In an open letter, Sheeran – alongside a host of music industry voices including Harry Styles and Central Cee – has appealed to the UK government to commit £250 million pounds of funding towards music education, which would provide much needed support and focus across the sector. To protect and grow music education, Sheeran is campaigning for five key areas of growth as part of his newly-launched Ed Sheeran Foundation: music funding in schools, training for music teachers, funding for grassroots venues/spaces, music apprenticeships, and a diverse music curriculum.
Addressing the Prime Minister as well as the departments of Culture, Education, Foreign Office, Health & Social Care and Business & Trade, Sheeran and other music industry voices believe a cross-departmental taskforce will provide the vital attention, focus and funding music education requires, and that these responsibilities sit across government as to ensure music education doesn’t continue to fall through the cracks.
Today’s letter, which unites voices across the artist community, music industry and civil society, has already surpassed 500 signatures. It follows on from two poignant speeches at last month’s BRIT Awards, where Myles Smith and Ezra Collective urged the UK government to address the demise of grassroots venues, music funding, and music education.
The music industry brings in £7.6 billion to the UK economy each year.
Sheeran said…
“I launched the Ed Sheeran Foundation because I believe in the importance of music and that music education should be accessible to all. When I was at school, music gave me purpose, it helped with my mental health, it bought me and many others joy, and it gave me my career.
Over recent months, I’ve been lucky enough to meet, speak and listen to a number of young kids and teachers across the UK, and it’s confirmed to me that music education is suffering. There’s so much talent out there, so much passion but these kids don’t have the support to realise their dreams of entering the music industry, and I wanted to write this letter on behalf of them.
I acknowledge that the government recently announced a new package on arts education, which is encouraging, but we urgently need funding going directly into the hands of schools and communities on the ground. We’re losing time.
This creative industry brings so much to our culture, our communities, our economy, our personal wellbeing, but music education has fallen through the gaps. That’s why I’m tasking government, collectively, to correct the mistakes of its past and to protect and grow this for generations to come.”
About the Ed Sheeran Foundation
The Ed Sheeran Foundation is dedicated to supporting music education in state schools and grassroots organisations across the UK, particularly in areas where it is less accessible. By promoting inclusivity and fostering high-quality music education, the foundation aims to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to explore their potential through music.
Sheeran marked the foundation’s launch by visiting young people, teachers, and youth workers in Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh and Belfast. The foundation itself has already supported 18 grassroots music education organisations and state school music departments, impacting over 12,000 children and young people.
