UK faces losing its 'next Sam Fender': Gareth Malone says as A-level entries for music falls to record low

Fears have been raised that the subject could disappear from the curriculum completely after Ofqal statistics showed A-level music entries fell by 4.9% from last year to just 4,635 pupils, while GCSE entries are down 1.3%.

The music industry fetches over £8billion into the UK economy each year, which ranks third in the world behind the US and Japan.

Speaking to LBC's Ben Kentish, choirmaster and Classic FM presenter Garth Malone said he believes schools have shifted their focus on results rather than allowing children to be creative.

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He also insisted creative art subjects are "increasingly important" as AI surges.

Discussing the drop-off, thee 50-year-old said: "I think it's a crisis. It's a crisis for us culturally.

"I think music contributes so much to the economic life of the country.

"But there's also what music does for the soul and for mental well-being. We have this long, rich tradition of music. That doesn't happen by accident.

"I did A-Level music, I then went on to do postgrad, and I've managed to get to so many people and give them that little spark of joy in their lives."

A-level music entries have nearly halved since 2010, when then Tory Education chief Michael Gove’s EBacc system was introduced, which incentivised schools to focus on a set of subjects such as maths, English and science.

Meanwhile, the number of young people also taking arts GCSEs in state schools has fallen by 41.7% since 2010.

Mr Malone added: "I was at the Ivors recently, an industry event a few weeks back, and Sam Fender got up and talked about his career and how he was discovered in a bar.

"It was sheer chance that the world discovered this incredible talent, and those kids are going to be lost to future generations.

"They're not going to see music as a chance for them and I think that's it's deeply concerning."

It comes as a new poll revealed 19 million people wish they’d kept going with learning music at school.

The research found that 34% of UK adults wish they had continued making or studying music when they were younger, rising to 45% among 25-34-year-olds.

Commissioned by chamber orchestra London Concertante, the survey found that one in three people said they wished they had continued with at least one form of music.

Mr Malone continued: "I do worry that where you're in danger that the headteacher is looking at the budget and is making decisions according to what's going to give them the best outcome.

"So maybe making subject choices for people based on their best chance of getting a good grade rather than what's actually going to suit the individual.

"It's a huge problem. There has been more cuts to university funding and so really reputable music courses at major universities are falling by the wayside.

"That's terrible because who are the next generation of music teachers going to be if there's no teachers to inspire the next generation?

"It's not this government and it's never this current government that are going to face the problem. It's always going to be the next generation."