This summer I graduated with a Master’s degree in performance on viola from one of the top UK music conservatoires, after six years of studying, two degrees, multiple part-time jobs to fund my studies, and saddled with approximately 80 grand in student loan debt.
I’ve spent the past six years developing my viola playing through lessons, masterclasses, rehearsals, concerts and private practice. I’ve also learnt many valuable academic skills like researching and analysis, as well as time-management and planning skills, that will hopefully serve me well in post-student life.
But I and my fellow students began to realise while studying that we were in a bubble. We were focused on bettering our musical skills: we worried about exams and essays, practising for lessons and organising rehearsal schedules. But we have emerged into a professional culture that is suffering immensely as a result of severe budget cuts and reduced funding. Upon graduation, we find ourselves thrust into a world where the jobs we love and trained so long for may soon no longer exist. But why, you might ask, study music in the first place?
Why is music important?
Music is hugely beneficial for our social and cognitive development throughout our lives, from childhood all the way through to our old age. Learning music teaches children many essential skills that give them advantages in later life. According to studies, 68% of people exposed to music as a child “often rate their ability to learn new things as excellent or very good, compared to 50% of those who weren’t exposed to music growing up”. Learning musical instruments encourages independence, ambition and motivation – children learn to set and reach goals of their own making, a crucial aspect for adults both in their work and their personal lives.
Learning an instrument also teaches a child to pay attention to detail, to overcome challenges and to have self-awareness when performing. Additionally, it can teach them to have confidence, both in their own creative ideas and on stage in front of other people.
Music is also a form of communication, expression and connection – whether children are in a one-on-one instrumental lesson or in a group music class, they learn to connect with their emotions and with each other.
Not just for kids!
Music can also enhance cognitive development in adults and older people. Learning music improves adult attention and memory skills, as well as problem solving skills and verbal intelligence, all of which are important to maintain as we grow older. Some studies suggest that participation in musical activities is linked to a reduced risk of dementia and cognitive impairment in older adults. Research shows that playing and listening to music increases the release of serotonin and dopamine and decreases the release of cortisol (the stress hormone). This, in turn, reduces anxiety and improves sleep quality.
Regarding community, music events create a sense of belonging and allow us to relax, let loose and have fun. Whether joining an adult choir or an amateur orchestra, or going to live concerts and festivals, music offers a space to connect with other people.
But music is one of many professions that have struggled to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, a problem made all the worse by the fact that it is extremely hard to put on live music concerts in a work-from-home setting. To add to this problem, in recent years there has been a dramatic change in the way governments and funding organisations view the arts. Music institutions all across the country are suffering at the hands of governments, past and present, that are actively and aggressively defunding them.
Aggressive cuts
The defunding of music should have everyone up in arms. In 2022, it was announced that the Arts Council England cut £50m a year from arts organisations in London in its 2023-26 settlement. Many music institutions will suffer budget cuts, chief among them the Royal Ballet and Opera (formerly the Royal Opera House) receiving a 9% cut, the English National Ballet a 5% cut, and the Welsh National Opera with one third of its funding cut.
Probably the worst example was the 100% proposed funding cut for the English National Opera (the ENO) – their entire annual budget of £12.8m was slashed. Instead they were offered £17m over three years to relocate to Manchester in order to have any hope of receiving further funding. After much negotiation, the ENO managed to reduce the cut from 100% to 9% of their funding. But this is only for the next few years and their future is still uncertain. Other music institutions that have received big cuts are the BBC’s orchestras and choirs, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Funding cuts to musical organisations like these directly affect not only those currently working in the profession but also students studying to join it in the future. Less funding means fewer permanent jobs available, as well as fewer opportunities for student schemes that provide essential training and help students create valuable professional contacts.
Additionally, less funding means less money for tours and this prevents orchestras and musicians from travelling to share and promote their music in essential ways. These restrictions are extra to the damage that Brexit has done to the ability of musicians to travel abroad for work. All of this directly impacts students like me as we graduate only to find our musical horizons are shrinking around us.
Taking an axe to learning
Music courses are suffering from the same disregard. In January 2025, the current government made public their plans to axe multiple degree courses from Cardiff University, including its music course. After significant public upset and petitioning supported by figures such as Sir Elton John, Stormzy and Ed Sheeran, these plans were halted – luckily this music course will continue, although with fewer staff.
Similarly, in May 2025, Newark School of Musical Instrument Crafts (overseen by Lincoln College) announced that they would be suspending their courses from September 2025 due to reduced funding. Newark School offers a unique opportunity to study string instrument making, guitar making, woodwind specialism and piano tuning, and is the only place students can receive this education at degree-level. Again, the proposed reductions faced significant community backlash, including a petition supported by almost 14,000 people and a signed letter from 24 BBC Young Musicians of the Year. The school hasn’t reversed its decision yet but the story is yet another reminder of how very fragile UK classical music is right now.
The stories of Cardiff and Newark are drawn from my direct experience – I have friends and colleagues who have studied at both institutions and who are dismayed to see their schools lose funding. But there are plenty of other examples. Some are survival stories but only just, and plenty of music organisations have been less fortunate.
How can we make a stand?
So, what can we do to keep music in our lives? One crucial thing is to attend concerts – show support by showing up! Go explore opera and ballet and classical music concerts: most conservatoires have cheap student concerts available to the public; the ENO offers cheaper tickets to the under 35s and limited free tickets to the under 21s; the Royal Ballet and Opera stream many of their productions in the cinema. If the government sees that classical music is popular with the general public and that it is a profitable market, then hopefully they will be more inclined to keep funding music organisations.
Also sign petitions when you see them on your social media feeds. When you join a petition supporting music funding, you are making your voice heard and advocating for others. As with the examples I used earlier, petitions can change the outcome for the better. You can also donate money to charities involved with music funding, particularly for children and schools.
There are countless musicians studying in universities and conservatoires right now, all wanting to contribute to the UK’s cultural scene and bring joy to audiences. These aspiring musicians need to know that their future, their careers and their livelihoods, are protected. I believe that, although the music world is increasingly defunded and under-appreciated by the government and funding bodies, if enough people speak up, we can reverse this trend. A vibrant classical music scene is a mark of a healthy society.
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