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Can you imagine a Christmas without brass bands?
That is the future if instrumental tuition for children continues as it is now in England: music education hubs have to provide a minimum of one term of whole-class teaching on an instrument not of a child’s choosing during their entire 13-year school career. Beyond that, those who can may pay to carry on; for those who can’t pay or whose parents don’t yet know what it could bring to their children, that’s it!
The government calls this ‘free instrumental tuition provided for every child’, but did anyone ever learn the trumpet, double-bass or guitar in one term?
We are calling for children to be offered free instrumental tuition, in school (where they are already), throughout their school life, in order to enable all of them, whatever their background and their families’ ability to pay, to access the benefits of making music.
The government acknowledges the value and there is funding – currently £75m a year – but not nearly enough. Think of the money needed, though, not as a cost, but an investment in the future of our children, of our communities, of our civil society - an investment which will be repaid over and over again by savings to the NHS and social care system further down the line, as research has conclusively shown.
Who will benefit?
Much has been said, quite rightly, about the talent pipeline to feed the UK creative industries powerhouse. But we’re also talking about a lifeline here for the vast majority of children who won’t ultimately earn their living in the professional music sector.
What they will be able to do, however, is spend the next 60 years in music groups, having fun, connecting socially, maintaining and improving their physical and mental well-being, making their communities better places to live, raising funds for charities, brightening up local events, school fairs, birthday parties, church services… and making the sound of Christmas!
To make sure there will still be a brass band outside the station warming your heart on a cold day when your children are grown up, sign this petition by 5 January to secure a debate in Westminster: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/223408
If you would like any assistance in contacting a brass band for the purposes of promoting our campaign then please let us know.
For more info, please contact:
Barbara Eifler, barbara@makingmusic.org.uk, Chief Executive, Making Music
Kenneth Crookston, kenny@bbe.org.uk, Chief Executive, Brass Bands England
Best,
Natalie
Natalie Joanes | Communications and Marketing Manager
natalie@makingmusic.org.uk | 020 7939 6041
