The future of orchestras begins with our children

Highfield’s Director of Music calls for wider access to orchestral music to inspire future musicians.

 

By Jessica Harman, Director of Music.

Silence. That may well be what the orchestras of tomorrow sound like.

As Director of Music at Highfield School, I am very fortunate to work in a school where music is taught every week from Nursery through to Year 8. We have a large team of specialists in the music department delivering lessons and ensembles each week, including a school orchestra. That is fantastic, but it is not the case for lots of children. Nationally, there is a real problem with orchestral numbers dropping, and I think we need to act now if we want to continue having the amazing orchestras that we are so lucky to enjoy today.



Why is orchestral Music declining in UK schools?

There are several reasons why orchestral music is declining. Music hubs have traditionally received funding that they could use to subsidise lessons and send instrumental teachers into schools. The problem is that government funding for music hubs has stayed roughly the same for about a decade. That might not sound too bad, but once you take inflation into account, it is actually a significant cut. Music Mark estimates that the grant would need to be around £100 million today just to have kept pace with inflation since 2019. Instead, it is £76 million.

Typically, schools and music hubs would each contribute towards the cost of lessons, with families paying the remaining amount at a reduced rate. That model has become increasingly difficult to sustain. Teachers are not being paid enough, and if there are only two children in a school wanting to learn an instrument, it may not be financially viable for a teacher to travel there.

We are also seeing a real difference in the amount of music children receive in school. Music is sometimes put on a rotation with other subjects, so children might get six weeks of music in a year rather than a lesson every week. There are music teachers in state schools who are desperate to give children a music lesson every week, but schools are not always able to prioritise it.

That is a huge problem in itself. If music is being taught by non-specialists, or if specialist teachers cannot get into schools because there is not enough funding, children are not necessarily getting the opportunity to develop their musical skills properly.

If we do not try to promote orchestral instruments and make sure that children have access to them then we are going to lose them. We will not have music teachers of the future because they will not have had the chance to learn an instrument in the first place. It will become elitist.

What are the benefits of playing in an orchestra for children?

When children are learning an instrument, one of the things that is so brilliant about playing in an ensemble is that it is not about you. It is about the overall sound and understanding how your part fits within the whole piece. Sometimes you might be playing something that seems quite boring to you, but when you put it with everybody else, you realise that you might be playing the bass part and underpinning the whole thing. Being one small cog in a much bigger machine is often what gives them that lovely buzz at the end of a concert.

You also have to be able to keep going. If you lose your place or make a mistake, you cannot simply stop. You have to recover and continue with your part. That resilience is something you only really learn in those kinds of situations. It is a little bit like sport. The game has to continue, whatever has happened, and you have to work out how to get past it. Music teaches exactly the same thing.

Another wonderful thing is that you are suddenly playing alongside people who may be further along in their musical journey. If you are a Grade 1 player sitting next to a Grade 8 player, you are going to pick up so much from them. You will naturally start to absorb the way they shape phrases and use dynamics, and your musicianship can grow enormously, even while you are still playing relatively simple music.

For some children, playing in an ensemble is what really makes them enthusiastic about their instrument. But if the youth orchestras they can join outside school only accept children from around Grade 4 upwards, some may lose interest before they ever reach that point.

There is also a huge amount that children gain from the process of learning an instrument. You are often doing three things at once: blowing into something, moving your fingers and reading the music. You have to concentrate, listen and coordinate all of those things together.

How to make a change

There is no easy answer, particularly for teachers working in schools where funding and resources are limited. It cannot be that one person is trying to fight this on their own. We have got to look at the much bigger picture.

There are, however, practical steps schools can take.

• Build relationships with organisations that already have musicians and ensembles. Military bands and professional musicians may be able to visit schools, lead workshops or perform for pupils, so it is worth exploring what exists close by.
• Speak to the community music service and ask what is affecting its ability to provide lessons. Is it funding, the number of pupils wanting to learn, or the travelling involved? Understanding the problem locally can help schools find a practical solution.
• Look at what you already have. If there is no orchestra, there might be a recorder group, which still teaches children to read music, work as a team and play together. The recorder can also lead on to the flute, oboe or saxophone. We need to recognise that some children may not have access to an orchestral instrument at the moment, but they may have access to a recorder.
• Try games that develop ensemble skills. For example, children could play percussion in teams, each playing particular notes on specific beats. Because the music continues around them, they learn to keep going if they make a mistake and to wait for their turn.It is better than nothing.

