Evidence of the impact of music education, collected, summarised and all in one place

We know that the major stakeholders of music education - schools, parents, commissioners of services, funders and young people themselves - will all be struggling with the effects of the pandemic.

Yet it's more important than ever before that we continue to advocate for music - and in particular for young people who face the biggest barriers.

The most powerful advocacy aligns a cause with people's real and pressing needs. For schools, this could be to show how music can help young people who were already struggling to engage in learning, and who may have slipped further behind. For parents, it might be to show how supporting a young person's interest in music will help them with their wellbeing and their learning and making sure that information about bursaries and free opportunities are easily available.

We hope these resources provide you with help and inspiration.

A great set of resources by Wiltshire Music Connect, the music education hub in Wiltshire, England. They raise awareness of local music learning opportunities during the pandemic and encourage young people and parents to #DontDropMusic.

The lovely people at We The Parents created this article and infographic about the benefits of music education, and have allowed us to share it on our site.

More useful advocacy resources from Wiltshire Music Connect - this time to raise awareness of the benefits of music targeted to schools, young people and parents at primary, secondary, transition stages.

The Bigger Better Brains platform, the brainchild of Anita Collins, helps change the way we advocate for music. She's recently released three short videos focusing on prosocial behaviour, modulating attention, and decision-making. Important executive skills particularly for young people who struggle with learning. Useful for advocating to school leaders.

Latest research will be back in the next issue. In the meantime here are some of the most popular posts on the site. The top one has so far had 617,000 views!

[13-19] Pandemic mini-series: Talking with leaders in music education in the UK about how they're continuing to provide services and support to young people.

[12] Using music to change the culture of care - Bev Foster

Each month the podcast shares ideas, inspiration and practical advice from people who are breaking down barriers to music - with a particular emphasis on communications, advocacy and inclusive practice.

You can listen on our main Writing Services website (links above) or on iTunes, Spotify or your preferred podcast app.

Do you know someone who would be interested in the podcast or this enews?
Please do share it with them.

[WEBINAR] Decolonising the Music Curriculum - a free webinar and a must-see for anyone working in music education. You may need to scroll back to get to the start of the video.

[RESOURCE HUB] Useful anti-racism resources from Youth Music.

[WEBINAR] Music and the nervous system - a free webinar and a great introduction to a complex but important area. How adverse childhood experiences and trauma affect the brain and cause what may be seen as challenging behaviour. Donate to Sound Connections if you found it valuable.

[RESOURCE HUB] A collection of resources about supporting young people through music, online and offline, during lockdown.

We hope you've found this useful - do let us know if you have any suggestions for improvements or any research to add, we'd love to hear from you.

All the best,
Anita & Dyfan