\n<\/p>\n
Ed Sheeran has taken partial credit for the government\u2019s move to overhaul the teaching of music in England\u2019s state schools shortly after being mentioned by the education secretary in parliament.<\/p>\n
The Department for Education (DfE) said it wanted to broaden the appeal of music education \u201cto give every child a strong start in the subject\u201d and boost the creative subjects taken at GCSE as part of its wider changes to England\u2019s national curriculum.<\/p>\n
The proposals were applauded by the arts sector and Sheeran highlighted his contribution on social media in the form of an open letter to Keir Starmer sent in January.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the help of the letter and everyone who signed it, I\u2019m happy to say that some of the key points we raised have been recognised by the government today, marking the first change to the music curriculum in over 10 years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis involves diversifying the music genres taught in schools and removing outdated systems that stop kids from studying music and the arts as part of their school day. These changes give young people hope and the opportunity to study music.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout the encouragement I received in school, especially from my music teacher, I wouldn\u2019t be a musician today, and I know so many of my peers feel the same,\u201d Sheeran, who went to Thomas Mills state high school in Suffolk, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy music education went beyond learning and playing. It helped me find confidence in myself, and music itself was \u2013 and still is \u2013 so important for my mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n
The letter was organised through Sheeran\u2019s personal foundation and backed by more than 600 artists, organisations and cultural figures including Paloma Faith, Stormzy, Elton John and Coldplay.<\/p>\n
The changes were unveiled in the government\u2019s response to the curriculum and assesment review published this week by Prof Becky Francis.<\/p>\n
The education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, referenced Sheeran\u2019s support on Wednesday when she told MPs: \u201cOur creative industries are a source of such national pride but as Ed Sheeran has said so powerfully, we can\u2019t continue to lead on the world stage without a broad base in our schools at home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe arts should be for all, not just a lucky few, and we\u2019ll revitalise arts education, putting it back at the heart of a rich and broad curriculum.\u201d<\/p>\n
The curriculum review argues that schools don\u2019t have enough time to pursue creative subjects, with the government offering changes to performance measures that would encourage takeup of arts GCSEs including music, dance and drama by scrapping the more academic English baccalaureate (Ebacc) suite of subjects mandated by Michael Gove when he was education secretary.<\/p>\n
The Royal Shakespeare Company said the changes would make a material difference to young people\u2019s lives, while the head of the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM), Deborah Annetts, said it was a historic moment.<\/p>\n
skip past newsletter promotion<\/p>\n
Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n
Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.<\/span><\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ebacc has done immeasurable damage to music and creative subjects and that\u2019s why ISM has been determinedly campaigning against it since it was introduced back in 2010,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The chief executive of Arts Council England, Darren Henley, called it \u201ca great day for the next generation of creative talent\u201d.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cSubjects like art and design, dance, drama and music play a unique role in nurturing fully rounded human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n The government also announced that pupils in England would be taught to \u201ccritically engage\u201d with social media posts on TikTok and Instagram as part of media literacy lessons to be added to the national curriculum.<\/p>\n The DfE said that analysing blogs or social media posts was considered \u201ca key skill in terms of media literacy and weighing up evidence, or learning to identify fake news\u201d.<\/p>\n The government is also considering a new modern foreign languages qualification before GCSEs that could motivate pupils \u201cto continue studying and developing their language abilities\u201d.<\/p>\n