I thank pay my apologies to Patrick Harvie and Willie Rennie as we just don't have quite enough time this afternoon but we're going to have to move on to the next item of business, which is an education and skills committee debate on motion 1-7059, in the name of Clare Adamson, on a note of concern- the future of instrumental music tuition in schools. I would encourage all members who wish to speak in this debate to press their requests to seat burden whenever they can and, I call them Clare Adamson, thank you. It is a pleasure to open the committee debate on behalf of the Education and Skills Committee. Before I lay out the findings of the committee's inquiry, I would like to thank our clerks and everybody who took time to give evidence to the committee, whether that was by in writing via social media or as part of our committee formal meetings or as one of our focus groups. I see that there are some of those in the gallery today to join us. The passion for learning an instrument was articulated by many young people we met, including from the Scottish Youth Parliament. I would like particularly to highlight Alison Ferguson and Catherine Mackay for their powerful evidence in the formal committee proceedings. I would also like to thank the Royal Conservatives of Scotland and what a treat it was for them to perform for our committee. It perfectly encapsulated why the committee was so keen to find a way forward to preserve for all the opportunities created by a musical education. I would also like to pay tribute to all those involved in delivering music education and instrumental music tuition throughout Scotland. The dedication shown by those that we spoke to was inspiring and added to our determination to investigate and highlight the concerns in this area. In October, the committee opened its inquiry and we wanted to find out the extent to which charging for instrumental music tuition as part of the school curriculum acts as a barrier to participation from pupils. Our inquiry was launched in response to correspondence from the music education partnership group. That is a group brought together by the Scottish Government and is a successor to the instrument music group and implementation group. It brings together not only local authorities and others with a stake in instrumental music tuition but also national music, cultural performing organisations. There was also a parliamentary petition on the matter, which my colleague Joanne Lamont will cover in her closing speech. The committee also focused on groups with young people, practitioners and students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Gordon Macdonald and I attended a North Lanarkshire Schools music group evening practice session at Corkbridge High School, where all pupils who are engaged with the North Lanarkshire bands and orchestras come together each week. We saw a wonderful variety of musical talent, including the now world famous North Lanarkshire pipe band whose performances in New York as part of tartan week, as they say, went viral. I want to thank Mr Park and his staff, but especially the pupils who gave their time to highlight the positive benefits of instrumental music tuition and participation and what it has brought to them. We should be clear, of course, that the distinction between instrumental music tuition and musical education. As COSA notes in its response to our report, all pupils in Scotland from primary 1 to S3 are taught music by GTCS registered teachers as part of the broad general education. Instrumental music tuition is an additional service provided in all 32 local authorities in Scotland, delivered by instructors. The committee's report focuses on instrumental music tuition, but it would be wrong to ignore the strong connection with and influence on musical education in the senior phase of curriculum for excellence. The committee's report made several recommendations to COSA and the Scottish Government. Since our inquiry and report, COSA has issued fresh guidance to local authorities on instrumental music tuition, but the central question of future funding solution for this service remains. I will therefore focus my remarks today on the charging structure for instrumental music tuition, which my fellow committee members will attest to as one of the most challenging issues raised in evidence. While all 32 local authorities have agreed not to charge young people who are taking SQA exams and music, for those who have not yet chosen music as an exam subject, there is a much varied picture. Some local authorities do not charge at all, others charge for instrumental higher, for the tuition itself or for both. In some local authority areas, in one local authority area, rather, pupils were charged £524 per annum for tuition with no sibling discount, which is a prohibitive sum for many families. We heard that, nationally, local authorities spend around £28 million a year on instrumental music tuition and collect roughly £4 million in fees from parents or carers. Those local authorities that charge also apply a plethora of different exemptions and discounts, some providing a sibling discount for families, while others offer an exemption of discounted fees only to those eligible for free school meals. I recommend that members read the annual survey collated by the improvement service, as well as reading the insightful evidence provided by Kenny Christie of the Heads of Instrumental Teaching Scotland for more examples of the approaches taken in each local authority. The committee supports causalist guidance, which states that there should be no charges for those eligible for free school meals, but I also recommend that there should be an explanation of how other exemptions or concessions could be applied more consistently to help mitigate the impact on her press families. We also recommend that local authorities should give parents and carers the opportunity to pay in weekly or monthly installments. Causalist guidance contains a section on engaging parents and carers, which provides an example of good practice of a comprehensive parents information booklet, which sets out its fees and exemption criteria in clear accessible language. In its report, the committee recommended that local authorities communicate more clearly with parents and carers about the full range of costs, exemptions and concessions that may be applicable, and we would hope to see common sense approach adopted across Scotland in that regard. However, those recommendations only seek to mitigate the impact of charging, but the committee's key recommendation was that instrumental music tuition should be in principle free of charge. We noticed with interest that the Scottish Government's response to our report states that instrumental music tuition, which is necessary to provide adequate preparation for SQA exams, should be provided free of charge. We would ask the cabinet secretary whether he agrees that those who gave evidence that adequate preparation for SQA examinations does not start in S4 but at a much earlier stage in a young person's musical career. The inherent tension encountered by the committee throughout its evidence gathering was the status of instrumental music tuition and whether, as Causal argued, it should remain a discretionary additional service or whether, as others argued, in practice or in reality it should be an intrinsic part of the curriculum and therefore not subject to charging. In the report, the committee