – can continue to thrive.

‘Our education system currently works against music and other creative subjects. Two days ago in Coopers’ Company and Coborn School in London, a petition kicked off because Media, Drama and Design and Technology were taken off the A-Level curriculum from September 2018, cutting off a route into higher education from those pupils.

‘Another school which I’m not going to name because we’re trying to get them to change their policy, is now charging pupils £5 a week to study GCSE Music as an extra-curricular activity.

‘If the industrial strategy is to be relevant, it must say something about protecting creative subjects in our schools so we can fill our sector with homegrown talent and open up opportunity, diversity and inclusion for all; not just those who can afford it.’

Joining the discussion, shadow minister for digital, culture, media and sport, Kevin Brannan MP, suggested schools who charge pupils to study creative subjects should be ‘named and shamed.’

Other speakers on the panel included Cooking Vinyl’s Martin Goldschmidt, and Lucie Caswell and musician Roxanne de Bastion from the Featured Artists Coalition.

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China, artificial intelligence (AI) and music education are among the key topics to be explored at this year’s Great Escape conference 2018.

Taking place in Brighton from 17-19 May, the event is one of the biggest in the calendar for the UK music industry and beyond.

Aimed at industry professionals and those aspiring to further develop their careers in the music business, the convention will feature a range of experts debating the key points on each topic and begins the day before the festival kicks off.

The education conference on 16 May will create a new manifesto for music education in the UK and beyond, with speakers from British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM), Featured Artists Coalition and Urban Development.

The AI conference on 17 May will showcase and assess the new technologies set to impact on the music industry in the next decade, while the China conference on 20 May will set out to provide ‘a comprehensive guide to one of the most important emerging markets.’

Elsewhere, there will be practical tips for future music talent as well as the return of the high profile TGE: IN-CONVERSATION programme which will host one-on-one interviews with legendary artists and music industry leaders.

The first in this series is with Willard Ahdritz, founder and chief executive officer of Kobalt Music, who will discuss the challenges for artists and songwriters looking to maximise the value of their music rights.

Rory Bett, chief executive officer at MAMA, which puts on the festival, said: ‘The programme we present for industry delegates at The Great Escape always breaks new ground, repeatedly putting the spotlight on the challenges and opportunities that will then dominate the conversation in the music industry in the year ahead.

‘This year we’ll consider the future of music education, demo and discuss the new technologies that will drive the next phase of the industry’s development and provide an insider’s guide to China, the emerging market which is becoming increasingly key for all of us in the music business.

‘I’m also excited about the return of our TGE: IN-CONVERSATIONS programme, where we will be inviting some of the key players in the music industry to share both their journey so far and their thoughts for the future.’

Artists and bands looking to play at this year’s TGE can apply here.

For tickets to the festival and convention, visit the Greate Escape website.

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Calling all aspiring music managers from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds – applications are now open for the Richard Antwi (below) Scholarship.

The scheme provides full support to a student attending the MA in Music Business Management course at the University of Westminster, London.

It covers tuition fees for the 2018/2019 academic year, plus a contribution to living costs and the opportunity to undertake valuable industry work experience.

It’s aimed at applicants from the BAME community who are in financial need.  The successful applicant doesn’t need to be a graduate, however a passion for music and an entrepreneurial spirit is a must.

The scholarship was established in memory of late music manager and lawyer Antwi who passed away in 2016 aged just 38.

Antwi was a groundbreaking music entrepreneur who played a pivotal role in the careers of Wretch 32, Lethal Bizzle, Wiley and Tinie Tempah.

The scheme is supported by Island Records, XL Recordings, Universal, Sony Music, Warners, Sony/ATV and Clintons law firm.

For more info, see https://www.westminster.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/scholarships/richard-antwi-scholarship. The deadline to apply is 31 May 2018.

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BBC Ten Pieces and composer Kerry Andrew have teamed up on a new project to encourage school children around the UK to create their own version of her work, No Place Like.

