Music is one of life's greatest gifts, yet increasingly this gift is becoming more costly and inaccessible for students in the UK.
The recent University of Sussex study on music provision at state and independent secondary schools in England found that budget cuts and a prioritising of the EBacc has meant many institutions no longer offer music as a curriculum subject at lower years. Furthermore, results show a decline in music offered as a GCSE and A Level option since 2016, and students wishing to pursue music education often have to choose after-school classes.
Indeed, Ofqual's 2018 report on exam entries in England confirms that music and performing arts education is dwindling, with the number of students selecting music at GCSE falling by 7%, while performing arts fell by 41%.
Strain has been mounting on music services who deliver tuition to schools and performing arts centres, with funding cuts and tutor shortages resulting in a lower quality of music education. With some music services allowing parents to directly handle commercial relationships with tutors, this further alienates students who cannot afford lessons.
The plan
Despite the introduction of the National Plan for Music Education in 2011, the majority of its aims were yet to be achieved as of 2018. The music technology section of the strategy acknowledges that schools can enhance music teaching through the use of technology, however this mainly relates to instruments and sounds. In addition to enhancing the experience of music in schools, the new plan might consider the benefits of technology in delivering and managing music tuition.
The Plan is due for review in 2020, which means now is the time for an industry-wide transformation. Already music education is edging close to exclusivity and there is the risk that music lessons will fall from UK curriculum completely. The new Plan must be more cohesive and have modernisation at its core, supporting music services in their digital transformation.
Innovative technologies are having great impact across industries from finance to healthcare, and music education should be no different. It is crucial that music services embrace cutting-edge technology that will help them to maximise their stretched budgets, enhance business performance and above all keep music tuition open to students regardless of financial ability.
Perhaps the greatest obstacle facing music services today is the efficient management and delivery of tuition. Most music services handle huge volumes of data, yet administrative staff and teachers are still using outdated systems, which means back-office organisation is disorganised and struggles to keep track of payments. Consequently, there are cases of invoice payments being continually avoided and pupils still receiving tuition when the previous term's bills are outstanding, creating a build-up of bad debt. Fundamental system flaws such as these are draining time and resources for staff and parents alike.
The solution
Music services are ultimately businesses, yet many fail to operate as such. Hubs should look at modern tuition management solutions, incorporating leading-edge software, which streamline administration tasks and are designed with the all users’ needs in mind. By supporting staff with greater communication and scheduling capabilities, the industry can deliver a more consistent service and help ensure that there are no barriers for schools in delivering services, or for students in accessing tuition.
Schools often rely on outsourced support from a music service's teachers, so having an effective system for managing external staff is especially important. A single, user-friendly system will not only simplify scheduling, resource and finance management but also enable accurate and secure handling of sensitive data. Digital innovation is also necessary for music services to be more self-sufficient and less reliant upon government funding for their operations.
Since the majority of music students’ tuition is handled by their parents, the industry should consider how it can make its tuition management solutions as supportive and user-friendly as possible for parents. According to the Plan, parents’ money represents over half of music services’ overall income, a figure which has likely risen since initial publication. It is the parent who is the customer and, in the digital age, savvy consumers want easy-to-use self-service systems. The industry must meet expectations with a management solution to improve the quality of experience, thereby increasing retention. Busy parents appreciate the convenience and flexibility of tracking lesson schedules and making payments online, providing greater clarity and easier communication with tutors.
Conclusion
Music education and the possibilities it opens up are a joy which no student should be denied. Yet for the continuation of music services for all in the UK, digital transformation is needed to support stretched staff, streamline business processes and enhance overall communication for parents and tutors. The latest customer-centric technologies in tuition management solutions will help increase the value of music education and ensure it does not disappear altogether from the UK.
Paritor specialises in innovative software solutions for tuition management in the music education and performing arts industries. Its portfolio of products includes Ensemble, which allows users to manage all the administrative and communication requirements for their music service in one integrated secure system. Paritor services over 90 music services, conservatoires and private music education organisations in the UK.
