Andrew Lloyd Webber forms ‘supergroup’ to call on government for music education support

‘In a world that feels more divided than at any point in my lifetime, and with conflict raging around the world with incalculable consequences, music has a unique ability to unite’

Andrew Lloyd Webber has formed a “supergroup” of musicians, from pop stars to world-renowned violinists, who are urging the government to support music education in disadvantaged areas.

Lord Lloyd Webber, along with an all-star line-up including Ed Sheeran, Liam Gallagher and Dua Lipa, is calling for additional funding for his charity Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST), which provides musical instruments and lessons to children.

Formed 10 years ago, the charity is seeking more public funding in order to reach more deprived areas in the UK where its work would prove hugely beneficial. The trust says that children in the schools it has worked with to date managed to increase their predicted exam marks by half a grade across all subjects.

The cost of the programme begins at £200 a year for each student, which is lowered to £132 once a school has been running the programme for three years.

“From improved cognitive development, communication skills and problem-solving, to greater confidence, self-esteem and social development, music has a profound impact on young people’s lives,” Lloyd Webber’s letters addressed to Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer said.

“Most pertinently, in a world that feels more divided than at any point in my lifetime, and with conflict raging around the world with incalculable consequences, music has a unique ability to unite. It is a universal language that can transcend borders, cultures and differences and bring people together.”

It continued: “For many years, music education in schools has been scaled back – at a time when we have never needed it more. Every child deserves to be empowered through music, no matter their background, race or religion.”

Andrew Lloyd Webber has called for more government support for music education in the UK (PA)

Lloyd Webber said it was vital to “reverse the tide on musical education” and recognise the “transformational” impact it can have on children, schools and their communities.

Among the co-signers are rock star Liam Gallagher, classical singer Katherine Jenkins, the members of Coldplay, and violinist Nicola Benedetti, director of the Edinburgh International Festival.

The Conservative government has come under increasing scrutiny for its frequent attacks on what it deems “soft subjects”, typically humanities such as music, art, English literature and languages.

The number of GCSE music entrants are currently at their lowest level, falling by 12.5 per cent from last year, while the number of A-level music entrants also dropped by seven per cent. Exam results released in August revealed that overall, fewer than 5,000 students in England took A-level music this year, a 46 per cent decline since 2010.

According to UK Music, the umbrella organisation representing the UK’s commercial music industry, the sector contributed £6.7bn to the economy in 2022, and employed around 210,000 people.