CEDIA Research Showcase

This seminar involves presentations of new research at the Centre for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Arts. For more info about CEDIA, see this link.

To attend in person, please register at this link.
To attend online, please register at this link.

Adam Whittaker (BCU) FIMM and access to music education in the Midlands

There is a widespread acknowledgement that access to music education is becoming a postcode lottery, with recent research pointing to significant declines in the numbers of young musicians taking music qualifications (Whittaker et al., 2019; Whittaker & Fautley, 2021). Building on the Fair & Inclusive Classical Music (FICM) report commissioned by Arts Council England (ACE), RBC & BCU have been commissioned to lead a year of exploration into experiences of music learning in the Midlands, as part of the Fair & Inclusive Music Midlands (FIMM) project, designed to improve understanding of how careers in music can be made more accessible and inclusive for all aspiring young musicians. In this presentation we will set out the context some of the pressing issues in the music education landscape of the Midlands and share initial findings from the early phases of the FIMM project.

Sulayman Bah (BCU) News media workers in Greater Birmingham: 2022 Survey Results

This research responds to 2021 national data, indicating that 87% of journalists in the UK are white, which revealed under representation of ethnic minorities in British journalism. This research examines this context at regional level by tracking the ethnicity, role and salary range of news media workers in Greater Birmingham in 2022. The research is a collaboration between Reach PLC, and the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity and CEDIA at Birmingham City University. Drawing on the initial findings of this research, it reveals valuable insight into the level of ethnic representation, particularly in print and digital media in Greater Birmingham. It shows a significant under representation of BAME professionals in junior staff roles and there are non-white top editors or managers in the news media in Greater Birmingham.

About the speakers:

Sulayman Bah is a final year PhD student focusing on Media Law and Journalism in Post-Colonial Africa. He has been directly involved in professional journalism practice, practicing as a professional international journalist, with a range of experience in broadcast, print and digital media. He taught Media Law in Practice at the Coventry University and currently works with the Birmingham City University International College as a Tutor in Media and Communication.

Adam Whittaker is Head of Pedagogy at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and a member of the Birmingham Music Education Research Group. He has published on various issues in music education, authored reports for major national organisations and appeared as an invited guest on BBC Radio 3’s Music Matters. He is the Principal Investigator on the Fair and Inclusive Music Midlands project, funded by Arts Council England.