MusicHE migrates to Music Mark, strengthening partnerships and solidarity in UK Music Education
6th November 2024
MusicHE members have voted unanimously in favour of a proposal to inject much-needed momentum into supporting, connecting and representing the value of music in UK higher education. The UK Association for Music Education, Music Mark, will become the central meeting place and support network for the academic staff, instrumental tutors and students that work and study in the higher music education sector. This exciting new phase will see existing MusicHE members take up membership in Music Mark instead, as MusicHE migrates to Music Mark.
With cuts and closures threatening the sustainability of the music education pipeline in the UK’s Higer Education sector, the need for urgent action and a step-change in how members are represented cannot come soon enough.
Roddy Hawkins, Chair of MusicHE:
“This is an exciting opportunity that was too good to turn down, and I’m delighted that our members agreed and voted for it unanimously. Some great work took place in MusicHE over the years, going back decades through its life as the National Association for Music in Higher Education. But times change and we need to change too in order to meet the scale of the challenges that are faced by those working in the creative arts and the arts and humanities.
It is crucial that we take this opportunity with both hands, work together and start to turn the tide on the brutal cuts and closures that colleagues have suffered in recent years. By ending MusicHE in one form, we can look forward to a much larger, better supported and engaged discussion as active members of Music Mark. I call on staff in all university departments, conservatoires and other institutions to ensure that their workplace joins us in this endeavour as part of this wider membership network.”
Bridget Whyte, CEO of Music Mark:
“It is very exciting to be able to strengthen our collective voice through welcoming MusicHE Members to join Music Mark following this decision. We are looking forward to not only providing support to individual HE departments and their staff teams, but also to connect them with their peers across the HE network and the wider music education ecology through our broad and diverse membership network. We also recognise that having the expertise and voice of higher education music within the membership will strengthen our ongoing advocacy to governments and arms length bodies of the importance of music as a subject of study from birth into adulthood, to feed the ever-growing UK music industries as well as to support wider skills and attributes recognised and valued by all employers.”
Music Mark will be supporting the higher music education sector with online peer groups and an annual meet up for UK higher education professionals to learn and connect. They will collaborate with higher education members to influence music policy, highlight sector research, and strengthen connections among universities, schools, music services, and industry partners.