But I think the problem we have got is that we cannot be going for a “better than nothing” approach.

There should be a music specialist, and children should have access to learn these wonderful instruments. “Better than nothing” can be a starting point, but it cannot be where we stop.

Families do not have to be musical themselves to make a difference. I would encourage parents to look out for concerts aimed at children. Many concert venues, festivals, libraries and community organisations offer performances, workshops and opportunities for children to meet musicians. These events can make orchestral music feel more in reach. I would also say that parents should not necessarily choose an instrument for a child simply because it is the one they happen to have at home. Piano and guitar can feel more familiar, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with learning either of them, but children should also have the chance to see orchestral instruments and decide what interests them.I think it is very much about what you grow up listening to and what you see as a normal thing to do. If children regularly see orchestral instruments and people playing them, they are more likely to imagine themselves doing it.

What we are doing at Highfield: the Haslemere Festival Youth Music project

I had already been thinking about how we could increase the amount of orchestral playing happening locally. Working with the Royal Military School of Music, we began planning an orchestral play day at Highfield, where pupils from local schools could rehearse and take part in workshops alongside professional military musicians.

At around the same time, Haslemere Festival approached us about starting a youth music project. The festival takes place every two years and had traditionally showcased adult performers, so they were keen to give young musicians a platform. It felt like the perfect opportunity to combine the two. We knew how busy people are, and we did not want to simply announce a youth orchestra and expect children to come from everywhere. Instead, we wanted different schools to get involved, bringing their orchestral players together for a shared project.

The project begins with the orchestral play day at Highfield School in Liphook on Tuesday 6th October 2026, followed by further rehearsals and a final performance at Haslemere Hall in May 2027. We did not want it to be a one-day experience. We wanted children to become familiar with ensemble playing, work with musicians from other schools and build their confidence along the way.

Some children may play in an ensemble at a local music centre, but not everybody can necessarily afford that, and it can be more expensive if you have never experienced playing in one before. A child might play in an all-violins group, for example, but they may not have played with brass instruments or experienced a full orchestra.

That is what makes this project so exciting.

Making orchestral music accessible to every child

We have contacted lots of primary schools. Some have a really strong programme of orchestral instruments, while in others hardly anything is happening. It is very noticeable, and this is where we have got to try to make a difference. The project includes children playing orchestral instruments as well as recorder players. We wanted to recognise that, for some children, the recorder may be their way into ensemble music.

We are sending schools a recorder piece to learn independently, and our recorder teacher will offer additional coaching. A class teacher may be a keen musician but not necessarily a specialist to the same standard, so the extra support can help the children prepare the piece confidently. We want every child to feel that they can be a musician and that they have a place within the project.

Another really wonderful part of this project is that all the music is being arranged by Sarah Craven, our orchestra director. She is taking information from the schools about the instruments being played and the ability of each child, and she is writing every part to suit those children. But she is not simply making the music easy. She is putting a little bit of challenge into everybody’s part so that it is just harder than what they may be used to playing. Every child will therefore be doing something that has been tailor-made for them. That is really special.

Why we need to act now to protect children’s Music education

We are incredibly lucky to have these amazing professional orchestras. We can watch the BBC Proms and hear fantastic musicians, but in order to have those orchestras in the future, children need access to music education now. It is not enough for children simply to see an orchestra. They need to be able to learn the instruments, receive affordable lessons and play in groups. This is not just about creating future professional musicians. It is about giving children the chance to experience the joy of making music with other people, to develop resilience, to listen, to contribute to something larger.

The Haslemere Festival Youth Music project is one small contribution to a much bigger issue, but it is a practical one. It brings schools together, connects children with professional musicians and gives pupils the opportunity to go from not being in an orchestra at all to performing with an army band at Haslemere Hall.

That is the kind of experience that can stay with a child for a very long time. And it is why we need to start now.

October 2026