How many learners are in receipt of musical instrument lessons in school, per county and age in Wales?
The information set out below has been provided by the National Music Service, for which the lead body is the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA).
By way of context, the data survey for Year 1 of the National Music Service programme (2022-23) and the mid-way data survey for the 2023-24 academic year, specifically requested information on learner numbers, and not on age of learners. A full breakdown on age of learners for the Year 2 strand of the programme will, however, be available in October 2024.
The total number of learners who have been supported to date in learning to play a musical instrument, through one-to-one and small group teaching, is 53,056 (23,474 in Year 1 of the National Music Service programme, and 29,562 in Year 2).
These numbers, which do not include the separate data for the ‘First Experiences’ programme, represent an indication of the total number of learners currently receiving one-to-one music tuition in schools. The National Music Service is currently in the process of validating the data for both 2022-23 and 2023-24, following a recent data collection. County and age breakdowns are being collated as part of this process; however, this information will not be available until the verification process with all local authorities is completed.