MAYOR LAUNCHES NEW MUSIC HUB FOR SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Published 4 September 2024 at 9:30am

South Yorkshire’s Mayor Oliver Coppard has launched a new music hub to give more children the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and develop a love of music.

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) and the four local Music Hubs across the region are to form a new South Yorkshire Music Hub, led by SYMCA and funded by the Arts Council England (ACE). It’s part of an ambitious national programme to provide high-quality music education for all children and young people.
South Yorkshire Music Hub (SYMH), which was launched this morning at the annual conference of music hubs in South Yorkshire at Barnsley’s Civic Centre, formalises the partnership between the four existing Music Hubs in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. SYMCA joins this partnership to lead a South Yorkshire approach to developing music education. 

As part of the agreement, SYMCA will receive an additional £600,000 capital grant from the Department of Education to invest in new musical instruments, equipment and technology tailored to the needs of children and young people in South Yorkshire, including those with special educational needs and disabilities. It will also coordinate the existing revenue funding currently received by the other partner organisations. 

The new SYMH will continue the excellent work of South Yorkshire’s four local Music Hubs which have supported thousands of young people’s music education. Those organisations will continue to deliver music education across South Yorkshire. The new partnership will add to this by strengthening relationships across South Yorkshire, bringing people together and linking to other exciting opportunities.

Oliver Coppard, Mayor of South Yorkshire said: “From the Arctic Monkeys to Pulp, Yungblud to Kate Rusby, South Yorkshire has given music to the world for years. I couldn’t be more proud of our history of giving music to the world, or more excited about the potential of our new Music Hub to keep on helping young people across South Yorkshire develop their talent and their excitement for music. Singing, learning to read music and playing an instrument are all skills that help make people’s lives richer; both for those who learn and those who listen. Culture is how we tell each other stories, how we show emotion and how we connect with each. The new Music Hub will do all that and more, bringing together music education and talent from across South Yorkshire.”  
    
The creation of the South Yorkshire Music Hub is part of a major investment in a new generation of the nationwide network of Music Hubs. This investment will help to deliver the Government’s National Plan for Music Education, and give all children and young people the opportunity to develop their musical interests as far as they wish, including helping them to begin careers in the music industry.

Pete Massey, Northern Economy and Partnerships Director and Director, North at Arts Council England said: 
"Music education is enormously powerful – it enriches young people's lives, helps them connect with the people around them, and starts them on the pathway to fruitful and fulfilling careers. We are excited that this investment not only brings high-quality music education to even more children and young people across South Yorkshire, but also provides hundreds of new musical instruments ensuring that no child misses out on the magic of making music." 

SYMCA and its partners are developing a local plan for music education in South Yorkshire. The new partnership will focus on delivering accessible to all children and young people in South Yorkshire through diverse partnerships between educational, creative and community organisations, in their local communities and throughout the country.