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Music projects to break down barriers to opportunity | 9 July 2025

Four research projects that will use music to break down barriers to opportunity will kick off this summer. 

The projects are funded by the University of Southampton’s AHRC Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research, which works to uphold the  statement that “the arts and music will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few.” 

The projects, all collaborations between researchers and non-academic partners, are:

• ‘EQUALIZE’, run by the University of Westminster and . This project will develop training for music teachers on electronic and black British music to address the fact that while electronic and Black-British music are  they are largely absent from the British secondary school curriculum, a disconnect that echoes the .
• ‘Musical Connections: Nurturing Musical Cultures in Autism Resource Bases Across the UK through Participatory Action Research’, hosted by the University of South Wales in collaboration with . As the number of (ARBs) within mainstream schools grows, this project will increase the provision of high-quality music education in ARBs across the UK to enhance social, emotional and academic outcomes.
• ‘In Practice and Policy: Co-Creating an Ethical Framework and Organisational Decolonisation Process with Young Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Migrants’, a collaboration between South London-based charity  and Birmingham City University. This project will address issues of safety and self-expression for children, young people and their families with experience of seeking asylum and forced immigration. Participants will help to develop the ‘Fairbeats Ethical Framework’ to support music leaders working with children who have experienced asylum or forced immigration.
• ‘What Words Do You Not Yet Have? Queer Musical Storytelling on Love, Life and the Law’, hosted by the University of Sheffield and . As queer communities grapple with issues such as , this project will draw on established frameworks in community music research to run musical storytelling workshops to foster solidarity within LGBTQ+ communities in Sheffield and Bradford. Teaching resources, briefing notes for community organisations and academic evaluation will increase understanding of the transformational power of these workshops.

Dr Johnson-Williams, Project Lead and Lecturer in Music Education and Social Justice said: “We are delighted to launch these four amazing projects, which all use music to explore timely issues relating to the transformational power of social justice.”

Lisa Tregale, Project Co-Lead, said: “These projects have the potential to activate pathways to significant change and impact in the UK, particularly around developing tangible policy recommendations. I look forward to seeing and hearing the results and learning from their shared outcomes.”

Stuart Lawrence, member of the Hub’s Prioritisation and Selection Committee, said: “I have felt very privileged to be asked to take part especially as music is not my ‘speciality’, although this enabled me to bring a different perspective to the discussion. I do hope that the projects we have picked will have the biggest impact to the users and the communities that they live and work in. I cannot wait to see them start to be rolled out.”

The projects will run for 12 months, culminating in a showcase concert at the BBC Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff on 7 July 2026.

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For press enquiries, please contact Lucy Collie, PR Manager, University of Southampton or visit our press enquiry website.