Music Masters is deeply concerned by the Department for Education’s decision to remove funding for the music Initial Teacher Training (ITT) bursary—a vital gateway that helps aspiring music educators take their first step into teaching. This bursary has been a lifeline for many talented but financially challenged musicians, and its removal sends a troubling message: once again, music and the arts are being deprioritised.

While bursaries remain for subjects like maths and science, the comparatively low £10,000 bursary for trainee music teachers—and those for other creative Arts subjects—has been scrapped. This is a serious blow to efforts to recruit and rebuild the music teaching workforce, widening the gap between those who have the financial means to undertake training and those who don’t. The announcement comes at a worrying time, with the government’s Curriculum Review due this Autumn.

Music Masters CEO, Roz De Vile says “The crucial ingredient in delivering the change we seek in schools is undoubtedly music teachers. High-quality, inclusive music education cannot happen without them, and children’s lives can quite literally be changed by them.

But here’s the reality: we are in the midst of a recruitment and retention crisis. Music teachers are often expected to work for unsustainably low pay, on casual contracts, with little opportunity for career progression. This creates a cycle of financial insecurity and disillusionment that drives talented educators away. It’s completely at odds with the government’s stated aim of building a “quality and experienced workforce” as outlined in the National Plan for Music Education.

Without recognition, investment, and support, we risk losing a passionate, highly skilled workforce that is essential for equitable access to music education.”

Music Masters will continue to fight for the recognition and championing of the music education workforce, advocate for policy change, and provide practical support for music teachers through highly subsidised places and targeted bursaries on our Musicians of Change PGCEi course.

Find out more about why supporting the music teaching workforce matters in our latest report: Five Years of Musicians of Change.