Access to music education is declining nationally (Ofsted, Striking the Right Note), and in rural communities the impact is felt most sharply. Distance, cost and limited local provision mean many children miss out, while rural isolation and hidden deprivation reduce access to opportunity, wellbeing and shared cultural life (Suffolk Community Foundation, Hidden Needs).
MORABE Rural Music exists to change this. We remove financial and geographical barriers so rural state-sector pupils and their communities can access high-quality, sustained music education and opportunities close to home, placing music at the heart of everyday rural community life.
Through our Schools and Community Pathway Programme, we currently reach around 400 children, young people and families across Suffolk each week, nurturing potential from the earliest years and creating opportunities for connection, confidence and joy in rurally isolated communities.
Through our work, we celebrate ability and excellence, and strengthen the rural communities our children call home.
“MORABE has been life-changing for our family. I have seen first-hand how music has opened up new opportunities, friendships and a real sense of belonging for my child. Through MORABE, we have both built strong connections within our community, and it feels as though there is now a whole ‘village’ supporting and encouraging them. The impact on our lives has been genuinely transformative.”