Ed Sheeran leads a call for £250m long-term music education funding in the UK
Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, Coldplay, Stromzy and 500 others have signed an open letter demanding government funding to support UK music education and training initiatives.
Ed Sheeran has penned an open letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and UK government officials, calling for immediate long-term funding for music education in the UK.
The letter, which has garnered over 500 signatures from across the music industry including Harry Styles, Central Cee, Coldplay, Stormzy, and Elton John, appeals for £250 million in funding to support music education across the country.
Following the launch of the Ed Sheeran Foundation in January 2025, the campaign focuses on five key areas: music funding in schools, training for music teachers, funding for grassroots venues and spaces, music apprenticeships, and establishing a diverse music curriculum.
'I launched the Ed Sheeran Foundation because I believe in the importance of music and that music education should be accessible to all. When I was at school, music gave me purpose, it helped with my mental health, it bought me and many others joy, and it gave me my career,' Sheeran says.
'Over recent months, I've been lucky enough to meet, speak and listen to a number of young kids and teachers across the UK, and it's confirmed to me that music education is suffering. There's so much talent out there, so much passion but these kids don't have the support to realise their dreams of entering the music industry, and I wanted to write this letter on behalf of them.'
The Ed Sheeran Foundation, launched at the start of 2025, has already supported 18 grassroots music education organisations and state school music departments, reaching over 12,000 children and young people. The foundation marked its launch with Sheeran visiting young people, teachers, and youth workers in Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh and Belfast.
The music industry contributes £7.6 billion to the UK economy annually. The open letter addresses multiple government departments, including Culture, Education, Foreign Office, Health & Social Care and Business & Trade, calling for a cross-departmental taskforce to provide focused attention and funding for music education.
The letter reads:
The letter, which has garnered over 500 signatures from across the music industry including Harry Styles, Central Cee, Coldplay, Stormzy, and Elton John, appeals for £250 million in funding to support music education across the country.
Following the launch of the Ed Sheeran Foundation in January 2025, the campaign focuses on five key areas: music funding in schools, training for music teachers, funding for grassroots venues and spaces, music apprenticeships, and establishing a diverse music curriculum.
'I launched the Ed Sheeran Foundation because I believe in the importance of music and that music education should be accessible to all. When I was at school, music gave me purpose, it helped with my mental health, it bought me and many others joy, and it gave me my career,' Sheeran says.
'Over recent months, I've been lucky enough to meet, speak and listen to a number of young kids and teachers across the UK, and it's confirmed to me that music education is suffering. There's so much talent out there, so much passion but these kids don't have the support to realise their dreams of entering the music industry, and I wanted to write this letter on behalf of them.'
The Ed Sheeran Foundation, launched at the start of 2025, has already supported 18 grassroots music education organisations and state school music departments, reaching over 12,000 children and young people. The foundation marked its launch with Sheeran visiting young people, teachers, and youth workers in Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh and Belfast.
The music industry contributes £7.6 billion to the UK economy annually. The open letter addresses multiple government departments, including Culture, Education, Foreign Office, Health & Social Care and Business & Trade, calling for a cross-departmental taskforce to provide focused attention and funding for music education.
The letter reads:
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