Embedding EDI into our 2024 Annual Conference

Here at Music Mark, we are always working to ensure that equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) remain the golden thread throughout all of our work. Whilst the theme of our 2024 annual conference was Sustainability in Music Education, many of the sessions across the two days found opportunities to keep the conversation around EDI going. 

Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason’s keynote on Tuesday afternoon touched on many aspects of sustainability in music education; environmental sustainability, sustainability of the live and classical music sectors, but also the importance of inclusion and diversity in creating a more sustainable world and music education sector. Her speech also highlighted the intersectionality of these discussions, such as how inclusion and environmental sustainability are coexisting challenges: 

“Climate change has been adversely affecting countries and communities in the global south for far longer and for many more decades than here. The devastation to what many Black people see as their home countries is heartbreaking and the consequences terrifying. (…) So why are Black climate protestors not the majority in the UK? Why does the image of the climate protester not look like us?”

Another striking point from Dr Kadiatu’s speech was on the treatment of EDI as a tickbox exercise: 

“A common approach I’ve noticed is to decide that diversity can mean many things completely interchangeably. If you are talking about diversity, it doesn’t matter whether you are talking about gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, disability – anything can stand in for another. We don’t have to be specific, which means we can ignore and not give voice to whoever we want. If you have included one of the above, you have put them all to bed.”

You can read the full transcript of Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason’s speech on the conference resources page. 

Many breakout sessions highlighted projects that champion inclusivity and accessibility in the music education sector. A few examples include Young Sounds’ session ‘A recipe for sustaining learning’, which explored their Furthering Talent and how it has supported young people facing a range of barriers in their musical learning. AMP and Brass Bands England shared details about their AMP Generators project, which was established to address gender equity in brass banding, supporting young women and non-binary people to develop their conducting skills with brass bands. And Music Education Solutions discussed their ‘Building Musical Confidence’ research project with Drums For Schools, investigating how the use of inclusive, culturally diverse instruments and associated teaching resources can make non-specialist teachers feel more confident, and therefore create a more sustainable approach to developing primary music nationwide.  

Konnie Huq’s keynote on Tuesday included personal reflections on her own music education, speaking about how much music education has changed since her own time at school. She wasn’t as proud of her heritage and the music of her culture when she was younger, wanting to ‘blend in’ rather than ‘stand out’. Now, whilst we still have some way to go, a more diverse music education landscape allows children and young people to be exposed to a wide variety of cultures, to understand their peers and their own cultures, and to be proud of their heritage as a result. Konnie also spoke about how outdoor extra-curricular musical opportunities, such as embedding music into community festivals and school picnics, is a fantastic way for children not only to engage with music education more, but to engage with their diverse local communities and their environment simultaneously. 

Three particularly memorable moments of the conference were of course the three performances which took place over the two days! The Robin Hood Youth Orchestra, Nottinghamshire Singing Hub Schools Primary Choir, and the Able Orchestra demonstrated the talent and diversity of young people across Nottinghamshire, and we were thrilled to have them join us. 

As well as incorporating EDI into the conference programme, we also worked to ensure that we made the conference itself as inclusive and accessible as possible. This included quiet spaces within the venue, the attendance of mental health First Aiders, including pronouns on name badges, and choosing an accessible venue. 

As ever, we will continue to ensure that EDI remains the golden thread throughout our work at Music Mark as we advocate for accessible and excellent musical learning and engagement for all children and young people, and as we plan future events including our 2025 Annual Conference.