I KNOW it’s summer, not because of the rain battering my newly potted plants, or because all the back-to-school posters are up in Marks and Spencer.

I know it’s summer because it’s school service/fair/prizegiving/sports day/concert time, which means every minute of every day is spent cheering on my children at assorted events and activities.

This is all good, of course - plenty of proud-parent moments to savour and store up for recalling on bleak, future days, when they move out and move on.

Of all the joy packed in to these frantic few weeks of June, however, nothing makes my heart soar quite as much as the summer concert.

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This magical, musical collaboration between the 15-year-old’s secondary school and the 11-year-old’s primary school is the culmination of an ingenious six-week partnership project which not only gives the young performers a chance to take part in workshops and rehearsals with the senior concert band, but also introduces them, in a fear-free way, to the world of the ‘big’ school.

This year’s was as glorious as ever – Mozart and George Ezra rubbing shoulders with Scottish reels, Argentinian tango and Baby Shark; a host of shiny-faced flautists and brass players, some only marginally bigger than their instruments, with concentration etched on their faces, sharing a stage with the talented senior pupils.

For the parents, it’s bliss. We’re with them, every step and squeak of the way, all the while admiring the hard work and dedication of the teachers and tutors who got them there.

It is about more than the music, of course. The benefits of musical tuition, to a child’s wellbeing and wider learning, are well known. You just had to see the smiles on the faces of those young performers, taking their bows in front of families and friends, to know how much it means to them to be part of something this amazing.

The idea that musical tuition may disappear from schools, therefore, is terrible. Some local authorities are cutting the service; others are introducing fees or raising them so high it becomes too much for many families to afford.

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High-profile musicians like the world class violinist Nicola Benedetti have backed a crowdfunding campaign to challenge the very idea of music fees in schools. The SQA music exams require pupils to be competent in two musical instruments – so those who can afford tuition have a distinct advantage over those who cannot.

Benedetti is right to say music, taught well, has a “unique power”. That power should be available to all.