The No Place Like Challenge, which forms part of the BBC’s Biggest Festival celebrations, is inviting schools to hold Ten Pieces assemblies based on their pupils’ interpretations of the piece.

Participants are invited to reflect their local environment in their projects, in keeping with the regionalised activity planned for the Biggest Weekend. To date, more than 28,000 children are registered to participate in the challenge.

Andrew said: ‘I am honoured to have been asked to create a piece for the BBC Ten Pieces and am delighted that No Place Like continues to inspire children across the UK to get creative with classical music. I can’t wait to hear the unique interpretations of my piece that come out of the challenge!’

The BBC’s Ten Pieces initiative provides a gateway to classical music for children aged seven to 14, and has so far reached over four million people across the UK.

To coincide with the launch of the No Place Like Challenge, Ten Pieces has devised online assets to support in-school workshops based on the piece. For more info, please see www.bbc.co.uk/tenpieces

The Biggest Weekend takes place across four cities in four days, with Belfast, Coventry, Perth and Swansea all hosting live music from 25 to 28 May.

For more info on the line-up, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2lRg7Krtz7mv1ZS0xc34JFJ/about-the-biggest-weekend

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National charity Youth Music has created the Alliance for a Musically Inclusive England to transform music education around the country.

A collective of music organisations have come together to promote diversity and cultural democracy in music education, and support the next generation of musicians.

The alliance will challenge policymakers, education providers and arts organisations to ensure that all children and young people can access music-making which is suitable for their needs and relevant to their interests.

This means diversifying the genres of music on offer, giving young people ownership of their musical learning, removing the structural barriers which prevent participation, and forming strong links locally, nationally and with the music industry to support future generations of musicians.

The 13 partners in the alliance have received funding from Youth Music to deliver a range of activities, working locally to support the progression of young people from all backgrounds – particularly those who wouldn’t normally get the opportunity.

In the North East, funding will be provided to support young people to run their own music projects to create social change.

In the South East, new community-based music spaces will be created for, by, and with young people living in areas of economic deprivation.

In the North West, young people from all backgrounds will learn from professionals working in a diversity of styles including rap and electronic music – genres which are often neglected in mainstream music education.

And five alliance partners will work together on a national initiative supporting disabled young musicians to directly shape the music industry around their needs, with support from music industry and higher education partners.

These programmes will be underpinned by a strong workforce development element, designed to ensure that the music-making activities on offer for children and young people are of the highest quality.

Future activity will also include supporting all Music Education Hubs to develop their music-making practice to become more inclusive.

Matt Griffiths, chief executive of Youth Music, said: ‘Inclusion is central to everything we do. The Alliance will work with the wider music education sector, extending the reach of musically inclusive practice and driving change.

‘We have a strong evidence base which demonstrates the wide ranging social benefits of music, and we want that to be at the heart of music education practice. We hope that, with our influence, music education of the future will look very different.’

Songwriter, saxophonist and new Youth Music chair YolanDa Brown recently shared the songs that have shaped her life. Tune in here.

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Matt Griffiths, chief executive of Youth Music, shares his thoughts on the future of music education in our school system and beyond, and suggests how independent organisations can play a vital role in supporting progress…

Last week I was invited to speak at The Great Escape, which this year included for the first time an education strand. This one-day convention consisted of a wide range of panel discussions mapping music education and particularly the music industry’s role – or not – within it. A recurring question throughout the day was; ‘Is music education in crisis?’.

Everyone on my panel answered a very clear ‘No’! Let’s get some perspective here; this is not a crisis, although there are certainly challenges, particularly regarding the position of music in the school curriculum, and the training of the current and future workforce. Interestingly, across social media, the response from many in the academic community was that there is indeed a crisis, particularly in schools. Some commenters also observed that the conference panels didn’t include any music teachers from schools.

