Every music career starts with a spark of inspiration, but not everyone gets the chance to turn that spark into a flame. Ed Sheeran is hoping to change that with his newest endeavor, the Ed Sheeran Foundation.
The foundation was announced on January 9th through social media, showing clips of Sheeran performing on stage in front of thousands of people right after we see him practicing his cello as a child. After learning about the declining state of music within state school education in the UK, Sheeran hopes the foundation can provide equal opportunities for any young person to build their passion for music.
There are venues getting shut down and there are organizations that do out of school music clubs that are getting shut down, and I think the foundation’s key is to help those organizations carry on because they are struggling.
Ed Sheeran
Currently, the venture is supporting 18 schools and grassroots music organizations. Their primary goal in working with these organizations is to both maintain current practices and expand their youth programs. Additionally, 100% of the grassroots organizations they support work with young people from low-income backgrounds, youth with special education needs, and other communities in need.
What stands out about the foundation’s mission is they are not just looking to support young people’s desires to be performers. They say that music education should be “diverse and inclusive,” not just in terms of supporting different genres and instrumentation, but different career paths available within the industry, such as management and production. Along with providing diverse opportunities, it creates a greater sense of validity to careers in music.
There’s a misconception that it’s ‘not a real job’ – when the music industry accounts for 216,000 jobs in so many different fields, and brining as much as £7.6 billion a year into the UK economy. Not to mention the power our art has worldwide to bring joy to people.
Ed Sheeran
Aside from providing support for those looking to explore a career in music, the foundation is also focused on emphasizing the importance of music education when it comes to young people’s mental and physical health. Sheeran said that music has been a powerful tool for his own mental wellbeing, and he hopes his foundation will be able to provide the same solace for young people across the UK.
The Ed Sheeran Foundation is the kind of organization that fosters a greater love and appreciation for music in communities in spite of various social barriers, and that it seems like the foundation is off to a running start when it comes to changing the lives of music obsessed youths for the better. For more information on the Ed Sheeran Foundation and to learn how you can get involved, visit edsheeranfoundation.com!
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