On Friday 4 November 2022, HarrisonParrott Foundation (HPF) will partner with Tri-borough Music Hub to host a symposium to reflect and respond to the challenges posed by the 2022 National Plan for Music Education (NPME) and assess how the music industry can be actively engaged in supporting access to music through Schools, Music Hubs, Pupils and Families.

The NPME has outlined the need for the music industry to engage with music hubs and educators to enrich the music education provision and demonstrate various and diverse career pathways. The symposium is a direct response to the NPME to reflect and respond to the challenges posed by the 2022 National Plan for Music Education and assess how the music industry can be actively engaged and how the Plan may impact access to music in Primary and Secondary schools in London, UK.

This inaugural HarrisonParrott Foundation symposium, in partnership with Tri-borough Music Hub, is a half-day experience held at St Paul’s Centre Hammersmith, London showcasing inspirational projects and ideas from across the music industry and music education sectors, sparking debate and providing networking opportunities. The symposium will bring everyone together to work towards identifying how to improve access to music education and address how best to achieve this.

The event will take place during Music Access Awareness Week (#musicaccessawareness), which runs from 31 October to 4 November 2022, and is an annual charity campaign run by HarrisonParrott Foundation designed to engage with individuals and organisations involved across the music education sector (including educators, schools, professional musicians, hubs, foundations, trusts, orchestras, agencies and venues) across the United Kingdom to identify barriers to music access and help to solve them.

The campaign aims to highlight the problems of music access but also facilitate partnerships, dialogue, encourage knowledge sharing, and provide project inspiration to allow more young people to gain access to music education, and to bring together all aspects of the music ecosystem to look for solutions.

Jasper Parrott, co-founder and executive chairman of HarrisonParrott said: ​‘At its core, the HarrisonParrott Foundation’s mission is to improve access to quality music education for young people. Amidst dispiriting recent reports that Music GCSE student numbers have plummeted to the lowest this century, together with the release of the new NPME, the HarrisonParrott Foundation, jointly with Tri-Borough Music Hub, presents this Symposium. The event will bring together music industry colleagues, music educators and connectors to collaboratively problem-solve and discuss how new partnerships can be formed, to breakdown access barriers to music instruction and enhance the quality of current provision. The Symposium encourages new partnerships and cross-music sector collaborations to be formed, so that the scene is set for new educational music programmes to be borne.’

Stuart Whatmore, Head of Tri-borough Music Hub said: ​‘Creating improved and embedded connections between grass roots music education and the UK music industry, across all musical styles and genres, is vital to the continued evolution of music education, and by default will contribute to the pipeline of future artists and audiences. There can be missed opportunities to join up artists or labels with schools and young people. We hope that this event will start to explore how we can collectively improve the connections so that ultimately, we are working in tandem.’

The events and content to be released throughout Music Access Awareness Week in the lead up to the symposium include: a podcast on how the music industry needs to get more involved in music education to broaden music career horizons; a blog article from a musician, infographics visualising pathways in the music career landscape and its relationship to funding; and a scientific white paper to be published on ​‘Barriers to and Drivers of Adolescent Arts Engagement’.

Concluding Music Access Awareness Week, the symposium offers an opportunity to discover inspiring collaborative projects taking place between music educators and music industry, whilst raising awareness of barriers to music education and understand how to design programmes tailored to breaking down barriers and engage decision-makers to highlight the perspectives of industry, hubs and foundations. It will create opportunities for new collaborations and partnerships by connecting people from different music sectors.

Jasper Parrott, CEO, HarrisonParrott Foundation will open the symposium that starts with a provocation. ​‘Campfire’ sessions offer small groups the chance to share their insights and will be facilitated by Sasha Marius-Beeko, Deputy Headteacher, St Mary’s School, and Lucy Noble, Artistic Director, Royal Albert Hall. There will be a demonstration of the musical instrument, the clarion from Barry Farrimond-Chuong MBE, CEO, Open Up Music, and short presentations from industry leaders including Orchestras for All, and Crispin Woodhead CEO, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Peer-supported advice will be offered by Stuart Whatmore, Head, Tri-borough Music Hub, Jamie Njouku Goodwin, CEO, UK Music, and Carlos Simon, composer. Further performances from The Rhythm Studio and networking opportunities will conclude the event.

Book your free ticket here