suggests that the explicit inclusion of instrumental music tuition in the core curriculum would have practical implications that should need to be carefully considered. However, the benefits in protecting and enhancing the provision of music tuition in schools could far outweigh those considerations. Causal's response to that suggestion focused on the practical and financial implications. That might have, rather than the potential benefits for pupils and, indeed, for instrumental music tuition instructors who could be provided with improved job security. Indeed, Causal's Stephen McCabe recognised the pressure on instructors when giving evidence to the committee stating that councils are under pressure not just to charge for tuition but to reduce the number of musical instructors. That is a simple reality. Some councils have reduced or have savings options to reduce the number of musical instructors. That might involve instructors in instruments that are not practically or popular and where the numbers are limited being lost. Therefore, instrumental music tuition is that a tutor numbers continue to be cut, the quality of teaching, through absolutely no fault of the tutors at all, could decline. Many witnesses, including John Wallace from the music group, said that this is a tipping point for musical tuition in Scottish schools. At the heart of the issue, as long as instrumental music tuition is considered to be outwith the core curriculum, it is liable to other local authority, budgetary pressures, and there will be a risk of tutor numbers declining further. As they reduce, more and more large groups of lessons will need to take place rather than the standard of a one-to-one tuition. While fees continue to increase and drive away potential musicians and music teachers of the future, it is vital that we get that right to ensure that instrumental music teachers of the future have an opportunity to achieve their ambitions within the Scottish education system. One potential solution proposed in evidence was to create a ring fence national scheme similar to the Youth Music Initiative, or YMI, to fund the instrumental music tuition. The YMI's purpose is to deliver a Scottish Government commitment that every school pupil in Scotland should be offered a year of free music tuition by the time they leave primary school. YMI was universally praised in our deliberations. Although the committee is not persuaded that a national service could perform better than the local services and that the instrumental music services should continue to be managed at local authority level, we recognise that Youth Music Initiative is an example of good practice, where a national objective has been achieved through partnership working with the local authorities. Indeed, Mr Becaves says that local authorities will always take a pragmatic decision in the best interests of their communities. If the offer of money was on the table, they would look at it and consider what was best in the interests of the communities that they serve. Other committee members will no doubt wish to reflect on their views of the responses that we received from COSLA and the Scottish Government to their report. In our final recommendation, we say that our number of inquiries, reports and strategies produced regarding instrumental music tuition over the last 20 years while reaching broadly semersal conclusions, responses to each have failed to address the tipping point, concerns regarding the future of instrumental music tuition in schools. I recommend the report to the chamber. I look forward to hearing the views of other members and how the recommendations can be followed through. I would like to take this opportunity again to thank those young people who have taken part in studying instrumental music in our schools. It should not be a decision based on whether or not your family can afford it. I will move the motion in my name. I welcome the report from the Education and Skills Committee on instrumental music tuition in schools and the opportunity that the debate provides for us to air the various questions raised on the subject matter of the report. I can also echo the thanks of the convener to the various interested parties who have given evidence and contributed to the substantial report that we now consider. From the Government's perspective, the expressive arts are of great importance to Scotland's culture and to our economy. Participation in music and the arts can have a hugely positive effect on our children, young people and on their families. Being involved in music and the arts provides children and young people with opportunities to be creative, to develop their imaginations and to experience inspiration and enjoyment. That can have a hugely significant positive effect on their mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing. Instrumental music tuition in schools is an important element of that participation in the arts and the Government fully supports the instrumental music tuition service. There is an instrumental music service operating in every local authority and music education in Scotland has been highly regarded across the United Kingdom and internationally. That was highlighted in the instrumental music group's 2013 report and members across the chamber will have witnessed some of the strength in the provision of instrumental music tuition around the country in their own engagement with schools in their localities and further afield. I have recently had the privilege of experiencing a number of examples for myself of the strength of that instrumental music provision. A few weeks ago, I attended the North Lanarkshire Music Group's spring concert, which showcased the impressive talent and dedication of young people in North Lanarkshire, their teachers and their music instructors. The outstanding evening at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall was concluded by a performance by the North Lanarkshire School's pipe band shortly before their seminal performance in Grand Central Station in New York, in which the young people of North Lanarkshire and their outstanding instructors demonstrated the strength of the instrumental music provision in Scotland. I also recently attended the City of Edinburgh Music School's annual performance, which draws together young people studying at Flora Stephenson primary school and Broughton high school. It is one of the funded music school arrangements around the country and saw at first hand the depth of expertise and experience that the City of Edinburgh Music School represents. I also attended the music school of Douglas academy in Moogai in East Dunbartonshire, which again attracts young people from around the country to contribute to the development of specialist music education. They were a tremendous example of the strength and the formidable base of music education in Scotland. I can fully understand and share the concerns of young people, their parents and families and those working in the sector over any reduction in the quality or reach of those services in any part of Scotland. As colleagues in this chamber will be aware that the Scottish education system is set up in a way that decision making is devolved to the most appropriate level, enabling local education authorities to make choices that meet their local circumstances and needs. Local authorities decide how to provide instrumental music tuition depending on local circumstances, priorities and traditions. Local