Edinburgh music school awarded £230k to support young musicians

A grant of nearly £230,000 to St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh will help create more opportunities for talented young musicians across Scotland.

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The youngsters will benefit from specialist teaching from St Mary’s Music School, Scotland’s national music school in Edinburgh.

Awarded by the Leverhulme Trust, the funds will be used to supplement the school’s existing bursary fund to ensure that gifted young instrumentalists are not held back on financial grounds.

St Mary’s Music School is one of nine Government Funded Music and Dance Schools in the UK

They will also be used to support the expansion of the school’s programmes, including the popular piano, strings and woodwind summer schools.

St Mary’s is one of nine Government Funded Music and Dance Schools in the UK which exist to provide the finest training to gifted young musicians regardless of background or financial circumstances.

It provides academic and music education to children age 9 to 19, and receives support from the Scottish Government through a generous Aided Places Scheme.

Last year 96 per cent of pupils received some form of financial bursary through the combination of this scheme and the School’s own bursary fund, which is made up of charitable gifts.

Last year 96 per cent of pupils received some form of financial bursary to attend.

Grants from the Leverhulme Trust are awarded to specialist arts training institutions which demonstrate outstanding quality within their field.

Headteacher at St Mary’s Music School, Dr Kenneth Taylor, said: “This is a wonderful award from the Leverhulme Trust and will open more doors for Scotland’s exceptional young musicians to realise their potential.

"Combined with the support we receive from the Scottish Government and from individual donors, over the next four years, it will contribute to both our school and outreach programmes, allowing many more to access the world-class education we provide.

"No young talent should be held back on financial grounds. A specialist music education can be a truly life-changing experience, preparing young people with a passion for music to pursue many different career pathways and endowing them with the transferable skills they need to succeed, whether they become a professional musician, work in the creative industries or pursue an alternative career.”

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