UK Poverty Hitting Music Education

A recent report from the UK’s Musician’s Union says poorer families in the UK are at risk of under-representation in the music industry as children are being priced out of learning to play musical instruments.

According to the survey of more than 1,200 parents of five to 16-year olds, only 19 per cent of families from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (earning less than £28,000) have a child learning an instrument, half as much as families who earn at least £48,000 (40 per cent).

The figures also show that more than two in five (41 per cent) of those from low-income families say instrumental music lessons are beyond their household budgets. Nearly half (48 per cent) of children who have parents who are educated to university level will learn an instrument, compared with one fifth (21 per cent) at secondary school level, the data shows.

The UK government needs to urgently review its offering of instrumental music tuition in schools to ensure access to music for poorer children does not die out, the MU has said.