authorities are entrusted by statute with taking those decisions. Despite the financial pressures that we have faced as a Government, we have treated local government fairly in the financial settlements that we have put in place. In the context of differential positions adopted around the country, a number of local authorities—Dundee, the City of Edinburgh, the City of Glasgow, Orkney, Renfrewshire and West and Bartonshire—and the Western Isles continue to provide instrumental music tuition free of charge to young people in their localities. Choices are made at local level by individual local authorities. It is up to each local authority to decide how it deploys the resources that are available to it, and I would take this opportunity to encourage local authorities to provide instrumental music tuition to pupils in their localities at no cost to the pupils involved. Although maintaining respect for the autonomy of our local authorities, the Scottish Government is committed to working collaboratively with partners to maintain instrumental music tuition in Scotland. Following a meeting with the chair of the Music Education Partnership group in May last year, Professor John Wallace, I agreed to Scottish Government officials taking part in a working group led by the Music Education Partnership group, with representation from the Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, which would seek solutions to ensure instrumental music tuition remained accessible. The working group secured a commitment from COSLA's children and young people board to a minimum standard of eligibility criteria for access to free instrumental music tuition for those in receipt of free school meals and a restatement of the existing commitment to access to free instrumental music tuition for pupils undertaking SQA qualifications. Guidance for local authorities to consider when taking decisions on funding for instrumental music tuition was developed by the working group and was published by COSLA on 25 February this year. The guidance encourages transparency and the involvement of pupils and parents in the decision making process. It supports good practice in communicating decisions and it offers good practice examples and factors for consideration when applying charges and concessions. The Heads of Instrumental Tuition Scotland and the Association of Directors of Education Scotland were consulted as the guidance was developed and John Wallace has expressed confidence in the guidance that has been produced by the COSLA children and young people's board on behalf of the Music Education Partnership group. I would like to specifically take this opportunity to address one of the issues raised by the committee, which is the statutory position regarding instrumental music tuition and a concern that there was a lack of clarity on that question. The expressive arts, including music, are an essential part of the broad general education under curriculum for excellence. That can involve the learning of musical instruments on a whole class basis. In addition to that, some children and young people will receive instrumental music tuition. Decisions relating to the provision of instrumental music tuition are for education authorities, and they have discretion in determining how to provide tuition depending on local circumstances, priorities and traditions. It is my firm view that in making those decisions, local authorities should consider fully the range of benefits that learning a musical instrument can have for our children and young people and the positive impact that it can have on wellbeing and attainment. It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that pupils in their area are not prevented from learning a musical instrument because of their background, location, disability or financial circumstances. Local authorities should also take full account of the child-centred focus of curriculum for excellence. In doing so, there should be a recognition that, for some young people, learning a specific instrument will be an important part of their personalised learner experience and should provide them with the opportunities to maximise their individual potential. In specific reference to preparation for an SQA qualification, the committee found that there is a lack of clarity regarding whether instrumental music tuition necessary to provide adequate preparation for SQA examinations can legitimately be subject to charging. Although there is no express statutory link between education authorities' charging powers and the qualifications framework, the acquisition by pupils of formal education qualifications is clearly a fundamental principle of school education as provided by education authorities. It is therefore my view that instrumental music tuition, which is necessary, to provide adequate preparation for SQA examinations must be provided free of charge. Furthermore, I do not think that there is any dubiety in the guidance that is available, and indeed the cause of the children and young people board agreed at their meeting in November 2018 that no young person or their family would be charged from instrumental music tuition when they are preparing for an SQA qualification, and I welcome that commitment. While the provision of music education in schools is a matter for local authority decision making, the Scottish Government supports access to learning opportunities in music for children and young people through a range of measures. The national centres of excellence, four of which focus on music and a number of which I have mentioned already today, are funded through the local government settlement, and the Scottish Government supports St Mary's music school through the Aided Places scheme. Entry to the school is by addition and assessment based on musical ability and potential. Through the culture budget, we have provided almost £3 million since 2012 to Systema Scotland and their big noise orchestras, which reaches 2,500 children weekly in Stirling, Glasgow, Aberdeen and the city of Dundee. I am pleased that the committee is welcome the Scottish Government's support for the youth music initiative as an example of good practice. We have invested £118 million since 2007 in the youth music initiative, helping to ensure that every pupil has afforded a year of free music tuition by the time they leave primary school. Our investment in the YMI has made a significant impact, helping young people in all 32 local authorities to access music making opportunities. Although that is not and has never been intended to replace local provision of instrumental music tuition, the youth music initiative impact findings published on 8 March 2018 showed engaged with more than 244,000 young people over the past year. The quality of evidence supporting the link between skills for learning, attainment and the YMI has also greatly improved. In light of the positive impact of the YMI, Scottish Government officials continue to work with Creative Scotland to ensure that the youth music initiative builds on its many successes and provides pathways for children to future progression routes, including through local authority instrumental music services. It is clear that there is agreement across the political spectrum in Parliament about the importance of music education in general and instrumental music tuition in particular. In its report, the Education and Skills Committee concluded, "...the committee respects the democratic right