A petition containing more than 1500 signatures of people opposing cuts to music services was handed over to council chiefs on Monday.
The ‘Save our Music Camps and Central Groups’ petition was set up by Perth and Kinross Music Foundation (PKMF), Perth Youth Orchestra committee (PYO) and the Young Musicians Parents Association (YMPA).
It is calling on the council to ensure payment is made to music tutors working in music camps and central groups (bands, choirs and orchestras) for their additional work over and above the working time agreement.
And it is asking the local authority to fund a camp nurse and also allow the Instrumental Music Services (IMS) to decide the number of staff needed at music camps.
Susannah Rae, honorary secretary of the PYO committee, claimed the council “pushed through” cuts to IMS, following an “advisory” report on cost saving measures.
“There was no public consultation on this, despite the fact that the cuts included the loss of funding for a music camp nurse,” she said.
“There really should have been consultation to enable parents of children with health concerns to give their views and for tutors to state whether it is a workable proposition from their point of view.”
She continued: “The council has argued that school trips do not have nurses present, but have yet to answer our question asking whether there are comparable trips where tutors are teaching all day as well as being responsible for the medical care of children 24 hours a day.
“If camps were to go ahead without a nurse the council would be profiting from parental contributions whilst making camps less safe — this is unacceptable.”
Ms Rae also said that the council is planning to consult on a “number of other cuts,” including moving music tutor participation in central groups and music camps to within a working time agreement.
“This is despite the fact that tutors are already doing more hours than they are paid for, so if the council stopped these payments they would effectively be asking tutors to do the extra work unpaid,” she added.
“Over the last six years, I have seen and heard about the amount of sheer hard work that goes into music camps and central groups from participating children. Children can start central groups when they have been playing for about a year — from primary five upwards.
“It shows them the fun side of playing an instrument and is great socially as they meet children from schools all over Perth and Kinross. So although central groups are important musically, their importance goes far beyond music.
“Indeed, many teenagers continue to play in central groups throughout their time at High School.
“Whilst I do not think that the council is deliberately setting out to abolish central groups and music camps that will be the result of stopping payments for tutors, because they simply do not have any extra time in their working time agreements to fit in central groups and music camps.
“It is as though the council does not understand the implications of the proposal.”
However, a council spokesperson said the local authority investigated how the IMS can best develop the musical talent and wider life skills of children, whilst delivering an agreed £75,000 saving.
“The review objectives included reviewing current data and evidence about how the IMS is used to identify the needs and priorities of service users/non users, and identifying any gaps in provision,” she said .
“The lifelong learning committee did instruct the director of education and children’s services to consider moving tutor participation for central music groups within a working time agreement to replace overtime or extra payments.
“The agreement reached by the committee concluded the initial review and established the means by which the required savings of £75, 000 were met.”