It got me thinking that while progress has been made in bringing together different aspects of music education, particularly over the last five years since Music Education Hubs started, there is still loads to do. Rather than focusing on defending or protecting the work of our individual organisations, our number one priority has to be young people: giving them the right support and inspiration to make music, wherever that takes place. Music-making that’s theirs; that’s diverse, inclusive and representative of the communities we all serve. At Youth Music, the youth voice is central to our purpose and values, and young people are exploring a huge range of styles of music in the projects we support. We recently published a blog about this.

I strongly believe that a vibrant, innovative music curriculum in schools is vital, but I also believe we need to change the music education narrative and business model to achieve this: focused on young people’s health and wellbeing as much as on their academic attainment. There is a new sweet spot emerging which combines the expertise, skills and experience of both music teachers and music leaders: schools and music organisations working together to devise and co-deliver a music curriculum. This work is taking place not just within schools, but also in a range of innovative, industry-type environments even more conducive for high quality music-making.

Our four-year action research project Exchanging Notes is focused on this emerging model, with seven collaborative partnerships taking place across England. The work has unearthed some fascinating insights in terms of developing a shared understanding between music teachers and music organisations, and also in pointing towards possibilities for scaling-up this way of working across the country. The latest Exchanging Notes evaluation report can be found here.

I don’t underestimate the challenges that exist, but I also know there are exciting opportunities to help solve them. There continues to be resources and expertise in the music education system, and the national curriculum for music is broad (and short) enough for it to be innovatively delivered between the type of partnerships I’ve mentioned. Sadly, in much of the music education commentary and chatter, I see very little, if any, talk of proactive solutions. My worry is that the cries of ‘crisis!’ will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s in our collective hands to make sure it doesn’t – we all need to step up. Otherwise, we’re doing young people a massive disservice.

youthmusic.org.uk

Matt Griffiths is chief executive of Youth Music, a national charity investing in music-making projects for children and young people experiencing challenging circumstances. Matt originally trained as a percussionist and was a professional musician and music educator for 10 years. During this time, he led workshops and projects in prisons, young offender institutions, special schools and mental health settings.

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UK Music has published a new report outlining the challenges facing the future of British music, including education, infrastructure and access to finance.

The report warns that a decline in musical education in Britain’s schools, deterioration of musical infrastructure and a lack of fair pay is jeopardising the ‘talent pipeline’ that nurtures and supports young musicians and emerging UK acts.

Despite the UK music industry growing by six percent last year and being worth £4.4bn to the UK economy, the report states that these factors place future industry growth under threat.

Music provisions in the state schools, in which 91 percent of children are educated, are in a marked decline.

Musical ability, the report says, must be fostered at the earliest possible opportunity, beginning in primary education and continuing throughout a child’s education to effectively capitalise on the talent of the UK’s budding musicians.

The report also outlines a number of failings in the infrastructure of the UK music industry, stating that closures among grassroots venues and recording studios, which provide critical provision and access to culture and music, is stifling Britain’s emerging musical talent.

Finance is also reportedly a significant factor in the threat to emerging artists and young musicians.

In a recent survey, UK Music found 46 percent of musicians, composers and songwriters required financial support from friends and family at some point in the development of their career.

According to research carried out by the Office of National Statistics the average wage in the UK is £27,271. Musicians were shown to earn significantly less at £21,410.

In the report UK Music addresses the growing discontent from creators towards YouTube which, as the world’s most prominent music streaming platform, pays ‘shameful’ rates to copyright holders for the consumption of music on the Google-owned platform.

The result of these threats, UK Music warns, will make it more difficult for the next generation of artists, composers and songwriters to develop their careers.

The organisation also sets out a number of solutions for the UK music industry.

For issues relating to education, possible solutions include a call for the government to outline a clear plan for the £75m pledged to music education hubs, increased accountability from stakeholders and the inclusion of satisfactory musical provision in Ofsted inspections.