of local authorities to take decisions about local expenditure and acknowledge the financial choices they face. However, the committee believes in principle that music tuition should be provided free of charge in every local authority. I agree with that conclusion from the committee. I urge local authorities to reflect on that and, for my part, express the Scottish Government's commitment to continue to work with partners to enhance and preserve instrumental music tuition throughout Scotland." I begin my remarks by reiterating the tributes that the convener paid to all those who supported the committee in its work and to all those who provided evidence, including the petitioners, all those with very specialist knowledge amongst music teachers in our schools, and all the representatives of the Royal Conservatoire whose recent teaching experiences meant that they were particularly well informed about several of the key issues that we are investigating. Can I associate myself with the remarks of the cabinet secretary when he acknowledges the tremendous talent that our youngsters in Scotland have? Music in whatever capacity should be at the very heart of any curriculum, not just because of the educational and social benefits that it brings, but because it has the potential to transform lives. Members, the convener and the cabinet secretary have already mentioned the very special qualities of the youth music initiative and system. I have to say that all the evidence that has been available throughout numerous reports over the years confirms that. It has the power to bring families together, schools and whole communities, and there is the additional factor that music provides a self-discipline and very often an ambition for pupils to do well in other subjects too. At a time when raising attainment is also a central priority for this Parliament, nothing could be more important than finding educational channels that motivate our young people to the highest degree. Music is therefore definitely not to be treated as an optional extra, which, in the words of Nicola Benedetti, would be a situation that would do untold damage to the cultural fabric of Scotland. Indeed, I could hardly believe the recent comments about instrumental music tuition that was made by a headteacher in England when he said, and I quote, that music is a hobby. It is not a career. It will not be supported by the school. I will not allow children to leave school to take graded exams, as we will only be supporting children's learning. I have seldom read such a depressing statement from anyone in education, but particularly from a headteacher who is clearly very ignorant when it comes to the real meaning of education. I am very glad to see that on social media that headteacher was in serious trouble. It is in the spirit of the real meaning of education that I think we should be debating this afternoon, and the tone has been set by both the convener and by the cabinet secretary. We know that, in principle, music is firmly embedded within the curriculum for excellence, but we also know that its provision, particularly when it comes to instrumental music tuition, is extremely patchy across Scotland. It is this situation that is often related to the costs of the provision, hence the committee's concerns, which were largely a reflection of the wide variation across different local authorities as to when additional tuition is provided free and when it is not. I am very pleased to hear the cabinet secretary saying that that is a matter for all local authorities to reflect upon. The committee felt that one of the biggest worries is the fact that some councils see music tuition as a relatively easy target when it comes to budget cuts and the means of generating additional income, perhaps indeed to subsidise other school services. That is a situation that I think we all feel distinctly uncomfortable about. Of course, that led us into the realms about the debate about what should be discretionary and what should be compulsory on a curriculum. I am sure that it is a debate that we will not go very far away from. I am interested in the current legal challenge to the interpretation of the Educational Scotland Act 1980 about what free education provision should really mean. Perhaps the legal terms might not always be exactly the same as what we see as politicians and what teachers see as politicians as the genuine commitment to the curriculum. Of course, the very strong concern of the committee was the extent of the cuts disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities and the fact that there is a wide variation in the proportion of school pupils taking part in instrumental music tuition, a variation of 4 to 26 per cent, which no one could argue is insignificant, and they imply the degree to which different local authorities have different priorities. Personally, at committee, I was very taken with the commitments that had been made by local authorities such as Glasgow, which had managed to avoid fee costs being paid to the parents. With those disparities between the better off communities and the less well off communities, worry us greatly, not least because young people in our most disadvantaged communities already have it pretty tough when it comes to other aspects of educational experience, whether that is in literacy and numeracy rates, the attainment gap, subject choice, extracurricular opportunity, and it was an issue that I have to say received a great deal of attention during the Royal Conservatoire session given the reports that we heard from trainee music teachers about the difficulties that some of them had observed in schools in the more disadvantaged communities. Presiding Officer, we have been told that it may not be possible to completely avoid additional charges altogether. I think that we have to accept that up to a point given the nature of some of the tuition that is required. If that is the case, and if we accept the evidence that was universally provided to us that local authorities and music teachers themselves did not want to rely on any additional support from private means, however philanthropic that might be, I do think that we have to consider some other options that would allow councils perhaps to provide greater bursary support if some additional money can be accessed. What has not yet been tested, as far as I can see, is perhaps some of the partnership agreements that would involve the music industry and some of the music professionals. Can I just complement the work that has been done by the MAPG funding aspect, although, cabinet secretary, I will be interested in your views. I think that I am right in saying that that funding finishes in September 2019 and what your commitment might be beyond that, because I think that those partnership commitments are something that have been very helpful to this whole debate. At this point, cabinet secretary, I can also flag up an issue that I think needs a resolution too, and that is one where the provision of piping instruction, when an offer was made by qualified piping instructors to provide free tuition to four local schools in one geographical area, but because the piping instructors were not employed by the relevant local authority and were not registered with that local authority, they were not permitted access to the schools. That meant that several interested young people lost out, so did their parents, on the opportunity to take advantage of that free