MSP to join music cuts ‘flashmob’

SNP MSP Christine Grahame has pledged to join young musicians in a demonstration against cuts to music tuition in Midlothian next week.

The politician said she would join her constituents outside the council chambers in Dalkeith where local politicians will be debating proposals to axe musical instrument lessons for youngsters below S4 who are taking Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) exams.

Raising the issue at First Minister’s Questions yesterday, she said: “I would like to ask the Deputy First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on whether learning to play a musical instrument should be a core subject in schools?”

The issue has angered professional musicians, including violinist Nicola Benedetti, who yesterday called for funding for instrumental lessons to be ring-fenced at a national level to prevent them being cut by local authorities. Other councils across Scotland have recently opted to introduce or raise fees for instrument lessons, which campaigners have warned is pricing pupils out of learning music.

Youngsters with their musical instruments are set to hold a “flashmob” outside the budget meeting on Tuesday to protest against the plans.

Dr Mary Smith, director of education at Midlothian Council, said the cuts were “due to the non-statutory nature of music tuition”.

In reply to Ms Grahame, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Music, as one of the expressive arts, is an essential part of the broad general education under the Curriculum for Excellence. This includes class music lessons, including when an instrument is taught on a whole class basis.

“An education authority may charge fees for the provision of instrumental tuition which is discretionary over and above this.”