Every English library to offer free music equipment
Key Points
- At least £12.5 million funds music equipment in English libraries
- Every library authority in England is eligible to apply
- Scheme is part of the £132.5 million Every Child Can programme
- Funding covers instruments, workshops, taster sessions and live gigs
- Further £10 million funds creative mentoring for care-experienced young people
Every library authority in England will be eligible for funding to lend musical instruments and run free music sessions under a scheme backed by at least £12.5 million.
The Music in Libraries programme was announced in the government’s Music Plan, published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on Tuesday (14 July).
Libraries will be able to bid for investment in what the government calls “cutting edge musical equipment” and to run workshops, instrument taster sessions, live performances and gigs for young people in their local area.
The scheme forms part of Every Child Can, a £132.5 million programme funded through dormant assets and designed in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund to widen disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment activities.
Libraries will work with partners including the 43 Music Hubs, the school-linked partnerships backed by £76 million annually to academic year 2026/27.
The government said household income is by far the most important factor driving gaps in children’s participation in extra-curricular activities, with children from the poorest households much less likely to take part, especially in music classes and sport.
For families, the scheme removes two of the highest costs of starting an instrument, buying or renting the equipment and paying for early tuition, by putting both into free local library provision.
Every Child Can also includes at least £10 million for creative mentoring for care-experienced young people, funding one-to-one support from creative practitioners along with the costs of tickets, tuition, transport and equipment.
The government’s plan gives the example of a young person interested in music production being paired with an experienced producer and enrolled on a short college course.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the government “will stop at nothing to ensure that every child can find their spark, through new initiatives such as turning our incredible network of libraries into music lending libraries and a creative mentoring programme for children in care”.
The Music Plan also confirms £22.5 million over three years for enrichment programmes in up to 400 schools in the most deprived areas of England, covering music among other activities.
