ABRSM, the world’s leading authority on musical assessment, is to sponsor the Federation of Music Services (FMS) for the academic year September 2010 to August 2011. John Witchell, Chief Executive of FMS, announced the sponsorship agreement at the FMS Conference 2010 in Belfast (16–18 June). The grant will support the ongoing promotion and provision of the 12- month FMS course “Rising with the tide: managing and leading music services in the 21st century”.

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The Federation of Music Services (FMS), the organisation that represents all music services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, has announced that Virginia Haworth-Galt is to become its new Chief Executive. She takes up the post on the 9th August 2010.

Ms Haworth-Galt is the first FMS chief executive to come from outside the world of music services and her appointment signals a mood of change within the music education sector as budgets come under scrutiny and streamlining of services moves into sharper focus. (more…)

Mayor’s music education fund

A £100,000 grant was announced this week to seed fund partnerships between local authority music services and orchestras and ensembles in London.  The programme will open in May 2010 and will cover projects in the academic year September 2010 to July 2011.  The aim is to give young people the experience of working with professional musicians, encouraging them to make music in ensembles whilst helping to raise their musical aspirations.  It will also strengthen and deepen the partnership working between London’s music services and the orchestral sector.  The fund will be administered by the GLA in partnership with the Federation of Music Services’ London region, and working closely in the first instance with the Association of British Orchestras (ABO). 

The GLA Music Education Programme steering board will be chaired by Karen Brock, Head of Tower Hamlets Arts and Music Education Service (THAMES).

You can download a copy of the GLA Music Education Strategy here:

Making Music Matter - Music Education Strategy for London 2010-2012

A unique collaboration of 14 West Midlands Music Services, which form the National Sing up Project West Midlands Consortium, was rewarded with a successful Sing Up event held on Monday 26 January at Birmingham’s prestigious Symphony Hall.

The combined event involved over a 3500 KS1 and 2 young singers, and nearly 500 teachers and other adults as part of a huge CPD input, in two singing workshops led by vocal supremo, Lin Marsh, together with singing leaders from each of the authorities. (more…)