Swansong for child music lessons

BRITAIN is facing a “crisis point” in music education with fewer children than ever taking up a musical instrument and the cost of lessons at record highs.

Figures from the Incorporated Society of Musicians show the average cost of private tuition is now £31 per hour across the UK. Including the instrument the cost of fully learning an instrument can amount to £30,000 to £40,000.

With music lessons absent from the national curriculum beyond Key Stage 3, Government figures show the number of teenagers participating in music in England is at its lowest ever level.