Dua Lipa, Liam Gallagher, Ed Sheeran, and members of Coldplay and Royal Blood were among those to co-sign a letter from Andrew Lloyd Webber last week calling for more government funding for music activities in disadvantaged schools around the UK.
In letters to both current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, Lloyd Webber wrote: "The transformative power of music for children is universally recognised. From improved cognitive development, communication skills and problem solving, to greater confidence, self-esteem and social development, music has a profound impact on young people's lives".
"Most pertinently", he added, "in a world that feels more divided than at any point in my lifetime, and with conflict raging around the world with incalculable consequences, music has a unique ability to unite. It is a universal language that can transcend borders, cultures and differences, and bring people together".
And yet, he added, funding cuts in recent years mean "music education in schools has been scaled back at a time when we have never needed it more".
The letter was principally focused on the work of one organisation that is seeking to ensure children in disadvantaged schools have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument, that being the the Music In Secondary Schools Trust. It is now supporting 20,000 pupils between the ages of eleven and fourteen in schools across the country, he wrote.
"Today", he went on, "we are asking the government, and all governments of the future, to scale the proven work of MISST, targeting the most disadvantaged schools in the most disadvantaged areas - and starting with the 80 disadvantaged schools on the Trust's waiting list”.
He then concluded: "Now, more than ever, we must reverse the tide on musical education and recognise the transformational impact it can have for our children, schools, communities and society at large. Music is a source of hope, opportunity and love; we implore you to embrace it".