April 2008
Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent have an astonishing wealth and diversity of music activity, with choirs and brass bands, award winning musicians and successful record labels, hundreds of young rock bands and hundreds of professional musicians and teachers, ancient traditions and innovative projects engaging people in music in new ways.
The support of the local authorities and educational institutions complements the regular efforts of many hundreds of volunteers, the public interest which sustains such a wide range of music and a flourishing music business sector.
We wanted to know more about the venues, organisations, promoters, groups, networks and individuals that offer opportunities for young people and adults to take part in, listen to, share and learn about music. It was hoped that by understanding more about current provision and practice, and also the potential gaps, it would be possible to stimulate new and extended provision including new networking opportunities and new collaborations
The report presents the findings of an extensive research project which set out to provide a contemporary "map" of music provision within the sub-region of Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent - not a geographical map, but a plotting of what music is happening, and where.
Click on the District links top left of this page to find out more of what is goin on in your area.
Inevitably there will be some omissions in a survey of this kind but we hope that the report gives a reasonable impression of the scale and scope of music activities and opportunities across the sub-region.
The report argues that music is important not only as a creative and expressive outlet which many people value as part of their lives - and the value of this should not be under-estimated - but also for its wider public importance as something which touches all kinds of people of all ages, which helps give communities cohesion and identity, involves lots of people in volunteering, is increasingly important as a significant strand of employment within the creative and cultural industries, and contributes to "cultural tourism".
The Action Plan suggests ways in which the commissioning partners and other agencies might work together to improve access to music for everyone in the sub-region, to further encourage quality and excellence in music activities and opportunities, and to increase awareness and understanding of the music opportunities that are available.
View the introduction to the district reports.
The consortium of partners that commissioned this work are:
- Staffordshire County Council
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council
- East Staffordshire District Council
- Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
- Cannock Chase District Council
- "Make Some Noise" Youth Music Action Zone
- Sound it Out Community Music
- Music Leader West Midlands
The consortium gratefully acknowledges the strategic and financial support of Arts Council England, West Midlands in undertaking this project.