tuition. That is surely not an acceptable practice, and I wonder whether the cabinet secretary can consider that point, maybe with something in mind that permits local authorities to make use of registered qualified instructors, who have got PVG qualification and who have recognised credentials. I thank Liz Smith for taking intervention. I was talking to a piper at the weekend, and she made me aware of that particular issue and how the curriculum within the Royal Scottish Pip Band Association has certainly moved forward in recent years to help with that particular situation so that it does not happen again. I think that that is a very encouraging point to make. I am slightly concerned that there are still some local authorities who, when they have that expertise on their doorstep, the mechanism for allowing those people with that expertise to teach is not entirely forthcoming. Of course, one of the other issues that the committee faced was the uneasy balance between recognising the democratic rights of local authorities to make decisions and ensuring that the national education policy ambitions are delivering a balance that we felt was made all the more difficult by heavy constraints on local authority finances, and, of course, the COSLA briefing makes that clear. Local authorities are quite right to point out that they are democratically accountable to their communities and are largely required to set balance budgets, so it is not an easy topic for us to deal with. Nonetheless, it is such an important one where that free tuition is really something that we have to embrace. I will draw my remarks to a close, because I think that there are so many important aspects to this debate, perhaps not always easy to define, but the clear value of instrumental music tuition as such a crucial part of the educational experience for all our young people, no matter who they are, is, I think, very plain within the evidence. Those statistics that we have before us just now tell the story of the decline of the number of pupils taking instrumental music tuition. That is why I think that this committee report is so important, and I really do believe that we can harness all the concerns of the cross-party group and all the interested parties to do something about it. Iain Gray is open for the Labour Party. I suspect that there is going to be a little dispute this afternoon regarding the benefits of instrumental tuition and the desirability of making that widely possible for young people. After all, as we have heard, the evidence that the committee received was unanimous that instrumental tuition is an enriching element of any young person's education and is certainly not just about the facility to play that instrument. The music education partnership group summed it up in evidence mentioning enhanced mental and physical health, along with transferable skills such as team-working, resilience, discipline, problem-solving, evaluating, abstract thinking and physical and fine motor coordination. They and other witnesses quoted neurological research in their support, but to be honest, my own belief in the power of instrumental tuition to enrich springs from the rather most straightforward source of my own experience with three daughters, all of whom learned an instrument at school and participated in wind bands and youth orchestras. I spent a lot of hours, as it seems the cabinet secretary does these days, listening to popular classical pieces played, I have to be honest, with wildly varying skill, but I never doubted for a moment the benefit of participation for my daughters. Above all, it was clear to me how much fun they had taking part in music, although I suppose in hindsight I probably knew only the half of that fun and all the better for that ignorance. If I was any doubt of that, it was in any case eloquently argued, as the convener has told us, both in the focus groups that the committee held with young people and the powerful evidence given to the committee by MSYP's Alice Ferguson and Catherine Mackay. All of that, when my daughters were studying instruments, was before I had the benefit of an MSP's salary, but I was in a reasonably paid job and yet I know that with three children I would not have been able to afford that for all of them on the charging schemes that now exist in many local authorities. Only one of my three daughters actually studied music to hire a non-to-university level, but I have no doubt that it was and that they would see it as a core part of school for all of them. The truth is that I admit that I am as guilty as the next MSP in this that we spend too much time in debating our school's focus solely on exam attainment, whether we are doing so to criticise school performance or to defend it, but not enough time recognising that schools and education are about much more than that and that both sport and music opportunities outwith the core exam curriculum should be part of that. That was a core point of debate in the committee, and I think that it remains unresolved. There is clearly an argument that instrumental tuition outside study for SQA exams should fall under that heading of the adequate provision of a free education, a statutory responsible for local authorities. Of course, those authorities and the Scottish Government contend that this is met by music licence in the curriculum and that instrumental tuition is discretionary and therefore extra. I am not sure that the cabinet secretary's statement this afternoon really added much clarity to that, but I do understand that this interpretation is likely to be tested in court and that will certainly be an interesting judgment. The report does indeed conclude, and I was pleased to hear the cabinet secretary accept this recommendation that, in principle, instrumental tuition should be free. However, I agree with the report and with COSLA that we cannot simply ignore the financial circumstances in which councils find themselves. As the COSLA briefing for this debate tells us, core council budgets have decreased in real terms by £1.64 billion since 2011-12. Councillor McCabe of COSLA was very clear in evidence to the committee. He said that the fundamental issue is not ring-fencing funding or protecting services. It is the chronic underfunding of local government over the past 10 years that the Parliament has presided over. If I can be forgiven in a kind of a partisan moment in a committee debate, I would remind my friend and colleague Councillor McCabe that those benches have repeatedly sought to address that underfunding of councils in every budget over 10 years, but the Government has failed to listen. Indeed, even the representatives of councils such as Glasgow, who, as the cabinet secretary said, have sustained free tuition, were clear about the financial difficulties that they face in doing so. In the interests of a kind of decent tenure debate today, I am going to pass by Mr Gray's remarks about the labour alternative budgets that we have experienced. I have some considerable experience of looking at labour alternative budget positions, and on many occasions they involve no increase in resources for local government. However, can Mr Gray address the fact that, in seven local authorities, local authorities are providing instrument to music tuition for free and that rather undermines his central argument that this is all about money? However, if Mr Swinney had been listening, he would have heard me say that the representative