South Yorkshire bids to become music education hub

South Yorkshire has thrown its hat in the ring to become the home of a new music education hub.

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) approved plans to apply to Arts Council England (ACE) funding to become a Hub Lead Organisation (HLO) at a meeting on Tuesday.

In June, it was announced that the number of music education hubs nationwide would be cut by almost two-thirds from the academic year 2024/25.

The change forms part of the new Investment Programme for Music Hubs, which ACE is delivering on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE).

Established in 2012, music hubs offer young people aged between 5 and 18 the opportunity to learn an instrument and join music groups and choirs, as well as provide training for teachers. There are 116 hubs across the country, including locations in Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield and Rotherham. 

The ACE-administered bidding process to become a new HLO opened in July. When the investment programme begins in September 2024, the number of music hubs will fall to 43, a reduction of 63%. 

A paper drawn up by officials said the new hub would build upon South Yorkshire's "rich, diverse and growing music ecosystem" and "enhance music education delivery across the region", according to the BBC.

Stuart Whatmore, Head of the Tri-borough Music Hub (TBMH), a leading figure in music education, has previously cautioned that the top-down nature of planned government reforms could create “more challenge, more crisis-management and potentially less creativity” in local areas.