The way music education is delivered to children is set to be overhauled from September with the creation of 122 music hubs in England.
The hubs are made up of local authority music services, professional music organisations, further and higher education institutions and private music tuition providers. Music is already part of the national curriculum for five- to 14-year-olds but the quality of provision is patchy, according to Ofsted.
Under the previous Labour government, the number of children with the chance to learn an instrument increased through its Wider Opportunities programme.
The Henley review commissioned by the current government, which reported in February last year, recommended that all key stage 2 children have the opportunity to learn an instrument through whole-class ensemble teaching, ideally for one year but at least for a term.
The national plan for music education published in November last year said that the music education hubs would play an important role in giving children broader opportunities and progression routes. But the announcement was accompanied by confirmation that funding for music would be reduced from #163;77 million in 2012 to #163;60 million by 2014.
