Arts Council England has confirmed that Black Country will become one of 43 centers taking part in an ambitious national plan to deliver high-quality music education to all children and young people.
Dudley Council has been appointed as the lead organization for the centre, and will work with Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton Council’s music services and Sandwell’s SIPS music and education service .
It will receive £1.9m from the Department for Education to co-ordinate music education in the area. It will invest in new instruments, equipment and technology to meet the needs of Black Country children and young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
The center will support schools in continuing to offer individual and group music lessons and provide opportunities for children and young people to play in bands and orchestras.
It will also support orchestral lessons in schools, with all children and young people in the class able to learn to play an instrument.
Chris Jones, head of education, SEND and family solutions at Dudley Council, said: “We welcome this news and I’m delighted we are leading this work in the Black Country.
“Through the new centre, we hope to share best practice with colleagues across the region and provide more opportunities for all children and young people to be creative and engage with music.”
Brian Cape, chief executive of SIPS Education, added: “We are delighted to formally join forces with Dudley, Wolverhampton and Walsall Council to create the Black Country Music Centre.
“We look forward to strengthening our already strong neighborliness and collaboration to benefit colleagues and students while giving Black Country a strong voice on the national stage.”
