Lincolnshire-based Pianist magazine urges local families to check music lesson support after national report finds low Music Hub awareness
Pianist magazine and The European Piano Teachers Association UK say families should not need insider knowledge to find lessons, borrow instruments or keep children playing
Families across Lincolnshire are being encouraged to check what music support is available locally, after a national evaluation found that most parents still do not know their local Music Hub exists.
The call comes from Lincolnshire-based Pianist magazine, which is based in Bourne and has analysed government, parliamentary and Arts Council records to estimate that approximately £1.05bn has been allocated to Music Hubs / Music Education Hubs in England since 2012.
But the Department for Education-backed evaluation of the restructured Music Hubs programme found that only 35% of parents knew about their local Music Hub, while 52% had never heard of one. Among pupils, only 30% knew about their local Hub.
In Lincolnshire, the local Hub is the Lincolnshire Music Education Hub. Lincolnshire Music Service is the lead organisation of the Hub and is part-funded by the Department for Education.
Pianist magazine says the issue is not whether Music Hubs are doing useful work. They are. The problem is visibility. If families do not know what a Music Hub is, they may not know where to ask about lessons, instrument hire, bursaries, ensembles, school support or low-cost routes into learning.
Erica Worth, Editor of Pianist magazine, said:
“More than £1bn has helped create a music education network reaching thousands of schools.
“But if most parents do not know their local Music Hub exists, the system is still too difficult to navigate.”
Music Hubs were introduced after the first National Plan for Music Education, which stated that children from all backgrounds and every part of England should have the chance to learn an instrument, make music with others, learn to sing and progress if they wished.
More than a decade later, the Hubs are reaching large numbers of children, but awareness and access remain uneven.
The Department for Education-backed evaluation found that Hubs are valued by schools, teachers, parents and pupils. It also found low awareness among families, funding pressure, workforce issues, geographical barriers and uneven partnership working.
The scale of the national programme is substantial. In 2023/24, Music Hubs supported more than 20,000 schools, delivered whole-class ensemble teaching to more than 808,000 pupils, facilitated lessons for nearly 482,000 pupils and provided more than 203,000 instrument loans.
Penelope Roskell, Chair at EPTA UK, said:
“Piano teachers see this gap all the time. Children are interested in music, but parents often do not know the next step.
“They may not know whether their school works with a Music Hub, whether instrument loans are available, whether lessons can be subsidised or what local opportunities exist outside the classroom.”
In 2025, The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, ABRSM, published its Making Music research, which suggested that children have not turned away from music. It found that 84% of children say music is important for their mental health and wellbeing and 69% currently or previously played a musical instrument.
But the same research found that ages 12 and 15 are key points where children stop learning instruments. It also found that 29% of non-learners say cost is the main barrier.
Low awareness may make that cost barrier worse, because families may not know that subsidised lessons or instrument loans are available.
Pianist magazine says piano and keyboard instruments still sit at the centre of much music learning. ABRSM’s research found that 85% of music learners practise on a piano or keyboard. Its 2025 report also found that piano is the most common first instrument in regular private or after-school lessons.
Penelope added:
“The first step into playing should not depend on whether a parent already understands the music education system.
“For piano in particular, early encouragement matters. A child does not need a grand piano or a perfect routine to begin. They need access, guidance and a way to make small, regular progress.”
Pianist magazine has made a free piano starter pack available for families and adult beginners who want a practical first step.
The free piano starter pack is available at: https://mail.pianistmagazine.com/p/73DN-OAK/piano-resources
The magazine says the resources are not intended to replace schools or teachers. They are meant to help people start, return to the piano or support a child between lessons.
Erica Worth, Editor of Pianist magazine, added:
“Even ten minutes of regular practice can give a beginner a useful starting point.”