Ed Sheeran Returns to School to Introduce New Music Foundation

Ed Sheeran at the GRAMMY Awards held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, February 2024. Photo: Lionel Hahn/Getty

By  BELINDA FOSTER

Updated 1:06 PM EST, January 13, 2025

LONDON (NB360) — Ed Sheeran is advocating for the importance of music education in schools.

The British singer-songwriter has established a foundation to guarantee that children in the U.K. have access to “high-quality” music education.

Sheeran, who began writing songs at a young age due to a teacher's encouragement, aims to address the gap caused by cuts in arts funding. To promote the foundation's launch, the Grammy-winner is visiting schools and youth groups in Cardiff, Coventry, Edinburgh, and Belfast.

Speaking to a group of students in Wales on Thursday, alongside his songwriting partner Amy Wadge, Sheeran emphasized that music should be considered a viable career path.

“Britain tends to steer people towards careers like banking or working in tech or finance,” said Sheeran.

“We’re here today to show that it’s possible. We both came from state school education, and it’s all about teachers building confidence in you,” he added.

Sheeran has a special connection with Wales: as a teenager, he visited Wadge in Cardiff to work on his songs, an experience he calls a “key stage” of his life.

He performed one of his biggest hits, “Shape of You,” for the students and also played alongside young musicians at a Cardiff youth group.

The Ed Sheeran Foundation reports that it has supported 18 grassroots music education organizations or state school music departments, enhancing access to instruments and lessons for 12,000 children.

The organization also aims to highlight the “essential role” of music teachers and the transformative impact of music on young people's lives.

In an Instagram post about the initiative, Sheeran expressed his desire for children to benefit from music education as he did.

“It was incredibly beneficial for my mental health as a kid, providing a sense of purpose and achievement, even just learning piano or cello at a young age before songwriting. I want kids to be able to learn instruments, production, songwriting, performing, and have apprenticeship schemes to help them acquire skills to enter the industry.”

Sheeran also emphasizes the number of people employed in the music industry beyond performers, noting that 150 people work on his tour.

A report by UK Music stated that 216,000 people in the U.K. were employed in the music industry in 2023.