The Power of Music Consortium steering group release joint letter calling on all candidates to commit to utilise music to improve health, wellbeing and communities

24 June 2024 - Press release

 

• The letter includes five asks for the next Government to enact to effectively harness the power of music within policymaking.
• The asks focus on maintain music as a key part of the social prescribing agenda, harnessing the Power of Music Fund’s financial model which combines public funds with those from philanthropy and business; the development of a training and education strategy for music; partnership working to raise public awareness and the appointment of a coordinating role within the Cabinet Office.
• The Power of Music steering group is a diverse coalition of organisations from across arts and health including UK Music, Nordoff and Robbins, Music for Dementia/The Utley Foundation, the National Academy for Social Prescribing and Manchester Camerata.

 

The open letter, addressed to all candidates is calling on the next UK Government to make music a central part of health and education policymaking. The letter highlights the important economic contribution music can make to a thriving society and its potential help save the NHS money.

Full text of the letter can be found here.

 

The asks are:

1. Maintain music a key part of the social prescribing agenda.
2. Build on the Power of Music Fund financial model, combining public funds with those from philanthropy and business, to widen access to music-based support and gather data on the health impacts and the scale of financial savings to the NHS.
3. Work with music and health organisations to develop a national training and education strategy that encompasses:
   1. Increased music tuition for children and young people at school. This should include training and recruiting 1,000 more music teachers, the delivery of an arts pupil premium and an increase in funding for Music Education Hubs.
   2. Training for musicians in how to use music therapeutically.
   3. Give relevant frontline health and care professionals musical techniques and resources that help make it easier to provide person-centred care.
4. Partner with the music industry and wellbeing sector to raise public awareness of the therapeutic power of music so they can incorporate it into healthy lifestyles.
5. Appoint a coordinating role within the Cabinet Office to embed music across arts, health and education policy and harness its full health and money-saving potential for the nation.

 

The letter comes from the Power of Music Consortium steering group who delivered the groundbreaking Power of Music Report in 2022. The report received cross-party support and the coalition have since been working on the delivery of its initial recommendations, which this letter builds on.

The Consortium’s work has shown the value of music if used effectively, with the Power of Music Fund and the launch of the Centre of Excellence for Music and Dementia this year demonstrating innovative funding models and partnership working to help people living with conditions such as dementia and provide stability to musicians.

Tom Kiehl, interim Chief Executive of UK Music and Chair of the Power of Music Consortium said: “In this critical moment before the election, we are calling on all candidates to commit to our asks and help to unleash the power of music across healthcare, education and within our communities. This would build on 2022’s Power of Music report and complements recommendations made by UK Music in its recent manifesto and open letter to the political parties. We see music as an under-utilised asset that can help drive economic growth across the country if harnessed effectively. The next Government must recognise the incredible work being done in this area already by countless organisations and enable further progress by working with us to harness music’s unique and far-reaching impact.”