Arts Council England (ACE) has announced an enhanced Hub Support Programme for 2021/22, delivered in partnership with Music Mark and, new for this year, Sound Connections. This year’s programme is supported by additional funding from the Department for Education (DfE).
Working to provide ‘vital support’ to Music Hubs post-pandemic, the programme is set to get underway in April with Music Mark’s 2020/21 Workforce Development Programme, which will support the hub workforce through training, mentoring and resources.
This will also include guidance, resources and training on racial diversity and broader facets of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in music education.
The second branch of work delivered by all three partners will be ‘Underpinning Hubs for the Future’, focusing on sustainability and innovation.
With finer details to be announced in late April, Music Mark has confirmed that the organisation will manage a dedicated pot of funding to be made available to 'small groups' of hubs for collaborative problem-solving.
Describing this as a ‘refreshed’ programme, ACE has outlined its key aims as consultancy; specialist advice; coaching and mentoring; peer-learning and networking; bespoke training; digital resources and diagnostic tools; support for innovation and solutions from within the sector.
Hannah Fouracre, director of Music Education at ACE said: ‘We are delighted to be working with Music Mark and Sound Connections to deliver the Music Education Hub Support Programme in 2021/22, and particularly grateful that [it] is supported by the Department for Education.
‘We will work collaboratively to make sure that Music Education Hubs are able to access the expert resources, support and advice they need to move forward after a challenging year.’
Chief executive of Music Mark, Bridget Whyte, said: ‘Music Mark welcomes this additional funding from the Department for Education to support Music Education Hubs at this difficult time. We are proud to continue our work with Arts Council England and with Sound Connections to ensure that music education retains its place in the curriculum and in the life of every child in England.’
Philip Flood, director of Sound Connections said: ‘Sound Connections is delighted to be working in partnership with Music Mark, and alongside Arts Council England, to help and support Music Education Hubs in their next phase of thinking and development.’
The news comes shortly after a formal complaint was made to the DfE regarding delayed funding announcements for Music Hubs, with concern for internal job security and provision of services in schools beyond Easter.
The open complaint letter stated: ‘The DfE have not given the final funding information to Arts Council England who administer the grant for them. Thus, in turn, ACE [is] unable to offer us a funding agreement from 1 April.’
In the last week, several Music Hubs have announced the confirmation of next year’s injection of funding on social media.
