Music lessons in danger of disappearing from schools

I can vividly remember having enjoyed music lessons throughout primary school, and indeed the first few years of secondary school up to GCSE. Admittedly the lessons were rather basic, typically featuring the whole class straining to play in unison, using a variety of instruments, while attempting to keep the level of banshee cacophony to a minimum. We certainly never learnt anything as advanced or practical as reading music, and the prosaic lessons were unlikely to stimulate any real musical talent; but they were certainly enjoyable.

Though music isn`t a mandatory part of the curriculum, it is still frequently taught in schools, and enjoyed by students across the country. This could all be set to change however, and surprisingly it`s because of an impending pay increase. This summer the government announced a pay rise for teachers - pledging up to £1,366 a year for around a million public sector workers. This was confirmed by the Education Secretary Damian Hinds, who announced back in July there was to be a substantial increase of funds going to the education sector.

Damian Hinds later confirmed an investment of £508 million to fully fund the deal, which means that almost all teachers can expect a pay increase of 3.5 percent. Unfortunately centrally employed teachers (CET`s - typically employed by the council) will not be enjoying this price adjustment - they were only guaranteed an increase of between 1 and 2.5 percent - and even this merge raise is contingent upon each local council being able (or willing) to supply the funds.

The vast majority of music teachers happen to be CET`s - and it seems likely local councils will be seeking to significantly reduce their number, thus circumventing the pay increase they would be obliged to fund. The number of CET`s in the UK stands at around 4,900, with around half of them providing music teaching; although this number may sound rather low, it`s typical that a single music teacher is able to meet the demands of a whole school.

Is the study of music soon to become the sole province of the wealthy, who will be able to afford weekly piano or violin lessons for their children? That would indeed be a shame. The singer songwriter Ed Sheeran spoke out passionately against the cuts last month, saying that the early music lessons he received at school had a profound effect on shaping his ambitions and abilities. He also said that by forcing local councils to reduce the number of music teachers, we could be potentially damaging British pop music, one of our most proud and innovative industries.

`If you keep cutting the funding for arts you`re going to be damaging one of Britain`s best and most lucrative exports.`

The LGA (Local Government Association) is a cross party organisation, which helps to articulate the voice of local councils, and has been outspoken concerning the importance of music in pupils` education. The chair of the LGA`s children and young people board, Anntoinette Bramble, expressed how unfortunate it would be for music lessons to be taken out of many schools:

`The UK has a proud history of musical excellence and many of the most well-known artists in the world over time would have benefited from music lessons. For many young people, it is a vital part of their education and future life opportunities, but this could be at risk unless the government commits to fully funding the pay increase for all classroom teachers, including music teachers.`

I believe it would be a terrible shame if the number of music teachers were reduced - music is an expressive form largely free of the snobbery and class divides that abound in many other artistic sectors. Theatre, painting, sculpture - many people consider these to be the domain of the upper class elite. I`d have to slightly disagree with this - in London (and most major cities) there are numerous free art galleries, although the exorbitant price of going to the theatre does make it prohibitive for many. Music is for everyone though: babies are immediately receptive to it - indeed many doctors even expose the benefits of exposing the foetus to soothing rhythms and harmonies in utero! It would certainly be a great loss if learning an instrument became just another activity available only to the children of wealthier families.