Are you delivering music education in Wiltshire?

You may be aware that work is being done to map the delivery of music throughout the County through the Music Hub. Please see the following detail from Keith Nimmo of Wiltshire Music Centre and contact me at wiltshireartspormoters@gmail.com or Keith directly on keith.nimmo@wiltshiremusic.org.uk  for further details and the survey so that your work can be factored into the plan.

Why is this survey important and why is the data needed now?
As you probably know, a key requirement in the Government’s National Plan for Music Education is that each area of the country should form a Music Education Hub.   Here in Wiltshire the Music Service has taken the lead – like most other parts of the country (no surprise as so much of the core work of the Plan is already delivered by Music Services).  As Head of the Music Service Valerie Hayward applied for Hub funding, has drawn up proposals for governance and is now drafting its business plan etc.  

Nevertheless, as I’m sure you will readily appreciate, the whole point of setting up a Hub is to create a structure through which everyone with a practical commitment to delivering music education work of high quality can be efficiently networked to bring about comprehensive and coherent delivery of the plan.  A shared sense of ownership of the Hub’s plans, and clarity about how we can each play our part in shaping and delivering the Hub’s work, will be important giving us the best chance of the Wiltshire Hub achieving its full potential.  In an increasingly competitive funding climate, that in turn will be conducive to sustainability of our work.  It’s a collective enterprise! 

As with every other part of the country, the Hub is due to become active from September 2012.   Carrie Creamer of Wiltshire Youth Arts Partnership and myself for Wiltshire Music Centre Trust – both longstanding partners of Wiltshire Music Service – will serve on the Wiltshire Hub’s Strategic Reference Group, as will Helen Keal of Salisbury International Arts Festival representing Wiltshire Arts Promoters.   We will work together to help cultivate this ethos, encouraging all concerned to regard the Hub as a collective venture and to collaborate from the outset to help shape and deliver its plan.  It’s an exciting challenge and a real opportunity to work together as partners for the future of music education in Wiltshire.

Arts Council National Portfolio Organisations already delivering music education work are well aware of their role in helping to deliver the National Plan for Music Education.  Much excellent music education work is of course also delivered by other arts organisations across Wiltshire.  We want to ensure all this work is appropriately reflected and celebrated in the Hub’s plan.   It is the bedrock on which the Hub’s work will be built and hence our request for your help in gathering this information now.  Valerie’s Briefing Paper to WAP re the Wiltshire Music Hub is available for anyone who wants to see it.

At a recent meeting of Wiltshire Arts Promoters (WAP) Steering Group I undertook to liaise with Jo Beal to coordinate this information gathering exercise with her research work for SWAG.  The intention is to minimise the work you have to do providing data.

Once again, many thanks for your help with this. 

Keith Nimmo

for Wiltshire Music Connect and the SWAG Partnership
C/o Wiltshire Music Centre Trust Ltd
Ashley Road, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1DZ
Admin Line: (01225) 860110                  
Fax: (01225) 860111                             
Web: www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk