It’s never too late to start learning a musical instrument. It’s never too late to start singing in a choir. It’s never too late to start reaping the rewards of making music by yourself and with other people. It’s never too late to enrich your life through the power of music.

I teach music in the hope that the lives of some of the young people I teach will be utterly transformed with the same positivity and longevity that mine has been due to Music Education. It won’t happen to all of them, but I work tirelessly in the hope that it’ll be most of them.

Music in schools isn’t a luxury - it’s a linchpin of educational success.

Someone’s day at school was made better because of music. Someone’s day at work was made better because of music. Someone’s weekend will be made better because of music. So many things are made better because of music.

There are so many things I love about Music Education. One of them is how it embraces and ignites the outliers. It embraces those who struggle to build friendships and it ignites those who don’t excel academically. It provides young people with a foundation on which to flourish.

Young people who struggle with more ‘traditional’ subjects often flourish in the areas deemed as ‘extra’. Music is one such area. Young people are often unrecognisable in music to how they are outside of it. Music helps many young people to find their place and to shine bright.

Being able to play a musical instrument really is a gift for life: 🧵 When someone starts to learn a musical instrument, they gain another voice and a wonderful means of expression. (1/7)

Everything education leaders want to achieve by reducing music is actually achieved by increasing it. When music is at the heart of education, everything improves.

Music helps calm nerves. Music helps to psych us up. Music helps bring friends together. Music helps provide a meaningful purpose. Music helps provide a sanctuary and safe space. Music helps provide an emotional outlet. Music helps people get through the day like nothing else.

While many young people can’t wait to leave school, those in music ensembles dread their final rehearsals and their final performances. Why? Because music is so much more than just a subject - it’s a place of belonging and a place of meaning. It’s somewhere that means so much.

Music Education is for life. It’s for our personal lives. It’s for our social lives. It’s for our family lives. It’s for our professional lives. It’s for the challenges and the celebrations in our lives. It’s for whatever is needed in our lives. Music helps us get through life.

Learning an instrument helps improve health and wellbeing. Joining a choir helps improve health and wellbeing. Joining a music ensemble helps improve health and wellbeing. Making music with other people helps improve health and wellbeing. Music helps improve health and wellbeing.

If someone is struggling academically, they should learn a musical instrument. If someone is struggling socially, they should learn a musical instrument. If someone is struggling with their health and wellbeing, they should learn a musical instrument. Music is often the answer.

Not every young person we teach goes on to study music. Not every young person we teach goes on to make a living from music. That’s ok. Every young person we teach takes music with them into life after school. Having music in your life is a priceless gift of immeasurable benefit.

Music Education is personal education - you learn about yourself and what you can achieve. It’s also social education - you learn about working and interacting with others. It’s also wellbeing education - you learn how important it is to have an enriching and comforting purpose.

Before learning an instrument and joining music ensembles, many young people struggle to find a purpose and to build friendships. Music changes all of this for them. It fills their lives with purpose, wonderful people, and a vital sense of belonging. Music is so important.

The many wonderful things that are considered ‘extra’ in our schools are often more fundamental to the development of young people than those things that are considered ‘core’. We need to educate the whole child, and that involves music and all of the performing arts.