There are many different strands to music education, with many young people interacting with different strands at different times as they pursue their personal pathway into music.

It is useful to organise the different kinds of music education, so that young people and their parents or guardians are fully aware of what support is available at different stages. Mapping music education in this way also means that educators working in one strand will have a better understanding of what is happening in other strands, and can therefore sign-post other relevant support to their students.

There are different ways to organise music education.

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We can organise music education by provider.

We organise music education providers into three big categories.

First, regional formal education. These are institutions and organisations based in specific locations around the country that are first and foremost education providers, or organisations that exist to support young people.

They often (though not always) offer formal programmes of tuition, sometimes to a fixed curriculum with an accompanying qualification.

This would include schools, further education colleges, universities, music instrument tuition, as well as youth and talent development organisations that offer music-specific programmes.

Second, institutions that support those providing formal education. These may be regional too, though they may also be national organisations. This includes the regional music education hubs or music education services, plus exam boards, music education conferences and music education representative bodies.

Third, informal and industry-led education. This includes digital platforms that provide relevant information and resources, freelance educators and mentors that work with early-career artists, initiatives and programmes run by the music industry’s trade bodies, and training aimed at those already working in the music industry.

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We can organise music education by the age of the student.

This might also reference school years, ‘key stages’ of the English national curriculum, or the ‘qualification levels’ used in the UK.

Organising music education in this way illustrates what kinds of support are available for young people as they work their way through the formal education system.

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We can organise music education by method and outcome.

Framework-based education involves learning structured around a specific programme or curriculum, and often has a specific qualification attached. Usually all students work through the programme at the same pace.

In music, GCSEs, A-Levels, BTECs and university degrees would be good examples of framework-based education.

Practice-based education involves learning based around honing creative skills – eg playing an instrument, writing and composing music, producing music, or creating other kinds of music content.

This learning may also involve earning qualifications – such as music instrument tuition based around sitting exams and earning grade certificates – but each learner usually works their way through a programme at their own pace.

Outcome-based education involves learning accessed by people to achieve a specific outcome at a specific time, possibly a very specific outcome, to help them achieve a music-making or career objective, so they can move along their own pathway into music.

When we talk about music education, we are often more focused on framework-based and practice-based education. However, most young people will also be concurrently relying on outcome-based education, even if they don’t realise it.

For example, they will be utilising online resources – whether websites, blog posts, podcasts, or YouTube or TikTok videos – to help them create music, build fanbase and release tracks, and to more generally expand their knowledge of music-making and the music industry.

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