Have your say on future of Central Bedfordshire's Inspiring Music - as lessons face 'rising costs' and membership decline

People are urged to have their say on the future of Inspiring Music in Central Bedfordshire, as attendance "has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels".

The service has been providing lessons in schools and local music centres for nearly 40 years, ensuring young people have access to quality music education.

However, due to “financial pressures and a drop in membership”, the council is reviewing how the service operates.

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A Central Bedfordshire Council spokesman, said: "The service currently runs three music centres, in Ampthill, Biggleswade, and Leighton-Linslade. Each location offers four music sessions on a Saturday, which are open to people of all ages and levels of experience.

A performance from a children's orchestra string section. Image: Adobe Stock.placeholder image
A performance from a children's orchestra string section. Image: Adobe Stock.

"Sadly, while the service successfully moved online during the Covid-19 pandemic, in person attendance has not fully recovered despite efforts to boost membership.

"At the same time, rising costs – for staff, equipment and other costs associated with hosting the music centres – and funding which hasn’t increased since 2016, have led to a financial shortfall of nearly £40,000 per year.

"This shortfall means the service is unable to support some projects, as funding is being redirected to cover other costs. It has also led to a shortage of tutors, and the limited budget means the service is unable to expand its offering by investing in new instruments and music activities."

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The council is proposing a new model: a music hub in a central location – such as Ampthill – would offer Saturday morning sessions with specialist tutors.

Meanwhile, smaller satellite centres in larger towns across Central Bedfordshire – such as Biggleswade, Dunstable, and Leighton-Linslade – would provide after school music programs.

Councillor Steve Owen, executive member for children’s services, said: “The future of the music service is not in doubt; we still want to provide access to music lessons across Central Bedfordshire.

"However, we do need to think carefully about how we provide this going forward.

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“The proposed new model will help us to reduce costs, make lessons more convenient for families, and expand the types of music on offer to better reflect young people’s interests. All this will help us keep the service sustainable over the coming years, so it’s accessible to residents.”

People are being asked to take part in a consultation on the future of Inspiring Music’s offering, and the proposal to reconfigure its music centres.

The four week consultation is now live and closes on Sunday, March 30.

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