The 158th annual TUC Congress took place from 13–16 September in Brighton. Photo: Shutterstock.
This week saw the 158th annual TUC Conference take place in Brighton, bringing together 47 trade unions representing almost six million members to help shape the TUC’s priorities for the year ahead.
This year, two motions put forward by the MU were unanimously agreed, highlighting two key issues for musicians: access to music education and the importance of live music in theatre.
Music education
Our first motion was on music education, and asked the TUC General Council to:
- Write to the Secretary of State for Education to request a review of the funding and operation of Music Hubs to ensure that all children can access sustained instrumental tuition, regardless of ability to pay.
- Urge the Government to undertake a review of the music education workforce — including both visiting music teachers and classroom teachers — covering pay, employment terms, recruitment, retention and professional development.
- Request a review of the criteria by which teacher training bursaries are awarded to particular subjects, in order to ensure that all shortage subjects are covered by bursaries.
MU Executive Committee (EC) member Xenia Horne (pictured below) moved the motion, speaking from her personal experience about how sustained instrumental tuition is currently limited to those whose families can afford it.
Music Hubs, which deliver instrumental lessons in state schools in England, have had stagnant funding since 2012. Teachers working for Music Hubs have had to accept worsening and increasingly precarious terms due to flat funding and rising costs; these roles are increasingly unappealing and Music Hubs are struggling to recruit the teachers they need.
Live music in theatre
On the Tuesday morning, EC member Alice Angliss (pictured below) moved our second motion on live music in theatre. Drawing on her experience as a musician in the West End, she explained that touring theatre productions, and some West End musicals, are increasingly using technology to replace live musicians or reduce band sizes.
At a time when streaming royalties are so low, and AI poses an increasing risk to musicians' careers, we must fight to maintain live musicians' jobs in the theatre — and we know live music is what audiences want and expect.
The motion was passed unanimously and was seconded by our sister union, Equity. It calls for the TUC to:
- Support the MU’s Keep Music Live campaign and individual workplace campaigns when live music is replaced with recordings on theatrical productions.
- Write to the Secretary of State for Culture to emphasise the importance of an increase in arts funding, which has been at a standstill for many years, in order to properly fund the live experience.
Catch up on speeches and reports from TUC Congress 2026.