At Out of the Ark Music, we believe that every child deserves access to high-quality music education – and we know that Music Hubs are at the heart of making this happen across England. Our partnership with Hubs is powered by our subscription platform, Sparkyard, and built on a shared commitment: supporting schools with excellent singing resources, empowering teachers, and helping every young person find their voice through music. 

Why We Work With Music Hubs 

We’re the UK’s leading publisher of songs for primary education, and our nativities, musicals and songbooks are used and loved in a huge number of primary schools nationwide. Why, then, is it so important to us that we work with Music Hubs? We believe that Music Hubs are uniquely placed to bring together schools, teachers, and communities, ensuring that music is woven into the fabric of school life. We share the same strategic objectives: to raise the quality and breadth of music education,  to nurture musical talent, and to make sure that every child – regardless of background – can experience the joy and benefits of singing. 

By working together, we can amplify our impact. Our collective aim is to support schools with resources that are not only musically excellent but also practical, accessible, and inspiring for teachers, whatever their confidence level. 

How Sparkyard Supports The National Plan for Music Education 

The 2022 National Plan For Music Education sets out a vision for all children and young people to have access to high-quality music opportunities. Sparkyard is designed to help Hubs and schools deliver on these aims: 

• Supporting schools to deliver high-quality music education: Sparkyard’s extensive song library and curriculum resources make it easy for teachers to deliver engaging, progressive music lessons, regardless of their musical background. 
• Developing young people’s musical interests and talent: Our platform encourages exploration and progression, enabling  students to deepen their skills and discover new musical passions. 
• Ensuring access for all: Features like home Share Links and personalized collections help bridge the gap between school and home, making music accessible to every child. 

What’s In It For Hubs And Services? 

As well as building over 45 Music Hub and Service relationships since Sparkyard launched in 2022, we’ve also been able to quickly adapt to the needs of the new Hub structures, allowing us to offer benefits that have even greater impact. We are now offering the benefits of partnership to every school in Greater Manchester Music Hub, Greater Essex Music Hub, The Music Partnership, South Yorkshire Music Hub, Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub, as well as maintaining strong relationships with many more Local Authority Music Services. Through these partnerships we support a wide range of projects that bring music to life in schools and communities. Here are just a few recent examples: 

• Massed Singing Events: Out of the Ark works with partner Music Hubs to provide collections of songs and resources for massed singing events like singing festivals and annual schools’ proms. These projects offer three months of free access to Sparkyard for all participating schools, allowing staff to explore the platform at no cost. In summer 2025, 237 schools in 10 regions of England benefitted from this.   

Case Study Severn Arts used Sparkyard to power three massed-singing events in the first half of 2025: The Big Sing 2025 for Key Stage 2, Sun, Sea and Sand for Year 1 and Fabulous Fairy Tales for EYFS.  Number of Schools: 98 Number of Children: 3632 “Sparkyard is a great resource and easy to use for our schools. Making the collections is a great way to share the specific songs needed for events and also to share additional information with the schools. We’ve had lots of feedback from teachers to say that the songs are fun and engaging for their students, and there is a great range of material on Sparkyard.” – India George, Severn Arts.

 

• Discounted Access: All partner Hubs can offer a 30% or higher discount on annual Sparkyard subscriptions to every school they serve, making high-quality music resources affordable and sustainable. 

“Sparkyard is an amazing resource for music specialists and non-specialists alike. It is easy to navigate, contains useful links between songs, activities, listening examples and many other resources and we love using it in Salford because it is so accessible for the learner and teacher alike.” –  Tina Parsons, Head of Service, Salford Music Service

• Data-Driven Support And Ongoing Partnership: We provide Hubs with usage data and feedback, helping them identify schools making the most of Sparkyard and target support where it’s needed most. Our partnerships are built on ongoing dialogue – whether that’s through regular reporting, joint CPD sessions, or collaborative project planning. 

New For 2025: The Lead Schools Offer 

We’re excited to introduce our new Lead Schools initiative, developed in partnership with Music Hubs across England. As part of this offer, selected Lead Schools – identified by their local Hub as champions of music education – receive a free Sparkyard subscription for the year. 

The aim? To empower these schools to act as beacons of best practice, sharing their experiences and inspiring others in their region. Lead Schools will benefit from: 

• Full access to Sparkyard’s resources – over 1,000 songs, curriculum materials, and innovative teaching tools. 
• Tailored support and training to help them make the most of the platform and drive musical engagement across their school, and in the schools they support. 
• Opportunities to collaborate with their Hub and other schools, sharing what works and helping to shape the future of music education locally. 

By investing in Lead Schools, we’re working hand-in-hand with Hubs to build strong, sustainable networks of musical excellence – ensuring that every child, in every school, has the chance to sing, learn, and thrive. 

“The Lead Schools programme is all about supporting those schools who are already making a difference, and equipping them to inspire others. It’s a practical way for Hubs and Out of the Ark to work together for lasting impact.” – Pete Taylor, Development, Education & Partnerships Lead, Out of the Ark Music. 

Find Out More 

If you’re a Music Hub or Service looking to support your schools with excellent singing resources, or to find out more about how Sparkyard can help you and your schools meet the National Plan for Music Education, we’d love to hear from you. Visit our Music Hubs page or get in touch at pete@sparkyard.com.