Ed Sheeran spearheads call for music education funding after ‘decades’ of cuts
He has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Government officials calling for immediate, long-term funding for UK music education.
Ed Sheeran is spearheading a call for the funding of music education to repair “decades of dismantling music”.
The British singer-songwriter, 34, has written to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Government officials, pushing for immediate, long-term funding for UK music education.
His letter was also signed by Love Actually director Richard Curtis, musicians Coldplay, Annie Lennox, Harry Styles, Sir Elton John, Stormzy, Paloma Faith, Robert Plant, Fred Again, Eric Clapton, and rappers Dave and Central Cee.
In January, Sheeran launched the Ed Sheeran Foundation – an initiative aimed at providing inclusive, high-quality music education.
The letter says: “We are writing collectively as artists, civil society and industry, appealing to your personal belief in music and the promise of opportunity for all under Labour.
“Learning an instrument and getting up on stage – whether in school or a community club – is now a luxury not every child can afford.”
They call for a “£250 million UK music education package this spring to repair decades of dismantling music”, after citing a 2019 report from industry group the BPI (British Phonographic Industry), which found there had been a 21% decrease in music provision over five years in state schools.
“Music in and out of school should be for all, not a few,” the letter also said.
“We understand that there are many pressures. As artists, civil society and industry, we want to be part of the solution.”
In response, the Government said it is committed to “ensuring art, music and drama are no longer the preserve of a privileged few”.
The letter also cites that “as an industry, we bring in £7.6 billion into the UK economy”, and said last year “was the first in over 20 years without a UK global top 10 single or album in the charts” as American musicians dominated 2024’s International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) chart release.
It also pointed out the speeches from Brits Rising star Myles Smith, who signed the letter, and group of the year Ezra Collective at the Brit Awards.
Smith said: “How many more venues need to close, how many music programs need to be cut before we realise that we can’t just celebrate success, we have to protect the foundations that make it?”
The letter – which copied in the department heads of Culture, Education, Foreign Office, Health & Social Care and Business and Trade – also pushed for music to be funded like sport education, training of 1,000 music teachers, providing money for grassroots projects, music apprenticeships and diversifying the curriculum.
UK Music chief executive Tom Kiehl, whose body signed the letter, said: “The alarm bells are ringing and there is a crisis in music education.
“Over the years there have been real-term cuts in funding, budgetary shortfalls, fewer music teachers and declining participation in GCSE and A-level music which have created a perfect storm.
“Since its election last summer the Government has made positive noises to reverse music education’s decline. But it is now time to turn these warm words into action.”
He added the “curriculum review and announcement of plans for a national centre for arts and music education indicates further change could be coming” and said it is “vital” the Government works with industry.
“If, however, these warning signs are ignored we risk losing the next generation of talent, with all of us then missing out,” he added.
A report this March from the Centre for Young Lives think tank and the Child of the North initiative called on the Government to expand arts and music education – including offering free music or singing lessons for three years for every primary school child who wishes to learn.
The report also called for a £150 million “arts premium fund” to develop the existing primary school workforce and train new teachers to provide arts learning.
Born in Yorkshire and raised in Suffolk, Sheeran has had 14 UK number one singles and eight UK number one albums, after beginning his career in 2004.
He has become known in recent years for his charity work including founding the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation (ESSMF), and donating to his former school Thomas Mills High School and Sixth Form in Framlingham.
Sheeran, who has worked with Sir Elton on the number one festive song Merry Christmas and Curtis on Netflix animated movie That Christmas, also supports the relegation-threatened Premier League football club Ipswich Town, which he sponsors.
A Government spokeswoman said: “High and rising standards are at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and we are committed to ensuring art, music and drama are no longer the preserve of a privileged few.
“To help achieve this our Curriculum and Assessment Review will seek to deliver a broader curriculum, and our new National Centre for Music and Arts Education will promote opportunities for children and young people to pursue their artistic and creative interests in school.
“We are also expanding the Creative Careers Programme to £3 million over the next financial year, to help provide even more schoolchildren with information, advice and guidance on creative career routes.”
The Government is set to put a further £2.3 billion into schools’ budgets, with £1 billion for children and young people with high needs.
