Partnerships with universities yield long-term impact

18 Sep 2023

Oliver Mantell examines the many benefits of working in close collaboration with university partners on developing skills in the arts sector.

South Yorkshire bids to become music education hub

14 Sep 2023

South Yorkshire has thrown its hat in the ring to become the home of a new music education hub.

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) approved plans to apply to Arts Council England (ACE) funding to become a Hub Lead Organisation (HLO) at a meeting on Tuesday.

In June, it was announced that the number of music education hubs nationwide would be cut by almost two-thirds from the academic year 2024/25.

The change forms part of the new Investment Programme for Music Hubs, which ACE is delivering on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE).

Established in 2012, music hubs offer young people aged between 5 and 18 the opportunity to learn an instrument and join music groups and choirs, as well as provide training for teachers. There are 116 hubs across the country, including locations in Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield and Rotherham. 

The ACE-administered bidding process to become a new HLO opened in July. When the investment programme begins in September 2024, the number of music hubs will fall to 43, a reduction of 63%. 

A paper drawn up by officials said the new hub would build upon South Yorkshire's "rich, diverse and growing music ecosystem" and "enhance music education delivery across the region", according to the BBC.

Stuart Whatmore, Head of the Tri-borough Music Hub (TBMH), a leading figure in music education, has previously cautioned that the top-down nature of planned government reforms could create “more challenge, more crisis-management and potentially less creativity” in local areas. 

Music industry urges investment in teachers

12 Sep 2023

Government must recruit "an army of music teachers" to avert the risk of a lost generation of talent, leaders in the music industry have warned.

A manifesto published by UK Music ahead of the general election expected next year, calls on a new government to develop a comprehensive, medium- to long-term music strategy for growth.

In addition to investing millions in music education and boosting the number of teachers, it calls for controls in relation to the use of AI, action on the difficulties faced by artists touring in the European Union and the introduction of a tax credit to encourage new UK music production.

The manifesto also calls for an end to "rip-off" secondary ticketing practices.

UK Music’s Interim Chief Executive Tom Kiehl said: “We run a real risk of a lost generation of musical talent in the UK without urgent action to stem the decline in music education.

“The government must put music education front and centre by recruiting and training an army of new music teachers to give young people the chance to learn to play an instrument and the potential of a rewarding career doing something they love.

“Unless we invest in our young people and give them the opportunity of musical education, there will be an existential threat to the talent pipeline on which the music industry relies."

Ex-dancers allege ‘toxic’ culture at top ballet schools

A woman walks past the entrance of the Royal Ballet School in London
11 Sep 2023

Former students of Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst Ballet School claim they were bullied and encouraged to lose weight.

Lessons from Black British theatre

Group of Black students posing in Talawa theatre
06 Sep 2023

Kimberly Harding’s desire to study Black British theatre was born decades ago. This summer she travelled to London to make it happen.

How do you get into dance?

Boys performing as part of ManMade, an all male youth dance platform at ZoieLogic Dance Theatre 2019.
06 Sep 2023

Zoie Golding and Ollie Webb are 20 years apart in age and experience. Coming from backgrounds where a career in dance would be unlikely, they have taken unconventional routes into the industry, as Rowena Price discovered.

Schools in deprived areas get music equipment funds

Pupils at Hallsville Primary School hold their ukuleles
05 Sep 2023

Money will go to 29 schools in areas of high deprivation to provide access to musical instruments to young people facing the biggest barriers.

Entries to GCSE arts exams hit new low

Pupils in a classroom with a teacher overlooking their work
30 Aug 2023

The total number of exam entries to all creative arts subjects falls by 4% compared with last year, representing its smallest ever share of total GCSE exam entries.

London drama school investigated by charity regulator

29 Aug 2023

Watchdog escalates inquiry into Kogan Academy of Dramatic Arts as accounts for three financial years remain outstanding.

Green light for BRIT School in Bradford

Aerial view of Bradford city centre
22 Aug 2023

Approval is heralded as a signal government recognises the importance of cultural education, but there are questions around the lack of support for existing infrastructure in the North.

Entries to creative A-levels fall again

Student playing the saxophone in music lesson.
22 Aug 2023

Sector leaders reignite call for educational reforms as entries to exams in creative subjects make up just over 10% of all A-levels. 