councillor Cunningham of his own party and of Glasgow, who have sustained free tuition, did make the point that, in order to do so, they had to take extremely difficult financial decisions and he recognised that the cuts to core funding in councils had made this difficult for other local authorities. My own council, East Lothian, is very proud of the breadth, depth and quality of its musical traditions in schools. This year, facing squeezed budgets across areas such as social care, having to raise charges such as council house rents, I felt that they had no option but to introduce charging, albeit with a generous scheme of discounts and bursaries. My colleagues on the council know how disappointed I was at that decision, but I also have to understand the agonies that they went through in balancing a budget that is simply not adequate for the county's needs. Happily, in the case of East Lothian, in early reports indicate that there has not been the significant fall in take-up, which the committee heard had happened elsewhere. Personally, I would quite happily see instrumental tuition made free across Scotland through central government funding being made available specifically to councils to achieve that, but that was not the recommendation of the committee as a whole, nor indeed the desire of COSLA, which means that the only possible way to fix the current postcode lottery of affordable access to instrument tuition is to once again provide proper, adequate core funding overall for our local councils. That is not about creating a nation of virtuosity, it is about enriching the educational experience of our young people and creating a nation of rounded, confident and fulfilled Scots wherever they go to school or whatever their background. I would argue and I think that the committee report makes this clear that whatever the fiscal constraints or the desirability of local decision making, we have to try and find a way through to protect that. Thank you very much, and I now call on Ross Greer to open for the Green Party. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I find this an incredibly interesting inquiry as one of only two people in my primary school who did not even take up recorder at primary three. I have learned quite a lot over the past few months. It is worth starting by saying that we have made some progress towards reducing inequality in our education system. As the First Minister highlighted last week, the attainment gap between those from the wealthiest and poorest areas has, by some measures, narrowed a little, but there is still some way to go. In Scotland today, if you are from a more deprived background, the chances are that you will have fewer opportunities than those from the more privileged backgrounds. The welcome fact that more pupils are attaining hires or going to university does not change the fact that deprivation continues to shape young people's lives in this country. People's hobbies, interests, career choices and self-development are all impacted by their socio-economic background and that of their community. To me, one of the most striking but unsurprising findings of our committee inquiry was that instrumental music tuition is one of the opportunities that pupils from less privileged backgrounds are increasingly missing out on. It is an area where inequality is growing. The huge growth in fees in music tuition, in some cases to more than £500 per instrument per child, means that many young people are simply priced out of learning an instrument. Some of the most powerful evidence that we received, as has already been mentioned, was from West Lothian Council, both from the council itself and from a local MSYP and musician. After a significant increase in fees in West Lothian, it saw a predictably significant drop-off in the number of pupils taking up an instrument. We found that that drop-off was overwhelmingly of pupils from less privileged backgrounds. That was an immediate and significant widening of inequality rather than a narrowing of it. We have heard estimates of some 100,000 young people who want to learn an instrument but feel or indeed are priced out of learning one. With fees going up across the country, that number is likely to grow. It is growing. We have seen that even during the course of our inquiry that number grew. With wages continuing to signate—still lower than they were before the financial crisis of a decade ago—and with the continuation of austerity, it is no surprise that there are many families in this country who cannot afford hundreds of pounds of fees per child to learn an instrument. Alice Ferguson, who gave evidence to the committee, described the trend as a return to Victorian era levels of inequality. She could see that in her school. She could see pupils with more privileged backgrounds able to continue as part of the school orchestra while those with more deprived backgrounds had to drop out. That is not just about instrumental music session alone. Learning about music as a subject is intertwined with learning an instrument. As the committee report highlights, learning to play an instrument is key to a better understanding of music education in the classroom. The distinctions that we heard councils draw around fee exemptions in relation to those who take up music as a subject, where in many cases it is simply unconvincing, particularly given the years of practice with their instrument, typically starting in primary school, which convinces many young people to take up music as an assessed subject once they reach the senior phase. Each local council has its own levels of fees and sets of concessions. Some provide instrumental music tuition entirely free, as has been mentioned. Others charge fees of up to an over £500 as I mentioned earlier. Although some do use fee income to subsidise the cost of providing free places, concession schemes and so on, that does not ensure that all those who cannot afford to access the service can do so. That is a perennial debate that we have around means testing and universalism. We are familiar with the issues that apply just as much here as they do in other areas. As a supporter of local democracy and the equal legitimacy of any locally elected body to this one, I am not convinced that a centralising move around setting of fees or funding would be helpful, but, given that, the onus is then on myself and on the Greens to propose our alternative solution, which I will come to in a minute. First, I would like to raise a point in which many witnesses have made and which I think is important in the context of concessions and exemptions to fees. As the committee heard, it is often those families who fall just above the income threshold for support who are being squeezed out. Those are not wealthy families, their incomes just are not quite at the point where support would kick in. Those are people who are very much deserving of support, but a threshold has to be set somewhere when those are the kind of structures that are set up. I do not put the blame for the situation solely at the feet of local councils. I do not think that any member here does. I do question the decisions that some councils have made and, in particular, the value or lack thereof that many councils are placing on music tutors in comparison to other staff. I recognise that councils have faced significant cuts since 2010. While the Greens have worked to put additional funding back into local services, there is still a lot