In terms of infrastructure, UK Music suggests bringing forward a review into business rates to ensure recording studios receive a fair revaluation, encouraging local authorities to use the Agent of Change principle and a review of existing licensing laws.

Financially, UK Music calls for the government to continue to support the Music Export Growth Scheme and to partner with the industry in ‘tipping point’ programmes like the PRS Momentum Fund.

It also says creators require the strongest possible protections for intellectual property and copyright to ensure they are compensated fairly. This includes assuring a greater responsibility from online platforms in rewarding creators fairly.

Read the full report here.

Photo: Ian Dooley

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Many parts of the UK are at risk of under-representation in the music industry as lower income families are unable to afford music lessons, new figures reveal.

Research from the Musicians’ Union (MU) finds that families with a total household income of less than £28,000 are half as likely to have a child learning an instrument as those with a family income of £48,000 or more.

This disparity exists despite similar levels of interest from both groups of children, says the MU, as it calls on government to review its offering of music education in schools.

Cost is currently the greatest barrier to learning, with over two-fifths (41 percent) of those from lower income families saying lessons are beyond their household budgets. Cost also impacts how children are learning.

Those from low and mid-income families are more likely to teach themselves, missing out on the benefits of a specialised tutor, exposing a clear need for music provision in schools.

The educational attainment of parents also plays a factor in whether children will pick up an instrument. Nearly half (48 percent) of children who have parents educated to university level will learn an instrument, compared with one-fifth (21 percent) at secondary school level.

Horace Trubridge, general secretary at the Musicians’ Union, said: ‘With certain children priced out of learning musical instruments, we may well only be hearing the songs and sounds of the affluent in years to come. Those from poorer backgrounds will, unfairly, be increasingly under-represented within the industry.

‘The data released today shows the extent of the problem – and we would like to work with government to address this issue.’

The MU is also calling on the public to sign up for free to its supporter programme to become part of the movement to protect music education in schools and add weight to its demand of the government.

Hannah Abrahams, educational psychologist, commented: ‘The power of music to young people is palpable, as access from a young age can not only positively impact a child’s cognitive abilities, but their social and emotional development too.

‘Parents from lower socio-economic backgrounds often have so many additional stressors that accessing music may be low down on the priority list for their child. It is the role of government and schools to nurture and encourage children’s exploration of music as a powerful learning and social tool.’

Download the full report, entitled Understanding How Income Affects Likelihood to Learn an Instrument.

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The London-based consultancy company Sound Diplomacy has made the case for investment in music as a catalyst for economic growth and social benefit.

The company has set out a 13-point report, The Music Cities Manual, designed for civic leaders around the world to use as a strategic tool to create new opportunities for inward investment, tourism and talent attraction, which was launched at SXSW in Austin, Texas on 15 March.

They outline the ways in which the music industry can be supported through enhancing education and helping live venues, to investing in music tech, development and regeneration strategies.

The key recommendations from the report include putting a stop to cuts in music education funding, appointing night tsars with support for economic policy, and to be more creative with urban planning.

Shain Shapiro, founder, Sound Diplomacy, says: ‘This manual is our attempt to synergise our work with city leaders around the world into 13 actionable steps. There’s huge scope for cities, regions and place shapers of all kinds to improve their communities and affect real, positive change through music. A huge body of evidence supports not just the economic gains, but the social benefits from having music incorporated right across the policy landscape.’

Paul Pacifico, chief executive, The Association of Independent Music, added: ‘With grassroots venues coming under ever-increasing threat, it’s more important than ever to highlight the role music SMEs play in investing in infrastructure that supports artists, encourages career growth and catalyses scenes. The Music Cities Manual helps to underline the massive cultural and economic contribution music makes to its environment. It is undoubtedly an important document for independent labels, artists and the musical ecosystem as a whole.’

For more information and to download the report, please visit musiccitiesmanual.com

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