All school pupils are to be given a chance to learn a musical instrument, it has been announced.
Ministers said the proposal was part of a plan to give every youngster a cultural education alongside their academic studies.
Under the national plan for music education, children will get the chance to learn an instrument for at least a term.
From next year, music lessons will be provided by local "hubs" working with councils and local music organisations such as orchestras and choirs.
The Department for Education (DfE) said these hubs will be given funding and there will be a national formula to provide funding for music per pupil. A new music teaching module will also be set up to give trainee primary teachers extra skills to teach the subject.
Education Secretary Michael Gove said: "All pupils should have the opportunity to enjoy and play music. However, for far too long music education has been patchy across the country."
The announcement comes just months after the Henley Review, commissioned by the Government, warned that music education in England is "patchy", leaving many children missing out. It called for music to be a statutory part of the National Curriculum and for the subject to be made part of the new English Baccalaureate.
To achieve the English Bacc, students must gain at least a C grade at GCSE in English, maths, science, a humanities subject and a foreign language. The review also called for all music teachers to be encouraged to sign up to a national register.