SoundStorm have moved premises, we are now located at Bournemouth Learning Centre, please view 'Contact us' for full details.

OTHER NEWS:

The Music Education Debate and a new music strategy for Bournemouth and Poole

It's an uncertain time for music education and the arts generally in the UK at present, with the new Government committed to major spending cuts in all areas of activity. At present, Music Standards Funds - which funds much of SoundStorm's work - is due to finish along with a raft of other public funding streams in April 2011, including funding for major music education champions such as Youth Music and the KS2 Wider Opportunities Music scheme. As yet, no plans have been announced for what happens next. This means that from next academic year, SoundStorm will be looking to subsidise less and raise more income through its work, meaning schools and partners will be asked to contribute more to activities we promote. Until now, much of our work has been free or heavily subsidised to users. 

We hope schools will continue to access our activities in the new environment. We hope to produce a new portfolio of services we can offer over this summer and we will market this to schools during the new school year. Remaining project funding we have will be targeted on schools and areas which Bournemouth and Poole determine to be their key priority areas.

New Music strategy for Bournemouth and Poole
SoundStorm has led on the development of a new music strategy for the Bournemouth/Poole conurbation, at the request of the LAs. This will hopefully provide an effective plan for more joined-up working between the major stakeholders concerned with music education. The Strategy has been approved and will come into force in the autumn, and was developed following a lengthy consultation period. It will also form the basis of Bournemouth and Poole's Local Authority Music Plan. We will put it up on this website as soon as we get the go-ahead from the powers that be.