WORLD-FAMOUS musicians, composers, education chiefs, and festival directors are today calling for music tuition to be free for every child in Scotland.

On the day that one Scottish council confirmed it is planning to cut musical instrument teaching in its schools, leading figures including Nicola Benedetti and Dame Evelyn Glennie, have spoken out to back free music education.

Midlothian Council could become one of the first Scottish local authorities to cut musical instrument tuition in its schools, apart from children who are studying for Higher or National Five exams.

The councils plans, described as "shameful" by the leader of the country's largest teaching union, come only a fortnight after the Scottish Parliament's education committee declared that instrument tuition should remain free.

Ms Benedetti, a passionate advocate of music education, said funding for music tuition at councils should be ring-fenced.

Larry Flanagan, the general secretary of the EIS, attacked the planned cuts, which come as other councils are planning to raise fees and cut tutors.

He said: "Midlothian Council’s decision to axe instrumental music tuition in its schools is a ridiculously short-sighted decision.

"This penny-pinching move will rob young people in Midlothian of an invaluable opportunity to develop their musical abilities, and deny them the many added benefits that instrumental instruction can offer.

"Learning music benefits young people in terms of their self-confidence, and in their ability to work both independently or as part of a larger group.

"It is a bitter irony that, shortly after the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee has recommended that instrumental music tuition should be provided free by all local authorities, the response of Midlothian Council is to scrap music tuition altogether.

"Midlothian Council must reconsider this shameful decision as a matter of urgency."

Ms Benedetti, who launched her own educational music Foundation last week, said there was a clear conflict between "the national rhetoric and messaging and what the councils actually feel they can implement, and also the local council's value and belief systems: there is quite clearly a disconnect."

The award winning musician, who is to return to Scotland to perform a series of concerts with the RSNO next week, added: "Everyone who understands the importance of maintaining music in schools, we have to pull together and sing from the same hymn sheet.

"The ultimate goal would be to have funds ring-fenced, on a national level, where these decisions on a council level cannot be made.

"You'd be hard pushed to find people who don't believe, within music education, that the situation is worse than it has been in many people's lifetime."

The leader of Midlothian Council, Derek Milligan, said he was "devastated" by the prospect of cutting instrument lessons.

He added: "If councillors decided to save instrumental tuition, it just means we have to find the money by stopping something else."

Councillors will consider the savings, put forward by council officers, at a council meeting on 12 December.

Cllr Millgan added: “If councillors decide to save instrumental tuition, it just means we have to find the money by stopping something else.

"So while we are as devastated as parents and pupils about having to consider such a drastic cut to this service, this needs to be seen in the context of preserving the core educational and care services Midlothian residents depend on.”

Pupils studying for Higher and Advanced Higher music will continue to receive instrumental music tuition free of charge.

Children will also still get music in schools as part of the normal curriculum.

However, there will no longer be the opportunity to pay for extra lessons to learn a musical instrument.