The Richard Shephard Music Foundation (RSMF), the York-based music charity founded in 2021 to bring ‘the experience and enjoyment of music to children and young people in Yorkshire and beyond’ is celebrating its most successful year to date. Over 8,685 children received weekly music lessons through partnerships with 34 schools across Yorkshire and Tees Valley, which marks significant progress in the Foundation’s goal to teach 10,000 children every week by 2026 – a target that will mean almost one in seven primary-aged children in the region will have regular access to high-quality music education.
Key Highlights from the Foundation’s 2024–25 Impact Report:
- 8,685 children received weekly music lessons, totalling 8,250 hours of high-quality music education.
- 34 partner schools participated – including new additions in East Yorkshire, Saltburn, Darlington, Richmond, and Selby.
- 450 children joined the Foundation’s biggest-ever Make Music Day, celebrating creativity and collaboration through live workshops and performances.
- 10 free “Music Explorers” holiday clubs reached 263 children, with an average of 57% eligible for Free School Meals – rising to 85% in Scarborough.
- 1,943 children took part in Foundation-led events, concerts, and community performance
Independent evaluations and teacher feedback revealed transformative results:
- 99% of staff reported improved confidence among pupils.
- 97% saw enhanced musical knowledge.
- 92% observed improvements in wellbeing.
- 94% said their school’s standard of music teaching had improved.
The recent Child of the North report from N8 Research Partnership [see the report] found that 93% of children are being excluded from arts and cultural education due to a lack of funding in state schools, with almost half (42%) of secondary schools no longer entering pupils for GCSE Music.
Full details of the Richard Shephard Music Foundation’s from their website.
