Octagon Music Hub 2026–27 Music Education Partnership Programme Launched

The Octagon Music Hub launches ambitious new music education programme following the Government’s Turn It Up plan.

More than £1 million investment will expand opportunities for children and young people across Somerset and Dorset.

The Octagon Music Hub, led by Somerset Council, has today launched its ambitious 2026–27 Music Education Partnership Programme, investing more than £1 million in music education across Somerset and Dorset.

Funded through the Department for Education (DfE) and Arts Council England (ACE) as part of the national Music Hub programme, the investment will strengthen music education and create new opportunities for thousands of children and young people through schools, community organisations and specialist music providers.

The announcement follows the publication of the Government’s new national music strategy, Turn It Up: Our Plan for Music, which places music firmly back at the heart of education and sets out a vision for stronger partnerships, richer enrichment opportunities, improved progression, creative careers and ensuring every child has access to high-quality music education.

The Octagon Music Hub’s new programme reflects many of these national ambitions while responding to the unique needs of Somerset and Dorset. Developed following an extensive regional needs analysis and one of the Hub’s largest commissioning programmes to date, it represents a significant step towards a more connected, inclusive and sustainable music education ecosystem.

Alongside continued investment in high-quality musical opportunities, the programme introduces a number of important new initiatives including:

• A Lead School Network, enabling schools to share outstanding classroom practice, support one another and strengthen curriculum music across the region.
• Music Educators’ Bursaries, investing in teachers and practitioners to develop specialist skills and strengthen the local workforce.
• Increased investment in rural communities and identified music cold spots, ensuring geography is less of a barrier to musical opportunity.
• Expanded support for early years, inclusion, children and young people with SEND, youth leadership, progression pathways and creative careers, helping more young people continue their musical journey beyond the classroom.
• Continued investment in whole-class instrumental learning, singing, ensembles and community music making, ensuring high-quality opportunities remain available across both counties.

The programme will be delivered through a diverse partnership of organisations including Actiontrack Performance Company, Babigloo, B Sharp, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO), Dorset Music Service (Dorset Council), Dorset Rural Music School, Evolve Music, GYAT, Jackdaws Music Education Trust, Leeds Beckett University, Live Music Now, My Music Lessons, Octagon Theatre’s Arts Engagement & Outreach programme, Poole Society for Young Musicians, Purbeck Youth Music CIO, Somerset Music, Sonopera, Sound of the Streets, Take Art, Wessex Multi-Academy Trust and Young People Frome alongside schools, teachers and community partners across Somerset and Dorset.

Together, these organisations will provide opportunities ranging from first musical experiences in schools and early years settings through to specialist SEND provision, inclusive music making, progressive ensembles, youth leadership, creative careers, workforce development and community music making.

Alison Jeffery, Head of Service, Somerset Council, said:

“Music is an essential part of a high-quality education. It develops confidence, creativity, communication and belonging, while helping children and young people to achieve and thrive both in and beyond the classroom. We are delighted to see the ambitions of the Government’s Turn It Up plan reflected in Octagon Music Hub’s new investment programme, which will strengthen opportunities for children and young people across Somerset and Dorset through schools, community partnerships and high-quality music education.”

Claire Tudge, Chair of the Octagon Music Hub Board, said:

“One of the strongest messages in Turn It Up is that great music education depends on strong partnerships. Our investment programme has been designed around that same principle. By bringing together schools, music services, charities, community organisations and professional musicians, we’re creating a stronger and more connected music education ecosystem that will benefit children and young people across Somerset and Dorset for years to come.”

Annette Burghes, Octagon Music Hub Manager, said:

“The Government’s plan recognises that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. That perfectly captures what this programme is about. We’re not simply funding individual projects we’re investing in an entire music education ecosystem. By strengthening schools, supporting teachers, developing progression pathways, widening access in rural communities and working with an exceptional partnership of organisations, we’re creating more opportunities than ever before for children and young people to discover, create, perform and thrive through music.”

Delivery of the new programme will begin from September 2026, supporting tens of thousands of children and young people through curriculum music, whole-class instrumental learning, inclusive music making, ensembles, creative careers, workforce development and community partnerships.

The programme represents the next stage in the Octagon Music Hub’s vision to build a connected, inclusive and ambitious music education system, ensuring every child and young person, regardless of where they live or their background, has the opportunity to experience the transformative power of music.