Angus Robertson: Benefits to youngsters of music lessons are off the scale

Nicola Benedetti has spoken out against cuts to musical education. Picture: John Devlin

If contemporary music is more your thing then there’s Teenage Fanclub, Neneh Cherry, Jarvis Cocker and many others. If you’re more into traditional, world, jazz, blues, rock and the full range of contemporary musical styles, they are on offer too.

All of this is music to the ears of Edinburgh music lovers, who can hear and see world-class performers from home and abroad. We should also bear in mind the inspiration this gives to our young people who are learning music and enjoying the benefits it brings educationally, socially and personally.

Edinburgh is a very musical city for young people. Nowhere else in Europe is there a school in the state sector which offers a complete specialist music programme from primary to secondary level in the way it is offered in the City of Edinburgh Music School. In two neighbouring centres, Flora Stevenson primary and Broughton High School, scores of talented youngsters from around the country are educated in a specialist music programme as part of their wider schooling.

I know a bit about this as that is where I went to primary and secondary school. From a very early age I learned the violin, playing both classical and Scottish traditional music. At school I had the advantage of excellent tuition, playing in the school orchestra, the Edinburgh Secondary Schools Orchestra and being the contemporary of super young musicians.

These included the classically-focused, like the violinist Beverly Scott who is now with the Ulster Orchestra, the international saxophone talent Tommy Smith, the singer Shirley Manson of Goodbye Mr Mackenzie and Garbage and the accomplished drummer and timpanist Alan Emslie. Although not a music unit pupil myself, it was hugely beneficial to be in the musical environment with such fantastic talents.

The benefits of musical tuition for children have been long understood, with a close link to language, concentration and wider learning. That is why Scottish musical star Nicola Benedetti is quite right to stand up for musical education.

During the last week she has warned against cuts to musical education, saying it “has a unique type of power”. The world class classical violinist added: “We should always be worried about anything that solidifies inequality”, and has set up the Benedetti Foundation to encourage children and young people to engage with music.

We are fortunate to have the City of Edinburgh Music School, which is backed by the Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council, as well as the St Mary’s Music School, where pupils can receive up to 100 per cent funding from the Scottish Government through the Aided Places Scheme. We are also lucky to have a full range of orchestras and ensembles for youngsters, from classical to brass, rock and jazz.

However, with private music tuition costing between £20-£40 per lesson it is clear that not every family can afford this, which is why it’s really important to support music teaching in schools. With budgets constrained as a result of Westminster-imposed austerity, that is not easy. Nevertheless, we should support every effort to protect access to music for all youngsters.