As a long-standing supporter of the arts and champion of more inclusive and accessible cultural provision, the Rothschild Foundation has funded a number of music education programmes in the past. This has been on an ad hoc basis as part of our wider commitment to enabling cultural provision. Grant-making has supported individual projects delivered by music institutions, our local music hub, as well as some performance work.

We recognise the value of providing young people with the opportunity to experience music education, and in particular the value of learning a musical instrument. There is a wealth of evidence demonstrating benefit to wider educational achievement, building confidence and social opportunity. Following the challenges of the pandemic and now the cost of living crisis, we are interested in understanding where philanthropic resource could be used to enable more young people to benefit from access to music education.

Proposal for Scoping Activity
The Rothschild Foundation seeks consultancy support to better understand the music education landscape. We’re keen to bring our knowledge of the music education sector up to date and have a more comprehensive view of important recent developments.

The aim of this scoping activity is to consolidate our understanding of current provision and to highlight examples of good practise. It should also pinpoint particular gaps in music education provision and guide the Foundation towards areas for potential investment. This includes relating the work of key organisations involved in music education, especially those providing instrument tuition in grassroots communities.

Learning from those delivering exemplary or ground-breaking music education programmes will be essential and comparative international perspectives are also welcome. We are keen to understand what makes programmes with a strong track record effective and how they could be supported for greater impact, as well as identifying programmes that demonstrate potential with the opportunity to scale up. Highlighting approaches to accessible and inclusive musical provision including a variety of forms of music is desirable. Consideration should be given to the quality, reach, impact and sustainability of each approach.

We hope to work alongside a partner who has excellent knowledge of arts education broadly, including policy and funding landscapes. This scoping work should include a review of public and private financial support available for music education and instrument tuition. Importantly we aim to learn where the Foundation’s resource can best be targeted in future.

Deliverables
• 2-3 meetings with Rothschild Foundation staff to gather learning, share initial findings and to discuss the final report.
rothschildfoundation.org.uk
• A written report, including an Executive Summary, presented in a format which can be shared with both Trustees and external audiences of the Foundation.
• Recommendations for future investment from the Rothschild Foundation in music education and instrument tuition, including what different models are effective and what varying levels of investment could achieve.

Timeline
The deadline to respond to this brief is 21st April 2023.
Interviews to assess suitability for the work will be on Zoom on either 16th or 17th May 2023.
Scoping work should get underway in the spring of 2023. This will include collaborative activity with the Foundation’s Grants Team to refine recommendations.
The written report and recommendations should be delivered to the Rothschild Foundation by 24th July 2023.

Response
Please reply by email detailing your name and organisation (if applicable). You should outline your experience of consultancy and knowledge of the music education sector and also include your c.v. Please express your particular interest in this topic and why you would like to work with the Rothschild Foundation. Details of two referees should also be provided.
All applications should be sent to: [email protected] by 21st April 2023.

Budget
The budget for this work is up to £10,000 including all expenses, exclusive of VAT. Time and budget can be allocated flexibly but we anticipate the project will include desk-based research, some external consultation and ongoing collaboration with the Rothschild Foundation’s Grants Team.