Ed Sheeran has penned an open letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and UK government officials, calling for immediate long-term funding for music education in the UK.
The letter, which has garnered over 500 signatures from across the music industry including Harry Styles, Central Cee, Coldplay, Stormzy, and Elton John, appeals for £250 million in funding to support music education across the country.
Following the launch of the Ed Sheeran Foundation in January 2025, the campaign focuses on five key areas: music funding in schools, training for music teachers, funding for grassroots venues and spaces, music apprenticeships, and establishing a diverse music curriculum.
‘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,’ Sheeran says.
‘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.’
The Ed Sheeran Foundation, launched at the start of 2025, has already supported 18 grassroots music education organisations and state school music departments, reaching over 12,000 children and young people. The foundation marked its launch with Sheeran visiting young people, teachers, and youth workers in Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh and Belfast.
The music industry contributes £7.6 billion to the UK economy annually. The open letter addresses multiple government departments, including Culture, Education, Foreign Office, Health & Social Care and Business & Trade, calling for a cross-departmental taskforce to provide focused attention and funding for music education.
The letter reads:
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.
Learning an instrument and getting up on stage – whether in school or a community club – is now a luxury not every child can afford.
As an industry, we bring in £7.6 billion into the UK economy, yet the next generation is not there to take the reins. Last year was the first in over 20 years without a UK global top 10 single or album in the charts. Myles Smith and Ezra Collective said it best at the 2025 BRIT Awards:
“How many more venues need to close, how many music programs need to be cut before we realise that we can’t just celebrate success, we have to protect the foundations that make it?” – Myles Smith”This moment right here is because of the great youth clubs, and the great teachers and the great schools that support young people playing music.” – Ezra Collective
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 welcome Lisa’s 10-point plan for music raised in the House of Commons on 16th January 2025. Bridget, David, Jonathan and Wes – we also need you standing up for music education. Artists and industry can’t deliver on the world stage for the UK without schools, youth clubs and stages at home.
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.
Music in and out of school should be for all, not a few.
We are up against five fights to protect and grow music education and we need you all:
FUND MUSIC IN SCHOOLS, LIKE SPORT.
Deliver a Music & Arts Pupil Premium to schools (the Sports Premium is currently £324m); fund extra £32m for Music Hubs each year.
CLOSE THE GAPS, MUSICIANS AS MUSIC TEACHERS.
Urgently train 1,000 music teachers to end the 56% fall in recruitment; stop the closures of university music departments, like Cardiff University.
LAUNCH UK-WIDE FUND FOR GRASSROOTS MUSIC COLLABORATION.
1/4 of youth music spaces are considering closing, and over 2/3 are only surviving short-term.
LAUNCH FAIR AND INDUSTRY-FIT MUSIC APPRENTICESHIPS.
Only 0.5% of apprenticeships are in the creative sector; launch 500 music apprenticeships UK-wide, with new festival apprenticeships and industry readiness support for youth at-risk.
DIVERSIFY THE CURRICULUM, INCLUDE INDUSTRY VOICES.
Establish a teacher and industry special task force for a diverse, industry-informed curriculum; remove the Ebacc, include music in the Ofsted report card in England.
We understand that there are many pressures. As artists, civil society and industry, we want to be part of the solution.
We look forward to hearing your reply soon.
Yours faithfully,
Ed Sheeran
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