Music disappearing from curriculum, schools survey shows

Music could disappear from the curriculum, as research shows the number of schools offering the subject at A-level is in sharp decline and fewer students are taking it at GCSE.A survey by Sussex University found that the number of schools offering a music A-level had fallen by more than 15% in the past two years. The picture is even worse for music technology A-level, which has declined by 32% over the same period.Research also revealed a 10% fall in the number of students starting a GCSE music course since 2016, with fewer schools providing it as an option and some offering it only out of school hours.The survey of 500 schools in England showed music is fast disappearing as a compulsory subject at secondary level. Whereas in 2012-13 music was compulsory for 13- to 14-year-olds in 84% of responding schools, the latest survey found it was compulsory in just 47.5%.Of the schools that participated, 18% did not offer GCSE music at all; in some schools the subject was taught only as an “enrichment day” once a year. Staffing levels in music departments had fallen in nearly 36% of the schools that responded, with 70% of surviving music specialists having to teach outside their subject to fill gaps.