Professor John Wallace CBE(14 April 1949 – 11 January 2026)
The origins of what is now the Music Education Partnership Group (MEPG) date back to 2011, when the Scottish Government set up the Instrumental Music Group (IMG) in response to widely publicised concerns about the level and quality of instrumental tuition in Scottish schools. John Wallace, then Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, was a member of the group, whose findings were published in 2013.
Among its recommendations was the creation of a more permanent forum to represent views across the full spectrum of music education, spanning both formal and informal sectors. This led to the establishment of the Instrumental Music Implementation Group (IMIG), which in 2014 evolved into MEPG, with the aim of bringing greater national coherence to Scotland’s diverse music education provision. Initially chaired by Lady MacMillan, with Education Scotland supporting a part-time secretariat, Mae Murray MBE, MEPG entered a new phase in 2016 when John Wallace succeeded Lady MacMillan as Chair, following his retirement from the Conservatoire.
Under John’s leadership, MEPG grew significantly as more organisations recognised the value of a collective voice advocating for music education, sometimes in challenging circumstances, particularly when music risked being viewed as an easy target for budgetary savings. Such challenges underestimated John’s formidable ability to “blow his trumpet”, both literally and metaphorically. With his characteristic authority and warmth, he consistently cited the well-evidenced, long-term importance of music to individual wellbeing and its integral place in Scotland’s cultural life.
In 2020, when the formal arrangement between the Scottish Government, Education Scotland and MEPG came to an end, the Partnership did not fold. Instead, under John’s guidance, it was reconstituted as a charity with a Board of Trustees, with John very much still at the helm. The strength of both the Partnership and his leadership was tested during the COVID period, when new approaches to music education were urgently required. Having a partnership structure in place proved invaluable in sustaining and supporting the sector at a time of unprecedented challenge.
John was deeply proud of what Scotland’s music education community achieved and was determined that this should be recognised internationally. He had little patience for “can’t-do” attitudes, preferring optimism, imagination and action. He had endless ideas, and offered encouragement and advice with equal generosity to a child taking their first instrumental lesson or a final-year Conservatoire student. Despite an extraordinary list of achievements and personal connections with performers and educators across the world, John was never one to boast.
MEPG and Scotland were privileged to have John Wallace as such a tireless and persuasive champion for music education. Even when ill health limited his ability to undertake MEPG commitments, it was entirely fitting that his final MEPG appearance was at a meeting with the First Minister and two Cabinet Secretaries, once again underlining the importance of music education and warning that governments tamper with it at their peril!
John’s legacy will remain across many aspects of musical life: performance, composition, education and in the countless individuals he supported with advice and encouragement. Within MEPG, the foundations have been firmly laid under John’s architectural vision. The plans are there to be followed; it now falls to the next generation of musical “labourers” to ensure they are delivered.
