The Government made a promise, in 2011, that every child in England should have the chance to learn a musical instrument. Three years on, thousands of children in primary schools across the country are still missing out on a proper music education.
Some teachers have as little as £2.20 to spend on each pupil’s musical education – for the entire year. Others say they have nothing at all.
James Rhodes needs your help to give the Government an important message: this cannot go on. We are at risk of failing a generation.
The Government claims it wants the same thing – to give every child the chance to play an instrument. In the National Plan for Music Education published in 2011, it declared: “Children from all backgrounds and every part of England should have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument”.
But that isn’t happening.
And it’s not just in the National Plan where the Government recognises that something needs to be done. It’s also part of the new National Curriculum that all children in England should be taught to play musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression by the time they leave primary school.
After three years of successive funding cuts, the recent announcement that the Government will invest an extra £18m in music education is a good start. But this is not just a question of finance. It's a complex problem and it's the Government's responsibility to put in place a system that works.
Sign James Rhodes' petition and call on the Government to deliver on its promise to give every child the opportunity to learn an instrument.
Oxfam and YodelDirect are proud to help deliver the instrument amnesty. The campaign and related petition to improve music education in schools is independently run by James Rhodes.
Sign the petition
Powered by Change.org (link opens in a new window)To help maximise the impact of his campaign to improve music education, James Rhodes has set up a petition on change.org, the world's largest petition platform. You will receive updates about this petition from change.org but you can unsubscribe at any time.
To: The Rt Hon Nicky Morgan
"I believe music education is a right not a privilege. But despite the commitment set out in the Government’s National Plan for Music Education, as well as the new national curriculum, thousands of children in England are not getting the music education they were promised. This is a complex problem, it involves everything from the training teachers receive, whether Ofsted pay specific attention to music and even the need for guaranteed funding until the end of the National Plan. But the details of how to achieve it are for the policymakers. What I'm asking for is something simple. As the new Secretary of State for Education I’m calling on you to urgently ensure that the Government delivers on its promise to give every child, regardless of their background or ability to pay, a good music education and the chance to learn an instrument."
Thank you for signing the petition
Powered by Change.org (link opens in a new window)Your support is vital to James's Don’t Stop the Music campaign. By adding your name to his petition you've helped to call for improvements to music education, which could change children’s lives up and down the country. Thank you so much for playing your part.
Spread the word!
You've added your name to James Rhodes’ petition, now get your friends and family to sign it too! Please share this page on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ and let everyone know about the campaign. The more supporters that get behind it, the bigger the impact we can make.