What recruitment practices best support diversity? Damian Iorio explains how the National Youth String Orchestra makes sure it’s ability and not background that counts.
What is the importance of creativity for young children? Ruth Churchill Dower explores the wide-ranging and ultimately limitless benefits of arts activity.
Why do some in the sector feel that babies and toddlers have little to offer as audiences or participants? On the contrary, says Charlotte Arculus, working with this group is never boring.
A non-verbal approach to music-making for the very youngest children offers a comfortable environment for new parents experiencing anxiety, as well as a joyful time for babies, says Hannah Baker.
Stratford Circus Arts Centre, based in an area of London with high levels of child poverty, has come to realise that providing low-cost hot meals can help it engage with local families. Tania Wilmer tells the story.
The opportunities for very young children to experience the arts in rural Devon are few, as well as inconvenient and expensive. How can less culturally engaged families enjoy live performances, asks Amy Bere.
A new parliamentary inquiry will report on the barriers to social mobility and identify practical action that can be taken by charities and the Government to address them.
Vital Spark is a national initiative aiming to create more inclusive and diverse performances for children and young people. Tara Lopez tells the story.
Secondary schools have been subject to cutbacks in music education, but we shouldn't lose sight of the many recent successes and advances in this area, argues Carol Reid.
An acclaimed headteacher said that ringfenced funding for arts subjects will amount to ‘throwing money down the hole’ unless schools are also encouraged to value wider curriculums.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Education Lord Agnew said that arguments for music to be viewed as a ‘facilitating subject’ should be taken to the universities.
6,000 students from across England shared why and how they engage in cultural activity, with a quarter saying that their school introduced them to the arts.
What exactly do we mean by creativity, and how will the UK measure up when the world education league tables start assessing it in 2021? Bill Lucas examines the evidence.