of work to be done. If we are even to get close to where we were a decade ago, councils have faced cuts while having little power to raise their own revenue. Even after the end of the council tax freeze, there is still a cap set by the Government on how much council tax can be varied—a cap that is subject to annual budget negotiations in this Parliament. The Greens have been clear that councils not only need more money from central government to undo the austerity of the previous decade, but they also need to power the ability to raise their own revenue. Only then can they ensure that local services that light music tuition are properly funded and open to all. I do not think that any of us believe that there is an innate hostility within councils to the provision of instrumental music tuition. What came out of the evidence was a question of priorities. Some councils simply said to us that we either cut that service or increased fees in that service or we cut something else. We cut something in adult social care and we cut something in additional support needs. Those are the incredibly unpopular decisions that councils have to make under the current financial situation, but I hope that we can move forward from that. I hope that we can all recognise the indisputable benefits of music tuition and that tackling growing inequality should absolutely be a priority here in our Parliament and in councils across Scotland. Thank you very much, and I call on Tabish Scott to open the liberal Democrats. Mr Scott, please. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. No matter how many and how long certain long-suffering Shetland teachers tried, I was no star of people when it came to music. Frankly, the recorder was beyond me, Mr Greer. I am in awe of those who have genuine talent, real musical talent. Young people like 13-year-old Ashley Hay, who won the Shetland Young Fiddler of the Year award in Muriel in Lowek on Saturday, and 10-year-old Evie Williamson from Halsway, who won the Young Fiddler Junior and Traditional Junior trophies, and Gracie Gowins Little, who was named the intermediate Young Fiddler trophy winner. Those young people have taken part in Shetland's Young Fiddler of the Year awards that have been going on since 1982, and the list of those who have won over that period is a who's who, not just of Shetland traditional music but of Scottish traditional music. Can I make some progress first, if you'll forgive me? A few weeks ago, Mr Allen and Mr McArthur hosted a reception on the islands. That evening, we had Chris Stout, Andrew Gifford and Ross Cooper playing for the assembled company. The point about all those people is that they went through the Shetland educational system, and they were all part of Shetland individual musical tuition lessons, and they are all extremely talented. The point about this debate for me, and the one that others have to some extent reflect already, is that the best will always succeed. Those who have that talent, Ashley Hay, certainly has it, and she will have, if she wants, a glittering musical career. She'll play to audiences not just at home in Shetland but much wider a field. They will succeed. They will make it through the rough and tumble of the academic pursuit of their chosen profession, but those who are not quite so gifted and those who are not quite so able will not. The figures in the committee report reflect some of that. Paying for that individual tuition, as is now happening, is also augmented by something that no one has mentioned yet—private tuition. That raises in itself some challenges, not least of which, for those who cannot afford to pay for mums and dads who have enough pressures already. The reality is that, not just in my part of Scotland but in many parts of Scotland, private individual tuition, not just in traditional fiddle but across the spectrum of musical choice, is now the reality for those who absolutely want to get on. It's the wider picture that playing the fiddle along with the pipes, singing and, of course, the harp is the basis for this country's musical heritage. Long ago, when music mattered arguably more so than it does to this day, it is why this debate is important. The fight to make sure that traditional fiddle was taught in schools was led by a number of veritable Shetlanders who believed in the cultural significance of music, its importance to Shetland and, indeed, to Scotland, and that young people should have and be encouraged to play the fiddle. The late Tom Anderson, for example, had to fight with the then SQA to have fiddle recognised as a national qualification, which makes me puzzled as to why today a grade 7 SQA university entrance qualification, including a 25-minute performance, has now been downgraded to a grade 5 entrance qualification with a 15-minute performance criteria. Does that say something about how we are progressing music in our education system today? Traditional fiddle has had formal musical grades and has had, since 2003, as part of the strings and harp syllabus. Today, charging for individual tuition is reality, and Ian Gray is, of course, right. The only way forward on that is for a chunk of more money to be allocated from somewhere. That analysis is reasonable, but the consequence of that in Shetland and elsewhere of charging has meant a decline in the numbers taking individual music tuition. Allied to that has been the decline in time for the individual lesson. I know that it is not just in Shetland where 45 minutes per lesson used to be allocated. It is now 25 minutes or some other variant on that. Just ask teachers what that means in the teaching of music. An advanced hire requires a 15-minute performance. If your average lesson is 25 minutes, how does even the best advanced hire music teacher make sure his or her pupils are ready for those exams? That means doing it out of class time. It means private tuition. It means many other things. I think that there are questions not just about the charging regime, which others have very rightly raised today, but also about what is happening in our schools. Two, consider the changes to school timetables. The lunch break is rather less than it was. Indeed, the lunch hour does not really exist in most schools, whether it is the asymmetric timetable or other changes. All those teachers who used to give their time to put on the kind of school orchestras and school performances that Ian Gray mentioned in his remarks find it pretty difficult to fit that into those times. Music, for me, is Scotland. It is certainly Shetland as well. That appreciation of why music matters, if not nurtured and encouraged, has logical consequences, because, as young people become Scotland's future, there will be less going to concerts, less involving appreciating live performances, less buying music. Scotland needs to remember our history and why music is part of that, and part of this debate is about that too. Thank you very much. Open debates, speeches of six minutes. Jenny Gilruth will be followed by Alison Harris. I thank the clerks to the education committee for all their help in bringing together the committee's report and to all those who participated in giving evidence. Eight years ago, researchers at McGill University in Montreal established for the very first time that dopamine had been recorded in response to music. Dopamine transmission was higher when the participants were listening to music that they enjoyed, which perhaps accounts for why my