Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Thousands join fight against Perth and Kinross music service cuts

It comes after councillors voted to reduce funding for the Perth and Kinross instrumental music service

Perth Youth orchestra members at perth Concert Hall
Perth Youth Orchestra is one of the groups affected by the review. Image: Phil Hannah

More than 2,500 people have signed a petition urging Perth and Kinross Council to reverse planned cuts to its instrumental music service.

The campaign was launched by Perth Youth Orchestra member Eva Seba.

It comes after councillors voted to reintroduce charges and potentially reduce the range of music instruction on offer to school pupils.

Under the plans, approved in the Perth and Kinross Council budget for 2024/25, charges will be imposed for the music service’s Central Groups.

This offers weekly coaching in the evenings for members of the Perthshire Youth Orchestra, as well as the Concert Band, Wind Orchestra, Guitar Ensemble, Choir, String Orchestra, Senior String Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble and Piping Ensemble.

Line up of young people in kilts holding bagpipes
Piping tuition may also be affected by the Perth and Kinross music service review. Image: Shutterstock.

Youngsters will also have to pay the full cost of attending music camps.

And councillors have agreed to a review of the allocation of music instructors.

This could lead to larger group sizes and the use of online tuition in some cases.

The budget papers said this change would result in the loss of 3.5 full-time posts.

Critics say this amounts to a third of the Perth and Kinross instrumental music service staff.

Perth and Kinross music service an ‘inspiration to all’

Eva’s petition, launched on March 14, is currently standing at 2,576 signatures.

She argues that reintroducing charges will make music inaccessible for many youngsters.

Group of young musicians playing violins
Perth Youth Orchestra at the city’s Festival of the Arts in 2019.

“If these cuts go ahead, Central Groups will not have sufficient staffing to keep running,” she added.

There are also fears that charging for the annual music camp will put it out of the financial reach of many families.

Eva said: “Music camp is the highlight of the year for many, where lasting friendships are created.”

And she is urging Perth and Kinross Council to consider what the instrumental music service stands for.

“It is not just jobs that will be lost,” she said.

“We will potentially be losing an organisation that provides unrivalled culture to Perth and Kinross.

Perth and Kinross Council logo on wall of council HQ in Perth
Perth and Kinross Council is reviewing its instrumental music service. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson

“It has supported hundreds of students to pursue significant careers in the arts.

“It has inspired potential, growth, leadership, responsibility and self-esteem in every young person involved.”

Council will act in due course

Perth and Kinross Council says its officers are reviewing the service and will make recommendations to councillors at a later date.

A spokesperson said: “Elected members agreed the council’s budget in February.

“Officers are reviewing the music service provision in our schools and will make recommendations for how the music service is delivered to meet budget expectations in due course.”

 

Conversation