Photo of girl with violin
News

Nearly 4,000 young people to receive free instruments and tuition

Eight London state schools are to be supported over four years by £2.8m in funding from the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust.

Christy Romer
2 min read

Almost 4,000 students in state schools across London are to receive free classical music instruments and tuition from September, thanks to a renewed commitment by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust to the Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST) programme.

The scheme, which began in 2013, promotes music education to students who may not normally have the opportunity to engage with classical music. It will make use of the Foundation’s £1.4m donation and a matched commitment from the Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust over four years.

Speaking about MiSST, Andrew Lloyd Webber said: “Never has a musical education been more important. The arts, and music in particular, are proven to empower young people with the life skills needed for a successful future.

“I’m delighted my Foundation’s grant means nearly four thousand children will receive free instruments and music tuition. I only wish government would join in to make it four million.”

Research project

The new funding has also been used to commission a ten-year research project from the Institute of Education and University College London. It will assess the impact of the MiSST programme on students’ educational achievements and life skills.

The Foundation says participating schools have found the programme to promote social behaviour and integration throughout the school community, and develop a general appreciation for music amongst students.

Truda White, CEO of MiSST, said: “Arts and music provision are being seriously eroded and the take up of these subjects at GCSE is falling year on year. MiSST schools are reversing this trend and ensuring young people have a strong arts and music foundation as part of their curriculum.”

The news follows a debate in Parliament about the place of arts subjects in the controversial English Baccalaureate, with saw the Schools Minister asserting once again that the take up of arts GCSEs has not been affected by changes to the curriculum.