Music teachers are working for free or facing stagnant pay as schools struggle with “shrinking budgets”, according to a major music association.
A survey by the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) found that the “marginalisation of music” in schools has contributed to a “profession under pressure”, as music teacher fee rates fail to increase in line with the cost of living for the fourth year in a row.
The survey revealed that some teachers are carrying out unpaid work, as music education hubs and schools “struggle with shrinking budgets”.
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Only 33 per cent of private teachers and 40 per cent of peripatetic and visiting music teachers raised fees in 2019, and fee rates declined for teachers employed by schools.
One teacher told researchers: “I have to do quite a lot of unpaid work as the school cannot afford to pay me for all the work I do. This is usually accompanying choirs/concerts/exam but also some teaching.”
Another said: “Pay levels and increases offered by music hubs seem to be operating at an absolutely minimal level probably due to the marginalisation of music in schools.”
Music teachers also reported that their fees had been affected by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
One said: “Since Brexit, pupil numbers have changed - a number of my pupils have returned to Europe,” while another added: “Pupil numbers seem to be going down, especially when parents have to pay. I put this down to anxiety over the effects of Brexit.”
Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the ISM, said: “Respondents to the ISM’s annual fees survey have not only told us their fees have scarcely risen - as little as 27p in some cases - but also the workforce continues to be under significant pressure against a backdrop of budget cuts and the marginalisation of music.
“It is essential that music teachers, like every other profession, have access to fair employment conditions and are properly remunerated for the time, skill and hard work that goes into doing what they do.”
The Department for Education has been approached for comment.