Southern Music Hub Alliance (led by Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival)

‘Our Future Music’ aims to increase musical engagement, progression and achievement for disadvantaged children and young people across the South-East region.  We are developing more inclusive practice within five Music Education Hubs that form the Southern Music Hub Alliance.

This project brings together key partners from across the region to address barriers to music making for children and young people aged 0-19 with special educational needs/disability, in challenging circumstances and/or from economically deprived or culturally poor areas. Our aim is to deliver the programme in a collaborative, innovative and sustainable way.

The five music hubs are:

• Brighton & Hove Music & Arts/SoundCity (lead partner)
• East Sussex Music Hub
• Kent Music
• Surrey Music Hub
• West Sussex Music

Our Future Music is establishing a 10-year strategy built on three strategic pillars, designed to increase musical engagement, social mobility and community cohesion:

• A strategic approach to training and professional development for our present and future workforce, supporting music leaders to develop more inclusive approaches.
• A new model of community-based music spaces, putting young people at the heart of developing music programmes in their own communities.
• A regional structure of inclusive ensembles, promoting progression routes for children and young people with special educational needs/disability and/or in challenging circumstances.

Music Education Hubs are working with a wide range of partners to deliver these activities, bringing together music practitioners, youth services and local authorities (SEN/D teams) working alongside each other in multi-disciplinary teams. Through this programme we have developed a partnership with University of Sussex to evaluate the activities, working with a PhD student. In addition, they will carry out research into the impact of engaging in arts activities on wellbeing, in collaboration with Our Future City (the Cultural Education Partnership in Brighton & Hove).