Progression and Development Across the North East Music Hub
Written by Progression Lead, Mike Summers; Durham Music Service
The Progression and Development Strategic Group brings together music services, colleges, universities, and national partners from across the North East. Our shared aim is simple: to help every young person understand where music can take them. We want progression in music to feel clear, achievable, and open to all. This work matters because access to musical opportunities can differ from place to place, and young people often need better guidance to see the full range of routes open to them.
One of our main priorities is strengthening the regional progression strategy. We are working to include partners’ voices more clearly, especially national youth music organisations (NYMOs). Many partners offer brilliant programmes, but not everyone knows what is available. We want to change that.
We have also launched a new HE/FE network, bringing universities, colleges, and schools together. Early meetings have shown a real appetite for shared planning and long‑term collaboration.
Data is another key focus. We are exploring support from Newcastle University’s Data Bootcamp, which could help us understand current progression patterns and where gaps might be. Better data will lead to better decisions.
The Futures in Music programme is another success story. This project, led with Newcastle University, helps young people explore the many careers linked to music. We are now looking at how we can expand the model across the region through other FE and HE partners.
This work benefits schools, teachers, pupils, and families by:
Making musical pathways clearer and easier to understand
Helping tutors and teachers feel more confident when advising pupils
Showing young people a wider range of musical futures beyond traditional routes
Improving links between schools, colleges, universities, and professional organisations
Supporting fairer access for pupils who may face financial or social barriers
Partners have already said that simply meeting together has helped them learn about opportunities they didn’t know existed.
Our next step is to create a pathways section on the Hub website. This will bring together information on NYMOs, HE and FE routes, and regional programmes in one easy‑to‑navigate place.
We are also planning a series of short online CPD sessions. These will help teachers and tutors learn more about progression routes and hear directly from graduates and industry professionals.
In the autumn, we hope to work with Newcastle University’s Creative Industries Policy & Evidence Centre to host a major event. This will bring together policymakers, education leaders, and cultural partners to explore how we can improve progression for young people across the region.
If you would like to share opportunities, host an event, or contribute to our pathways work, we would love to hear from you. Together, we can build stronger, clearer, and more inspiring musical journeys for young people in the North East.