Lack of creative careers awareness

A young person recording a music performance using video equipment
16 Aug 2023

Concerns raised that school leavers are not being informed of opportunities in the creative industries.

English Heritage launches £11m apprenticeship programme

A young man learning 'flint knapping' skills. An older man is showing him how to repair a flint wall
10 Aug 2023

The charity aims to train a new generation in vanishing heritage skills needed to preserve endangered historic properties, including flint-working, stone masonry and heritage brickwork.

DCMS launches enrichment programme for schools

Young woman sits facing a canvas, creating a painting with oil colours
09 Aug 2023

Pilot scheme aims to improve the provision of enrichment activities such as art and drama in up to 200 secondary schools in areas identified as priorities for levelling up.

We cannot afford to undervalue arts and humanities degrees

View of Warwick campus building in Venice on canal side
03 Aug 2023

Hardly a day goes by without a fresh attack on arts and humanities degrees as ‘low value’. Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor of Warwick University, thinks that is misguided. 

Cultural education 'at risk' following ACE shakeup

Young people painting
01 Aug 2023

Report identifies risk of patchier arts provision for young people following Arts Council England's decision to stop funding Bridge Network.

Acosta dance centre to open in Greenwich

26 Jul 2023

Dancer, choreographer and director, Carlos Acosta, and the Acosta Dance Foundation (ADF) have announced the launch of a new dance centre, due to open in September.

The Acosta Dance Centre will be based in London’s Woolwich Works and will offer dance classes, courses, performances, residencies and programmes for locals in the Greenwich area and beyond. 

It will also serve as a gathering place and artistic space for dancers, industry professionals and the community, the foundation said, predicting that it will impact 215,000 people.

The centre will focus on educational and community-based activities involving local schools, public dance classes and Acosta Ballet Camps that provide intensive training for young ballet dancers.

It will also serve as the home of the Carlos Acosta Choreographic Fellowship and a residency programme for artists to collaborate and explore cross-cultural projects, as well as the Acosta Advanced Training Hub, a free pre-professional programme for students aged 18 and above.

“The Acosta Dance Centre stands as the epitome of my life’s work, representing a global sanctuary for dancers of all backgrounds and a beacon of inspiration for the world of dance,” Acosta said. 

“It is a dream come true, born from my passion to create a place where dance could bring people from all walks of life together, to celebrate joy and creativity through movement.”

Boost to creative opportunities for young people in Newham

25 Jul 2023

Newham Council and the University of East London (UEL) have announced a partnership aimed at increasing cultural and creative opportunities for young people in the area.

The partnership, based at Stratford Youth Zone, will see a £733,000-a-year investment go towards supporting creative and performing arts opportunities in Newham.

The venue will host social and emotional learning programmes, along with activities focused on drama, music, dance, fashion, games design, filmmaking, screenwriting and visual and digital arts. 

The programme will also include education workshops led by art students from UEL and the university will draw on staff and student expertise in education, youth work, social work, business, events and hospitality to involve young people – particularly those deemed disadvantaged and at-risk – in research and the production of arts activities. 

The partnership will also seek to make available opportunities for young people to undertake work placements, mentorships, internships and apprenticeships offering experience and paths to career opportunities in the creative industries.

“Providing exemplary youth service provision is a central objective of my administration because we want Newham to be the best place for a child and young person to grow up, so that they reach their potential and thrive,” said Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz.

“Through this pioneering collaboration with the University of East London, the Council’s Youth Empowerment Service will progress with its ambitious plans to offer a range of enriching and empowering opportunities for young people through an exciting curriculum anchored in culture, creativity and the arts.”

Music education hub reforms 'immensely challenging'

brass players play musical instrument
24 Jul 2023

Leading figure in music education warns the top-down nature of planned government reforms has created 'more challenge, more crisis-management and potentially less creativity' in local areas. 

New arts campus for Medway following UCA closure

24 Jul 2023

Medway School of Arts is set to open its doors in September on a site at The Historic Dockyard, Chatham.

The new school will be run by MidKent College and will offer university-level courses.

It hopes to fill the gap created by the impending closure of the University of Creative Arts (UCA) in Rochester.

UCA will close its current site in September with plans to move its arts courses to Canterbury, Epsom and Farnham.

Commenting on the site for the new school, MidKent College principal, Simon Cook, said: “The Historic Dockyard is known in Medway as a hub for the creative industries, so we are delighted to base Medway’s School of Arts there."

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