Ed Sheeran pens open letter to Keir Starmer urging more investment into music education
The letter, asking for £250million of funding, has been co-signed by Elton John, Coldplay, Harry Styles, Stormzy and more
Ed Sheeran has penned an open letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging his government to invest heavily into musical education in schools.
The letter, which comes after the launch of the pop star’s Ed Sheeran Foundation and asks the government to provide £250million of funding for schools and educational centres, has been co-signed by Elton John, Coldplay, Harry Styles, Stormzy and more
The letter begins: “Dear Sir Keir Starmer, we are writing collectively as artists, civil society and industry, appealing to your personal belief in music and the promise of opportunity for all under Labour.
“Last year was the first in over 20 years without a UK global top 10 single or album in the charts,” the letter adds. “The time to act is now. State schools – which educate 93% of the country’s children – have seen a 21% decrease in music provision.”
“We collectively ask for a £250m UK music education package this Spring to repair decades of dismantling music. Music education is cross-departmental: Culture, Education, Foreign Office, Health & Social Care and Business & Trade.”
It adds: “We understand that there are many pressures. As artists, civil society and industry, we want to be part of the solution.”
Of his foundation’s launch, Sheeran added: “I launched the Ed Sheeran Foundation because I believe in the importance of music and that music education should be accessible to all. When I was at school, music gave me purpose, it helped with my mental health, it bought me and many others joy, and it gave me my career.
“Over recent months, I’ve been lucky enough to meet, speak and listen to a number of young kids and teachers across the UK, and it’s confirmed to me that music education is suffering. There’s so much talent out there, so much passion but these kids don’t have the support to realise their dreams of entering the music industry, and I wanted to write this letter on behalf of them.”
“I acknowledge that the government recently announced a new package on arts education, which is encouraging, but we urgently need funding going directly into the hands of schools and communities on the ground. We’re losing time.”
He concluded: “This creative industry brings so much to our culture, our communities, our economy, our personal wellbeing, but music education has fallen through the gaps. That’s why I’m tasking government, collectively, to correct the mistakes of its past and to protect and grow this for generations to come.”