Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Music Education

Monday 6 September 2021 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial commitment to refreshing the national music plan was welcomed.
  • Music education is compulsory at key stages 1, 2, and 3 in schools.
  • Music is used to teach a range of other subjects, including mathematics.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Bob Neill Con
Context

The MP questioned the decline in pupils sitting GCSE music and the importance of mainstreaming music within the curriculum.

Question

I welcome my right hon. Friend's commitment to refreshing the national music plan because, as I hope he recognises, music education is central to any civilised society and should not be regarded as an add-on or a nice-to-have. He will share my concern that in the 10-year currency of the previous plan, the number of pupils sitting GCSE music declined by 19%. Organisations such as the Bromley Youth Music Trust in my constituency do a great deal of excellent work outside school time, but will he assure me that the plan's key objective will be to ensure that music education remains firmly mainstreamed within the curriculum and is not simply an add-on at unreasonable cost to parents?

Answer from Nick Gibb

I share my hon. Friend's passion for music. It is important that music is part of a broad and balanced education in our schools. That is why it is compulsory at key stages 1, 2 and 3. We introduced the model music curriculum so that children have a good grounding that encourages them to go on to take music at GCSE. Over the past decade or longer, about 5% to 7 % of the cohort have taken a music GCSE. I would like to see that figure rise, and that is why we introduced the model music curriculum and are refreshing the national plan for music education.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The minister did not commit to ensuring that music remains mainstreamed within the curriculum or address concerns about cost to parents.

How: I Share My Hon. Friend'S Passion For Music

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Q2 Bob Neill Con
Education Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP welcomed the commitment to refreshing the national music plan but was concerned about the decline in GCSE music pupils and the cost to parents.

Question

I welcome my right hon. Friend's commitment to refreshing the national music plan because, as I hope he recognises, music education is central to any civilised society and should not be regarded as an add-on or a nice-to-have. He will share my concern that in the 10-year currency of the previous plan, the number of pupils sitting GCSE music declined by 19%. Organisations such as the Bromley Youth Music Trust in my constituency do a great deal of excellent work outside school time, but will he assure me that the plan's key objective will be to ensure that music education remains firmly mainstreamed within the curriculum and is not simply an add-on at unreasonable cost to parents?

Answer from Nick Gibb

I share my hon. Friend's passion for music. It is important that music is part of a broad and balanced education in our schools. That is why it is compulsory at key stages 1, 2 and 3. We introduced the model music curriculum so that children have a good grounding that encourages them to go on to take music at GCSE. Over the past decade or longer, about 5% to 7 % of the cohort have taken a music GCSE. I would like to see that figure rise, and that is why we introduced the model music curriculum and are refreshing the national plan for music education.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The minister did not commit to ensuring that music remains mainstreamed within the curriculum or address concerns about cost to parents.

How: I Share My Hon. Friend'S Passion For Music

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Q3 Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton
Education
Context

The MP referenced a previous Labour Government initiative that used music to teach other subjects, questioning why specialist arts college status was scrapped.

Question

Does the Minister understand that music should be not just taught as music but used to teach a whole range of other subjects? Let me take him back to the previous Labour Government, when I attended Egerton Park Arts College in my constituency as a governor and saw the Manchester Camerata perform a maths lesson using its orchestra instruments. It was absolutely mind-blowing. Do we not need more of that? Why did he scrap arts college specialist status?

Answer from Nick Gibb

I agree that music is an important part of a broad and balanced curriculum. We know there is a link between children who can play a musical instrument and, for instance, mathematics. We see that in schools such as Northampton School for Boys, which is very successful academically and also has more than 20 choirs, ensembles and orchestras, because it puts music at the very top of its priorities as well as sports.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The minister did not address why arts college specialist status was scrapped or provide a commitment to incorporating music into other subjects.

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