MEHs exist in England only. They were created in 2012, following the publication of the government’s National Plan for Music Education (NPME) which runs until 2020.
They were created to set up local partnerships, led by one organisation, often the former local authority music service, working with professional, educational, charity and community organisations to ensure access to music education to all children aged 5-18.
Funding comes from the Department for Education (DfE) via Arts Council England (ACE) which distributes the funding and manages and monitors MEHs.
The core roles they are tasked with are:
a) Ensure that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument (other than voice) through whole-class ensemble teaching programmes for ideally a year (but for a minimum of a term) of weekly tuition on the same instrument.
b) Provide opportunities to play in ensembles and to perform from an early stage.
c) Ensure that clear progression routes are available and affordable to all young people.
d) Develop a singing strategy to ensure that every pupil sings regularly and that choirs and other vocal ensembles are available in the area.
