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Updated: Monday, March 23, 2009 | Printer Friendly Version | |

CUTS IN INSTRUCTOR NUMBERS THREATEN MUSIC EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has voiced its concerns that music education across Scotland is under threat due to budget cutbacks and a fall in the number of specialist music instructors employed in some local authority areas. Not only will this lead to significant job losses, but it will also have a devastating impact on instrumental music instruction in schools and damage the educational experience for pupils who wish to learn how to play a musical instrument.

One local authority, Renfrewshire, is already planning a drastic reduction in its music instruction service, with seven Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) music instructors set to be cut from the current total of 17 FTE instructors. Other local authorities are also looking at making similar savings on their music instruction service, and the EIS is increasingly concerned that cutting back on music instructors will be seen by Councils as an easy way of making financial savings.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Ronnie Smith said, “Music instructors have a vital role to play in providing quality instrumental music education in our schools. Learning to play a musical instrument can bring many benefits to pupils, including increased confidence and self-esteem. Creativity and independent expression are central to the new Curriculum for Excellence, and these are also key aspects of learning to play a musical instrument. It is vital that all pupils should continue to have the ability to access adequate instrumental music instruction, and the continued employment of instrumental music instructors is essential to this aim. The educational experience for pupils must always come before financial concerns, and those Councils looking to save fairly small sums of money by cutting back on music instruction are being short-sighted in the extreme. The benefits to pupils of quality music instruction far outweigh the relatively small cost to Councils of maintaining an adequate music instruction service.”

Mr Smith added, “With an uncertain future for other avenues that allow young people to access music, such as the Youth Music Initiative, maintaining a quality music instruction service in schools is more important than ever. The Scottish Government should act decisively to ensure the future of the Youth Music Initiative beyond the end of its current funding cycle in 2010, and local authorities must act now to protect music instruction in our schools, so that generations of young people can continue to benefit from all that quality musical education has to offer.”