AS we have seen in the pages of The Herald in recent weeks, the arts is often a go-to area when budgets are constrained ("Arts organisations fear Budget cuts would devastate cultural sector", The Herald, November 21, and Letters, November 21). My own council, West Lothian, is proposing cuts to free instrumental tuition in schools as part of its drive to close a gap of £73m. Owing to the abstruse nature of the council’s consultation, it is not clear what is being proposed, but the youth MSP for Linlithgow, Alice Ferguson, is among those voicing fears that the service could be scrapped.
Dr Bill Maxwell, who was until recently the chief executive of Education Scotland, is quoted on the council’s website as saying: "Creativity is very clearly at the heart of the philosophy of Curriculum for Excellence." But creativity will be driven out of the curriculum if musical instrument instruction is to become the preserve of private schools.
Families whose children receive school instrument tuition can testify to the many benefits it yields and the quality of the teaching. They also see first-hand that ensembles bring together young people who would not otherwise meet – pupils of differing ages and backgrounds. And another point remains to be made.
In towns and cities throughout Scotland, after-school activities for children is a growth industry – a burgeoning of opportunity to participate in arts, sports and communal study that was not available 20 years ago. These activities are unashamedly promoted to parents as a means of giving their children a leg-up later on when it comes to pursuing a university place or writing a CV. But they cost money. So many middle-class families engage in a feverish programme, while the less well-off are limited or excluded.
For young people with plenty of talent but meagre resources, free instrument tuition may be the only available means of demonstrating "an extra string to their bow" – and in some cases could open a door to employment in the creative industries.
Thérèse Stewart,
61 Deanburn Park,
Linlithgow.
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