​Do Music Hubs just provide music lessons?

 

No. Music Hubs are responsible for a much broader offer than instrumental lessons. Depending on the area, this can include:

• Whole Class Ensemble Teaching (WCET)

• Ensembles, choirs and progression routes

• Teacher CPD

• Inclusion and SEND programmes

• Events, performances and festivals

• Loans/hire of instruments

• Careers and industry pathways

• Partnerships with community and arts organisations

​Teaching is one part of a much bigger picture.

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How can children become musicians via
Whole Class Ensemble Tuition (WCET)?

 

WCET gives every child a fair starting point. Children learn:

• How music works (pulse, rhythm, pitch, notation)

• How to play an instrument together

• How to perform, listen and create

• How to work as a team

After this, pathways open: small-group lessons, ensembles, choirs, digital music, composition or community music.​ WCET isn’t the end of learning — it’s the foundation that opens the door to musicianship.

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Are Music Hubs Responsible for Music in Schools?

 

Hubs support music in schools but do not have authority over the curriculum.
Schools are responsible for:

• Delivering the National Curriculum for Music

• Staffing and timetabling

• Resourcing classroom music

Hubs are responsible for supporting schools through CPD, guidance, partnership working and additional opportunities.

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Have Music Hubs Caused the Decline in
Instrument Take-up?

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No — the national decline began long before Music Hubs were created.
Multiple factors are known to affect take-up, including:

• School funding pressures

• Fewer curriculum music specialists

• Timetable restrictions

• Rising costs of living

• Wider changes in children’s extracurricular habits

Music Hubs actually work to reverse the decline by offering low-cost activities, subsidised opportunities, beginner pathways and community partnerships.

 

What is the role of a Hub Lead Organisation (HLO)?

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The Hub Lead Organisation coordinates the entire Music Hub for the Tees Valley. It manages the funding, ensures we meet national requirements, supports partnerships, oversees quality, and works with schools and organisations to design a local offer that meets the needs of children and young people.

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How is the Music Hub funded? 

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Music Hubs are funded by the Department for Education via Arts Council England. The funding is specifically ringfenced for the National Plan for Music Education. It does not cover every cost of teaching in schools, so Hubs operate a mixture of funded activity, subsidised activity, and traded services to ensure sustainability.

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Why do schools have to pay for music services?

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Hub funding supports strategic work, Whole Class tuition and partnerships, but it isn’t designed to cover all teaching or staffing. Schools pay for instrumental lessons and some services because these are additional to the statutory curriculum and require tutors, resources and instruments. We work hard to keep these costs as low as possible.

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Why do different schools get different levels of support?

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Support varies based on what each school books, the size of their needs, staffing availability, and the balance of demand across the Tees Valley. We prioritise fairness, meaning we distribute opportunities in ways that ensure access for all children — not just those in the largest or best-resourced schools.

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How do you ensure EDI across the Tees Valley?

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We make sure children from all backgrounds can access music by providing subsidised programmes, working closely with SEND and AP settings, supporting rural and coastal communities, and offering a variety of pathways for different interests and abilities. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do.

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How do you work with community partners and venues?​

 

Our Hub includes local venues, universities and colleges, theatres, cultural organisations and charities. These partners help us deliver performances, projects, workshops and creative opportunities across the Tees Valley.​

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How can parents and schools give feedback or get involved?

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We actively welcome feedback to help shape our service. Schools and parents can contact us directly, respond to surveys, join consultation events or participate in focus groups. We want our Hub to be built with the community, not just for it.

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Is a 'Music Hub' what we used to call a 'Music Service'?

 

Not exactly. Music Services still exist, but a Music Hub is a wider partnership led by a Hub Lead Organisation (HLO). Music Services often deliver lessons, ensembles and support, but the Hub also includes partners such as schools, venues, arts organisations, local authority teams, charities and community groups. In short: A Music Service provides teaching. A Music Hub coordinates an ecosystem.

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Why Won't My Hub Do What My Child/School Wants?

 

It’s rarely a case of “won’t” — usually it’s a case of capacity, cost or statutory priorities. Hubs must balance:

• Limited funding

• Large geographical areas

• Equitable access across all schools

• National requirements from the DfE and ACE

​Your Hub may not be able to offer everything, but they will always try to help or signpost to a partner who can. The aim is to ensure fairness, sustainability and the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

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Every Hub receives a different level of DfE funding, based on local population and deprivation data. Some areas have larger budgets or long-established infrastructures, meaning they can offer more services. Others must prioritise statutory requirements first:

• WCET

• Progression routes

• CPD (where possible)

• Inclusion

• Working with schools

​Hubs aren't identical — they adapt to the needs, geography and funding of their local area.​​