The National Plan for Music Education

The music education offered by Sound Foundation Somerset and music education hubs across England is outlined in the Department for Education’s document – The Importance of Music: A National Plan for Music Education. These are listed as Core roles and Extension roles and each one of our partner organisations has agreed to deliver one or more of these roles on behalf of Sound Foundation Somerset.

The Core Roles

  • To ensure that every child aged 5 – 18 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument (other than voice) through whole-week class ensemble teaching programmes, with weekly tuition on the same instrument for ideally a year (but for a minimum of a term)
  • To provide opportunities to play in ensembles and to perform from an early stage
  • To ensure that clear progression routes are available and affordable to all young people
  • To develop a singing strategy to ensure that every pupil sings regularly and that choirs and other vocal ensembles are available in the area

Extension Roles

  • To offer Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to school staff, particularly in supporting schools to deliver music in the curriculum;
  • To provide an instrument loan service, with discounts or free provision for those on low incomes.
  • To provide access to large scale and/or high quality music experiences for pupils, working with professional musicians and/or venues.