3 days ago
13
March 26, 2025 | 02:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Ed Sheeran has received support from fellow musicians regarding his plea for additional funding for music education. The artists involved include Elton John, Coldplay, Harry Styles, Stormzy, and Central Cee. They are backing Ed Sheeran's call for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to provide a fund of 250 million or Rp 5.3 trillion for music education.
As the founder of the newly launched Suffolk Music Foundation, he campaigns for music funding in schools, training for music teachers, funding for venues and spaces, music internships, and a more diverse music curriculum.
"As an industry, we generate 7.6 billion for the UK economy, but the next generation is not there to take over. Last year was the first time in over 20 years without a single British single or album in the top 10 global charts," he wrote in a letter to the prime minister, quoted from The Guardian. Ed Sheeran also asks the government to collaborate with all departments to ensure that music education remains a top priority.
Ed Sheeran's Concern for Music Educatio
In the same letter, Ed Sheeran also noted that state schools, which educate 93 percent of the country's children, have experienced a 21 percent decline in music provision. "We also need you to support music education. Artists and the industry cannot perform on the world stage for Britain without schools, youth clubs, and home stage," he wrote.
According to a 2025 report from the English music education association, Music Mark, the Labour government has inherited a 161.4 million shortfall in the budget for the future of music education over the next five years. Before winning the 2024 general election, Keir Starmer was a former child flautist. He once spoke of the joy of traveling with his youth orchestra, and he also told Classic FM that he passionately wanted to reverse the degradation of creative arts and music in state schools.
Previously, Ed Sheeran also advocated for public funding for music in schools in 2023. He joined in signing a letter from Andrew Lloyd Webber to Starmer and Rishi Sunak, calling for funding to enhance the work of Lloyd Webber's music education charity, Music in Secondary Schools Trust, which provides free musical instruments and weekly music lessons in less privileged schools.
Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation
The Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation is a charitable music foundation aimed at assisting young people under 18 years old, residing in Suffolk, England, to learn or play music. Donations received are used to purchase musical instruments, fund music studies, or pay for rehearsal space.
As reported by Rolling Stone, Ed Sheeran announced the foundation's launch on Instagram on Thursday, January 9, 2025. In the post, he shared an old video recording from his childhood. "It was fantastic for my mental health as a child, to feel purpose and achievement, even just learning the piano or cello at a young age long before writing songs," he said in the video. "I want kids to be able to learn musical instruments, learn production and songwriting, perform, and have an internship scheme that helps them learn a variety of skills to enter this industry." Ed Sheeran, inspired to establish the foundation after realizing the extent to which music education is no longer prioritized in schools.
SOFWA NAJLA TSABITA SUNANTO | THE GUARDIAN | ROLLING STONE
Editor’s Choice: Ed Sheeran Visits Santa Market, Gives Away Vinyl Prior to Jakarta Show
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
Survey: Support for PM Keir Starmer Rises Among Britons
16 hari lalu
UK PM Keir Starmer is considered to have performed well. Support for him has increased compared to before.
FIFA Taps Coldplay as Curator for First-Ever World Cup Halftime Show
19 hari lalu
Coldplay collaborates with FIFA to curate the first-ever halftime show in the history of the 2026 World Cup final, which will be held in New Jersey.
UK PM Gives Full Support to Ukraine After Meeting Zelensky
23 hari lalu
UK PM Keir Starmer reaffirms his country's full support for Ukraine when receiving President Volodymyr Zelensky in London
G-Dragon, Elton John to Headline Singapore's 2025 Formula 1 Grand Prix
32 hari lalu
British music legend Elton John and K-pop star G-Dragon are set to headline the Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2025.
Coldplay Drops 'Man in the Moon' Music Video Featuring Singapore's Iconic Landmarks
46 hari lalu
Coldplay's Man in the Moon captured the world's attention with its extraordinary blend of music, narrative, and the stunning Singapore backdrop.
UK PM's Christmas Message: May There Be Peace in the Middle East
25 Desember 2024
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his hope for peace in the Middle East and a brighter future for everyone this Christmas.
Prabowo, Keir Starmer Agree to Enhance Bilateral Ties
22 November 2024
President Prabowo and PM Starmer discussed opportunities to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation between Indonesia and the UK.
Prabowo Arrives in the UK to Meet King Charles III and PM Keir Starmer
20 November 2024
President Prabowo Subianto is also scheduled to attend the CEO Roundtable Forum.
UK PM Keir Starmer Vows Speedy Punishment to Quell Violent Disorder
6 Agustus 2024
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said violent protesters who had targeted Muslim communities in the UK would swiftly face the full force of the law
New PM Starmer Pledges to Rebuild Britain after Years of Chaos
6 Juli 2024
Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he wants to take the heat out of politics after years of upheaval and strife.
