EQUALIZE

Non-academic partner: Young Sounds UK  

Academic host institution: University of Westminster 

EQUALIZE will develop an innovative training model for music educators that bridges the disconnect between young people's engagement with electronic and Black-British music outside school and their formal music learning experiences. 

Summary

Electronic and Black-British music are vital parts of the UK’s popular music landscape (Charles 2023, resonating strongly with young people, especially those from low-income backgrounds (Boon 2024 Singh Brar 2021 Youth Music 2024a). These genres shape young people’s daily musical culture but are absent from the British secondary school curriculum, a disconnect that echoes the declining uptake of GCSE and A-Level music (Kokotsaki & Whitford 2023).   

In response to this urgent issue EQUALIZE will develop an innovative training model for music educators that bridges the disconnect between young people's engagement with electronic and Black-British music outside school and their formal music learning experiences. 

Young Sounds UK will partner with the Black Music Research Unit (University of Westminster), Punch Birmingham, and Bradford Music and Arts Service to create, test, and share teaching approaches, making music education more relevant, inclusive, and inspiring for today's diverse student population. 

Clearly, music taught in schools is not reflecting the sounds that young people are passionate about, so formalised music education is losing relevance and appeal (Kokotsaki & Whitford 2023). EQUALIZE will disrupt this trend through co-creation with young people, teachers, and local music leaders, ensuring that all voices shape the project's development.  

Music education’s lack of diversity also intersects with a further imbalance in electronic and Black-British music scenes (Black Lives in Music 2021). Both genres offer powerful opportunities for innovation and cultural expression but are not immune to the music industry’s pervasive struggle with gender imbalance (Toppin 2023; UK Music 2024). 

EQUALIZE will challenge these imbalances early by introducing these genres and related skills into the classroom alongside inclusive teaching approaches. Through community-based summer schools, school-based workshops, and teacher training programmes, we'll ensure that all students, regardless of background or gender, are equipped with the tools to create music with new technologies, opening pathways into areas of the industry requiring new, diverse participants (Youth Music 2024b).  

EQUALIZE is founded on the knowledge that electronic and Black-British music rely heavily on contemporary tools and techniques not commonly taught in the classroom. We have consulted extensively with music educators, who overwhelmingly indicated that while they want to include these genres, many lack the confidence and training to do so. 

In support of this we will develop a training model that equips them with the skills and confidence to incorporate emerging technologies and integrate electronic and Black-British music into their teaching, promoting a more inclusive and representative music education curriculum and setting the precedent for policy change on inclusive curriculum design. This will enable teachers to identify and nurture musical potential in young people through culturally relevant practices, subsequently re-engaging students in music education by making it more culturally and creatively responsive, enriching, and reflective of contemporary and future-facing musical practices. 

By empowering teachers with new skills and tools, EQUALIZE can make music education more inclusive, inspiring, and connected to the real-world musical experiences of young people today, seeing themselves reflected in the music classroom and able to express themselves through the creativity and music they love.