Music Teacher - Tech column: utilising the DfE Capital Grant for Musical Instruments

From September, new Hub Lead Organisations are set to receive £25 million in funding for instruments, equipment and technology. Kate Rounding and Richard Llewellyn provide a buyer's guide for hubs and their partners

Adobe Stock / Olivier Le Moal

Arts Council England, on behalf of the DfE, has unveiled 41 new music Hub Lead Organisations (the announcement of HLOs for London South West and South Yorkshire is coming soon). Currently, music hubs are partnerships of schools, local authorities, community groups, music organisations, industry and more, and soon all this activity will be coordinated by HLOs.

The HLOs have each been allocated a share of £76 million from the DfE to support their work. In addition, each will receive a portion of the £25 million Capital Grant for purchasing musical instruments, equipment and technology, which includes software and hardware.

Music technology plays a vital role in the creative industries, and it is great to see the DfE and ACE recognise the importance of supporting hubs, schools and students with the latest technology. This – especially in relation to DAWs – requires investment.

Music technology also works well in SEND settings. With music tech and SEND provision being so prominent in the NPME, it is encouraging to see these supported together.

The £25 million Capital Grant will be allocated among the new HLOs and via four payments between September 2024 and August 2026. The first payments should land between September and January.

Wider mission

The Capital Grant is intended to support the vision of the NPME, which outlines three primary aims for music hubs:

Supporting schools to deliver high-quality music education
Supporting young people to enhance their musical abilities and potential, including pathways to employment
Ensuring all children and young people have access to diverse musical opportunities in and out of school.

The key goals for funding include:

Increase the range, relevance and accessibility of musical instruments, equipment and technology available to children and young people
Ensure that the provision of instruments, equipment and technology is more equitable, specifically improving the supply of instruments, equipment and technology for those with SEND
Maximise the impact of the investment through partnerships and connections with the broader music education infrastructure.

Local provision

The HLOs will collaborate with schools and organisations to develop a Local Plan for Music Education (LPME), guided by the strategic goals of the revised (2022) NPME.

Purchases made using the Capital Grant must respond to local needs, aligning with LPME objectives and any identified gaps or priorities for provision.

These priorities include:

Areas of lower engagement, under-served genres or musical traditions or practices
Specific curriculum/programme requirements or needs
Support for progression or more advanced learning
Support for children and young people with SEND through access to adapted/adaptive instruments, equipment and technology.

HLOs will own assets purchased with the Capital Grant, but they can enable partners to buy products on behalf of HLOs, as part of the funding. Partners may also store, manage and maintain instruments, equipment and technology bought via the Grant.

Many special schools have been early adopters of technology to engage their students in music. The Capital Grant announcement has generated genuine enthusiasm there, and the mention of technology as part of this has been well received.

What parties must do

Developing a good working relationship with your new HLO is crucial. They will be keen to engage with all schools once the details of the grant allocation are finalised. Hubs are conducting ongoing needs-analysis with schools and partners, which includes understanding any instrument, equipment, and technology needs. These needs will then inform their strategic planning and, importantly, their purchasing plans. You can find a list of the new HLOs and see the allocation of funding by following the link at the end of this article.

HLOs are there to support you and can advise on School Music Improvement Plans, CPD and more. In addition, they will recruit several Lead Schools to support the LPME, including at least one primary and one secondary school for each local authority in a HLO catchment area. They will also look to appoint a special school and an alternative-provision setting.

HLOs must use the DfE's Musical Instruments, Equipment and Technology Framework to purchase equipment. This means that companies and retailers need to register as a supplier on this framework if they wish to make their instruments, equipment or technology available to HLOs for use by children and young people. So, if you have an established relationship with an instrument or music technology supplier, encourage them to register. This may be especially relevant to those working in SEND provision or using specialist music technology and equipment to engage students in music.

What can be purchased?

Music technology – hardware and software – may be purchased, as well as acoustic instruments, meaning schools can support skills essential for today's musicians and across the music industry.

The full range of what can be purchased includes:

Acoustic instruments (e.g. violins, ukuleles, flutes)
Amplified, electric or digital instruments and equipment (e.g. MIDI keyboards, synths, turntables, loop stations)
Adapted instruments and adaptive equipment (e.g. prosthetic bow-holders, cello stands)
Amplified, electric or digital adaptive instruments and adaptive equipment (e.g. Arcana Strum, Soundbeam, CMPSR, Clarion)
Technology and equipment used to enable or support music-making (e.g. DAWs, notation software, microphones, audio interfaces, mixing-desks)
In certain circumstances, equipment such as iPads, provided these are used solely for music-making by children and young people.

Examples of items that can't be purchased include:

‘Ordinary’ repairs (e.g. restringing instruments)
Consumables (e.g. reeds, bows, strings, cables)
Programming costs (e.g. lessons, gigs, workshops)
Records, CDs and audio files Repeat costs of subscriptions.

A variety of adapted or adaptive instruments, including digital ones and accessible music technology, are now available – innovation is happening all the time. Some hubs, in addition, are considering an accessible and adaptive instrument library scheme, allowing schools and other organisations to borrow equipment to trial with students.

It is worth seeking advice on DAWs (and notation software) to learn about the range of options and pricing. The Capital Grant will allow for subscriptions; but, after the initial purchase of software or software subscriptions, any further costs such as software updates will not be funded.

Advice and further support

Music hubs will have a range of partners, including those with specialist knowledge who can offer advice and support. Each hub area, along with the schools and partners within this, will have unique needs. It is the role of hubs to decide the best approach to responding to these, including by providing instruments and music technology, through consultation and analysis. This may entail bulk-purchasing to leverage potential discounts.

The DfE and ACE are actively listening to feedback from hubs and partners, and information and resources are being made available via the ACE website.

With significant funding on the way, we can look forward to seeing hubs, schools and partners working together to provide all children and young people with the means to develop skills and realise musical ambitions.