Angus Council performed a U-turn on a 36% cut to its instrumental music staff after an impassioned plea from two Forfar Academy pupils.
The local authority’s children and learning committee previously agreed to cut instrumental music service teacher numbers from 18 to 11, which would have saved £200,000 a year.
But the decision was reversed by a 15-14 vote when the matter was referred to full council.
Carnoustie councillor Brian Boyd said it was the pupils’ submission that made him change his mind and vote against the cuts.
The vote followed the pupils presenting a petition signed by more than 80 pupils expressing their “sadness and disgust” that music tuition was to be “slashed”.
At the meeting, S5 pupil Aidan Harvey said he feared the cuts would impact on school orchestras and ensembles.
He said: “We believe these cuts could have a large detrimental effect on not just the level of pupils passing SQA exams in later years of secondary school but also the equal opportunities we currently have, regardless of income, to learn a wide variety of musical instruments.”
Head boy Geordie Cryle said the decision to focus on cutting music and guitar tuition was “particularly alarming”.
He noted that studying music at some universities required proficiency in piano, regardless of a pupil’s main instrument.
Arbroath councillor David Fairweather’s amendment that an alternative savings source be identified to ensure the continuation of the service at its current level, was passed by one vote.
For more on this story, see Saturday’s Courier.