Music for all? An investigation into the effects of music service funding reforms on children from low-income families in Wales

The project aims to contribute to debates on the narrowing of the school curriculum in educational policy as well as debates on the effects of state funding cuts on existing socio-economic inequalities. Starting in 2011, several Local Authorities have significantly cut funded music tuition, affecting the ability of low-income families to access music tuition. Taking inspiration from previous research and national surveys on music services (Hallam & Prince, 2000; Hallam, Rogers, & Creech, 2005), the applicant plans to distribute questionnaires to heads of service and management teams to gather information on trends and patterns in financial support changes in Wales as well as aggregate information on the number and socio-economic background of pupils across different councils and Local Authorities. The results will then shape the in-depth interviews with a range of LA workers, heads of music services as well as parents and pupils. The focus will be on providing a nuanced picture of how Local Authorities manage educational budgets, how different levels of funding and cuts have impacted music providers' ability to recruit as well as the way in which providers and pupils from more disadvantaged backgrounds cope with different levels of financial support.