Arts Council England announces £12.1million investment for children’s music clubs

The Arts Council England has announced funding for 43 new music clubs to cover every part of England, including four in London. 

The four London ‘Music Hubs’ – South-east London, north London, east London and west London will receive £12.1million, including £3million to invest in instruments, equipment and technology.

The South-east London Music Hub is a newly-formed group led by Bexley Music, the Bromley Youth Music Trust, the Royal Greenwich Music Service, Lambeth Music Service, Lewisham Music and Southwark Music. 

The Arts Council England awarded the South-east London branch £3,030,266, including £2.280,982 for educational music programmes and £749,284 to invest in musical instruments, equipment and technology.

The funding forms part of a £101million national programme to provide high-quality music education for all children and young people.

Darren Henley, chief executive at Arts Council England, said: “Music education is enormously powerful – it can enrich young people’s lives, help them connect with the people around them, and start them on the pathway to fruitful and fulfilling careers.  

“We are excited to announce this investment in a new generation of MusicHubs, which will support the brilliant work of our dedicated music teachers across the country, and help bring high-quality music education to even more children and young people in every part of England.”

Pictured top: Children during a session held by Lewisham Music (Lewisham Music, Keith Sykes)