Ed Sheeran's Suffolk school praises call for music education help
"Music in and out of school should be for all, not a few," the letter added.
"We understand that there are many pressures. As artists, civil society and industry, we want to be part of the solution."
Born in Yorkshire and raised in Suffolk, Sheeran has had 14 UK number one singles and eight UK number one albums, after beginning his career in 2004.
James Watkins/BBC
"[Through] My career, which has spanned three decades, I've seen the dismantling of county music services - everything has to be about efficiencies," Mr Hurst told BBC Radio Suffolk.
"Quite frankly, it seems to me that people think spending money on instruments is not efficient."
He continued: "All those signatories to it, I think they are very powerful and it's good timing -the government are at a change with education.
"We've got a national curriculum review going on, Ofsted have come under scrutiny and are looking to adapt their ways and practices.
"It could just be that it makes people sit up and think, and it really should."
A government spokeswoman said its Curriculum and Assessment Review would break down barriers to opportunity, while its new National Centre for Music and Arts Education would "promote opportunities" for young people to pursue artistic and creative interests in school.
The government is set to put a further £2.3bn into schools' budgets, with £1bn for children and young people with high needs.
