Amid concerns about the state of the education system in the UK following proposed government spending cuts and soaring tuition fees, industry bodies have hit out at the exclusion of music from a new cross-subject qualification.
Music education in certain schools in England is being sidelined as headteachers opt instead to focus on improving attainment in the five subjects included in the new English Baccalaureate.
Education secretary Michael Gove recently proposed measuring secondary school performance by how many pupils study five categories of subjects: maths, English, science, languages and humanities.
At present, the humanities have been defined only as geography and history.
The Music Industries Association (MIA) has called on the government to include music within the humanities bracket.
Speaking to Mi-Pro, Paul McManus, the chief executive of the MIA, claimed that at the current level, the proposals are a threat to the provision of music education in the country.
“This is extremely short sighted and risks undermining the considerable benefits that music in the curriculum can bring – developing pride and community cohesion, narrowing social differences, enhancing creativity and raising attainment in literacy and numeracy,” he added.
“Music should be an integral part of a broad and balanced school curriculum. All of this will be put at risk if this decision is not reversed.”
And the MIA is not the only industry body campaigning for music to be included within the Baccalaureate. The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) has also decided to lobby the government on the issue.
ISM research suggests that the decision would be backed by the public as well. A recent YouGov poll, commissioned by the organisation, found that 97 per cent of adults believe that children should be taught music in schools.
Music education in certain schools in England is being sidelined as headteachers opt instead to focus on improving attainment in the five subjects included in the new English Baccalaureate.
Education secretary Michael Gove recently proposed measuring secondary school performance by how many pupils study five categories of subjects: maths, English, science, languages and humanities.
At present, the humanities have been defined only as geography and history.
The Music Industries Association (MIA) has called on the government to include music within the humanities bracket.
Speaking to Mi-Pro, Paul McManus, the chief executive of the MIA, claimed that at the current level, the proposals are a threat to the provision of music education in the country.
“This is extremely short sighted and risks undermining the considerable benefits that music in the curriculum can bring – developing pride and community cohesion, narrowing social differences, enhancing creativity and raising attainment in literacy and numeracy,” he added.
“Music should be an integral part of a broad and balanced school curriculum. All of this will be put at risk if this decision is not reversed.”
And the MIA is not the only industry body campaigning for music to be included within the Baccalaureate. The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) has also decided to lobby the government on the issue.
ISM research suggests that the decision would be backed by the public as well. A recent YouGov poll, commissioned by the organisation, found that 97 per cent of adults believe that children should be taught music in schools.