It seems like no time since England's National Plan for Music Education was published, and the infrastructure of local music education support was materially changed. With hubs having come to grips with the new way of working, in many ways the changes look to have been an effective move for straitened economic times, and the language – the word hub itself – has been useful in defining and supporting the new role that they have needed to play. Hubs can only work by making connections between schools, arts organisations and – oh yes – the money. Looking back, it was possible for the traditional music services to lack ambition, to fail to make the most of their potential resources and networks, and that is less the case now.
However, as we look beyond 2020, it's important to note that for teachers themselves, the reforms have often been hugely disruptive. With the new independence of hubs has come an indeterminate variety of ways in which teachers are employed, which in turn has led to peripatetic teaching seeming less like a profession and more like lesson delivery – literally, in some cases, with zero-hours contracts more suited to the gig economy becoming worryingly common. Gigs are not what they were.
The introduction of hubs has also led, inevitably, to increasing disparities in provision (though of course these existed before). A new plan could do more to set out how hubs should support all children and young people in their area. No school, ever, anywhere, should be without a thriving music department: no matter how small, how isolated, and whatever the socioeconomic background and ability of its pupils.
Fundamentally, however, this is a success story. Many hubs are doing innovative work which can be a model for others around the country – Bristol's centre for inclusive excellence, for example, could become an international beacon for work with young musicians with disability. Throughout the country – the UK, not only England – music teachers have dealt with changes and continue to transform and enrich the futures of their pupils.
This is my last editorial for MT; after three years in this privileged role it is time to move on. Its contributors and staff make it what it is, so a heartfelt thank you to all of them over the years. But most importantly, thank you to the subscribers, without whom the magazine would not exist. I wish them – as well as my successor – all the musical best.
