Sam Fender gets behind £180,000 grant campaign for music support in schools

Music charity Restore The Music has announced today its latest funding round has awarded £180,000 in grants to the music departments of eleven state schools in London, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham, reaching 8,400 pupils with access to nearly 2,000 instruments in some of the most deprived areas of the UK. Restore The Music (RTM) reveals that since inception in 2013, including this latest funding round, it has awarded nearly £2.4 million across 130 state schools, giving vital access to 30,000 musical instruments and equipment to 100,000 children aged 4-18, helping to unlock musical potential and enabling those most in need to be enriched by the transformative power of music. In particular, Newcastle’s Walker Riverside Academy was selected to receive £20k in musical equipment via RTM’s partnership with Sony Music UK Social Justice Fund and its Beyond The Instrument initiative, which saw Ministry of Sound artist DJ Schak visit the school to demo music equipment, host a talk and DJ masterclass for pupils. South Tyneside’s Hebburn Comprehensive School also received £20k as part of RTM’s partnership with Fishmonger’s Livery Company. North Shields star Sam Fender has praised the charity, saying: “I’m glad to support Restore The Music on this announcement about giving greater access to music to young people, especially as it has targeted Newcastle as a key city in need. Thank you RTM!”

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Polly Moore, CEO and Founder of Restore The Music added: “I’m excited to announce the results of our latest funding round. Our vision is to redress the balance following the cuts to music education and put more music in the hands of schoolchildren.

"The North of England is hit hard economically, there is also Birmingham’s recent catastrophic arts and culture cuts, so we will continue to focus on the areas with the highest deprivation in Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham. 

"Music has the power to transform children’s futures and we are determined to continue to assist in safeguarding those futures and this country’s creative economy, by investing at the very grassroots of the talent pipeline.

"External investment in school-centred music provision is sorely needed and this movement is a perfect collaboration of music partners such as Sony Music UK, aligning to deliver a singular vision: access to more music for more kids.”