Music for all: Identifying, challenging and overcoming barriers

A great deal of change has occurred within UK music education over the past decade. There were good intentions behind some of the changes; for example, the government had an ambition to provide everyone with access to music education during their school years. The timing of such initiatives, however, was unfortunate. Within the context of financial austerity and the subsequent cuts to public spending, education budgets came under increasing pressure. This article examines the current challenges facing music education within England and raises questions for researchers to consider as the future direction of research in the field starts to take shape.