Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – How frustrating for Glee Club leader Annie Hunter to have the results of all that hard work abandoned with no performance at the end (No glee for singers denied their debut, Courier, December 10). Surely she could find someone who would appreciate a concert?
In the article in The Courier she notes that a number of her members had been told by previous teachers that they couldn’t sing.
I would like to support her enthusiasm for keeping the doors open to everybody. I taught singing every Friday at a primary school in Devon for 12 years. The senior and junior choirs were composed of every child over the age of six with no exceptionsand they were always among the top prizewinners in competition.
The problem arises in the assumption that if a child is too loud or out of tune then that is a permanent state, whereas so often the child who appears to be a little raucous or blind to pitch has at least the potential of any other child in the group.
Would-be teachers of singing should be aware that in denying the child a simple remedy, through lack of patience, they are also denying to that child access to a wonderful world of song, often for the rest of their life.
Everybody can sing.
Jim Robertson.10 Chapel Street,Alyth.
Heating advice is revised
Sir, – A few weeks ago you published a letter regarding Fife Council’s Fifelife publication giving health tips for the winter. The recommendation was a room temperature of 23C or above during the day and around 18C at night.
I can’t remember the exact wording of the letter but your correspondent wrote what I thought was an amusing letter suggesting that such temperatures were too high.
I asked Fife Council about this advice and received a reply from the communications manager of Fife NHS Board telling me it was a genuine error which would be corrected in the next edition of Fifelife.
You might like to inform readers the correct advice is (and I quote): “General guidance is that the main living room is heated to between 18-21C and the rest of the house to 16C. Where it is not possible to heat all rooms, it is advised that the living room is kept warm throughout the day and the bedroom heated before bed.”
David S Saunders235 Muirfield DriveGlenrothes.
Hypocritical stance
Sir, – I am writing in response to Cllr Alan Grant’s letter in Monday’s Courier. I am an independent trader within the vicinity of Perth City Hall and when I read about the trust’s vision for the building I was excited by its ideas.
He fails to mention that this vision includes a food market, heritage centre and tourist shop/office.To bring the tourist office back into the city centre is a great idea. It would also bring more tourists back into the centre.
He quite rightly points out that we already have a shopping mall in the St John’s Centre, but it doesn’t incorporate any of the above ideas. I don’t know about anybody else but I for one am rather tired of shopping for my food in supermarkets.
While I am the first to admit that the city hall is not the most beautiful building in the world, it is part of our history and heritage as a city.
You only have to look at old photos of Perth to see how much of it has been destroyed, supposedly in the name of progress.
As for his sudden concern about the detrimental effect on “on street shops” I find that slightly hypocritical. After all, this is a council which promotes various markets throughout the year, which affect us all.
Nowhere in his letter does he mention that if the council were to have their way and create a civic square that they intend to increase the market stalls available for rent from 45 to 90. Surely this would be just as detrimental to “on-street shops”?
He encourages the proponents of this idea to consult the on street shop owners in the vicinity and listen to what they have to say. Maybe, as deputy leader of the council, he should follow through and adopt this approach himself, before dispensing advice.
Laura WilsonPerth.
Great show by derby crowd
Sir – As a Dundee United fan who attended the Dundee derby at Dens Park, can I say that it was a great advert for how football should be attended and supported.
Both sets of fans walked to the ground together, mingled outside, then went to their respective ends.
Both sets of fans gave a very rousing and respectful minute’s applause in memory of the late Doug Smith and both gave as good as they got so far as “terracing banter” goes, then met up with their opposing friends later to lick wounds or head off for a celebratory pint.
There was no heavy police presence and no serious segregation, just a good atmosphere.
The football on the park was perhaps not the best we have seen from either side this season but the show off the park is surely what football is all about.
Stephen Caldwell.31 Bankton Park,Kingskettle.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL. Letters should be accompanied by an address and a daytime telephone number.