The LSE ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership is pleased to offer the following Collaborative Studentship, commencing in September 2025:
Project Title: Understanding the data ecosystem of music education provision in England: analysing Music Education Hubs’ annual reporting data
Collaborative Partner: Music Mark
LSE Department: Department of Methodology
Supervisory team: Dr Sally Stares (s.r.stares@lse.ac.uk) (LSE), Professor Jouni Kuha (LSE), Dr Sarah Whitfield (Music Mark)
Project Description:
The focus for this project is mandatory reporting data from Music Education Hubs (MEHs) within England. MEHs were set up in 2012 in England to augment and support music education in response to ‘The Importance of Music’, the first National Plan for Music Education (NPME). MEHs are partnerships that cover particular geographical areas, overseeing music provision by providing delivery and/or working with organisations including schools, local authorities, community organisations, voluntary organisations, industry, etc. At the start of 2024, there were 115 MEHs, which have now been reorganised into 43 hub lead organisations, which cover all areas of England.
MEHs are required to report, via annual surveys, information on music education activities, student engagement numbers and characteristics in their area, and MEH staffing, income and expenditure. Schools are requested to report their music activities to their local MEH, even if the MEH or its members are not directly involved in them. This makes for a data set that in principle is a census of music provision in state educational settings. The survey questions were designed by the Department for Education (DfE) and Arts Council England (ACE), and data have been collected annually since 2012-13. Music Mark works within its role as an Investment Principles Support Organisation (IPSO) to support the sector in collating the data, in developing data literacy, and in advocating with both ACE and DfE.
The quantitative element of this PhD project is to gain fuller and more detailed information from the data by employing a range of advanced analysis techniques. This may include, for example, using multilevel or fixed effects regression analyses to model the longitudinal and hierarchical (region-based) structure of the data; it could also include multivariate analyses to identify profiles or clustering of characteristics. The survey includes some open-ended questions, inviting general comments on MEHs’ activities and contexts, and there is scope to analyse these in detail using a qualitative or a more quantitative coding approach.
The qualitative element of the PhD is to explore and document the measurement validity and reliability challenges in the data, by gathering perspectives from key stakeholders. This may include interviews with representatives of MEHs such as senior managers, data reporters and practitioners, and policy workers such as representatives of Arts Council England. The qualitative strand of the project is more discursive and policy-focused and would include consideration of the insights that stakeholders wish to derive from MEH reporting, their challenges as currently understood, and the ideal purpose and nature of the data with regard to informing music education policy and practice. Taken together with the quantitative analyses, the project should provide key evidence to support and contribute to the reporting and usage of music education data in England.
Length of studentship:
The studentship will commence in September 2025, with a minimum duration of 3.5 years. The award length offered may differ depending on the successful candidate’s experience and training requirements.
LSE ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership Collaborative Studentships cover full fees and an annual stipend. The stipend per year for 2024/25 entry was £21,237.
Candidate Requirements:
Candidates must have already completed a Masters-level degree in a related subject (e.g. a social science discipline) and have experience through study or working experience of at least some of the research methods mentioned in the project description. Demonstrative understanding of the music education context would be an advantage.
How to apply:
To apply for this Collaborative Studentship, you should make an application to the MPhil/PhD in Social Research Methods. You should clearly cite the Collaborative Studentship project title and outline your suitability for the Studentship within your application. Please note this will only constitute an application for admission for the Collaborative Studentship.
If you would also like to be considered for admission to this programme, please include a separate research proposal which meets the criteria for this programme, as set out on the programme page.
Deadline for applications:
The deadline for consideration for this Collaborative Studentship is 25 March 2025.
Please note that deadlines for other LSE PhD Studentships and LSE ESRC DTP Studentships may have earlier deadlines. You should check the relevant programme page for further information.
Enquiries regarding the application process should directed to Pam Rolfe, Deputy Head of Scholarships and Financial Support (p.rolfe@lse.ac.uk)