partner and I were listening to I Want to Break Free by Queen on the Way into Work this morning. Because, Presiding Officer, music makes us feel good. Under curriculum for excellence, there are eight broad curriculum areas. As the cabinet secretary has mentioned, music is delivered through the expressive arts, which is grouped together with art and design, dance and drama. An instrumental music tuition, however, is separate from the teaching of music in class, so it is important to say that this is additional to the experiences and outcomes that children will already be taught. That being said, it is fair to say that it would be almost impossible to pass a qualification in music without tuition, whether that was in school or out with school time. That has to be considered within the current educational debate, which is centred strongly on equity. I am glad to hear that the cabinet secretary confirmed that no charges will apply to SQA pupils for that reason. As Iain Gray has mentioned, the committee heard powerful evidence from young people, including two MSYPs, Alice Ferguson and Catherine Mackie. Ms Mackie advised the committee that, because of music tuition, I have become more resilient, confident and open-minded in everything that I do. From a mental health point of view, I have benefited from the creativity and feeling that I am part of a community, for example part of a band. It is really good for my mental health. Indeed, as Councillor Chris Cunningham of Glasgow Council told us, part of the reason that they have kept music tuition free is that it is recognised that music has wider benefits in terms of literacy, cognitive development and language development. The additional benefits that arise from it are the core of why we regard it as important in the curriculum and why it has been regarded as so for years. However, as we know in Scotland, 32 different local authorities can have 32 different approaches to delivering services. The committee heard evidence regarding a lack of uniformity in applying exemptions or concessions with certain local authorities offering sibling discounts, for example. Kirk Richards and the convener of the EIS instrumental music teacher network told the committee that I read in the connect submission that the concessions are a minefield for parents. We have 32 variations of concessions. There are reasons why parents are not keen to fill in forms. I pressed COSLA on this point, particularly in relation to free school meal entitlement, and I was glad to hear that COSLA's children and young people board have agreed that free school meal entitlement is the minimum exemption criteria in all local authorities. However, when pressed on a view with regard to uniformity on exemptions, councillor Stephen McCabe advised me that we simply represent the views of our members. It is not our jobs to tell our members what to do, and many councils express strong views on that issue. This is the inherent tension for the committee's work, and it is a political point. That is, do we say that local authorities are democratically accountable to take decisions at a local level, the principle of localism, or do we believe in principle that music tuition should be provided free of charge in every local authority? The committee was of the view that the latter was of greater importance, and on the point of equity, it is difficult to argue against this when some local authorities make music tuition free and others charge up to £524 a year to deliver it. Critics might argue that all children are entitled to music education through the Expressive Arts curriculum area, and I accept that argument. Nevertheless, if a child wants to progress to a qualification level, there is a strong argument that they will be disadvantaged if they do not have access to music tuition outwith mainstream class hours time. Ahead of today's debate, I asked a member of my staff, who is significantly younger than I am, if she studied music when she was at school, and she told me, no, that she had been told that she was not good enough to study music at school, which brings me neatly to the issue of a word that we do not like to talk about nowadays in education, and that is aptitude or ability. The committee heard evidence that it was still the case that councils can still provide access to music tuition predicated on ability. Indeed, the latest improvement service survey records that 16 local authorities use some form of selection procedure or aptitude test for those who wish to undertake instrumental music tuition. As a result, the committee recommended that aptitude tests, which have a number of legitimate uses, should not be used as the sole basis for selecting pupils for instrumental music tuition and recommends that local authorities avoid doing so in the future. When I asked to respond to this point, COSLA advised that there is no indication what secondary basis the committee is suggesting. It is possible that such an action would risk accusations of being inequitable if those of the most aptitude are overlooked. I think that response from COSLA is somewhat unhelpful. If pupils do not have the opportunity to try a musical instrument, how can they possibly develop an aptitude? Far from disadvantaging the most able, as argued by COSLA, the current system disadvantages those with least ability. In many instances, those children would have the least access to music out with school if parents cannot afford private tuition, for example. In summing up, music tuition in school is an experience that many young people across the country continue to enjoy in addition to their core studies in music through the expressive arts. Notwithstanding, the various levels of charges and exemptions that are often applied inconsistently can mean that some children will miss out. I very much hope that COSLA will consider their role seriously in addressing how that inequality can be rectified to benefit the musical talents of all of Scotland's pupils. Thank you. Thank you. Before I call Alison Harris, I remind members that if you want to speak in a debate as a preliminary, it is a good idea to press your request to speak button. I will not say who it is. I call Alison Harris before by Tom Arthur. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. For the record, I had pressed my button, so it was not me, but may I say how pleased I am to be speaking in this debate? The subject of the debate addresses something close to my own heart. When I think of the joy that learning to sing and play music has brought to my own family, I have witnessed first hand the benefits that music tuition can bring to children. Therefore, I am deeply concerned by the growing trend of charging for the provision of instrumental music tuition. George Kelly, former head of instrumental music services at East Dunbartonshire Council, recently said that there is no other single activity that can have such a profound effect on as many areas of development as learning to play an instrument. It is a skill that lasts a lifetime. Instrumental music tuition can also lead to diverse social development, allowing children to make new friends, thanks to the extensive lists of extracurricular activities that go with it. We have also got to consider the advantages for the wider society and economy too. Kirk Richardson from the EIS highlighted to committee that Scotland currently makes up 11 per cent of the UK's live music revenue. He pointed out that music tourism tops up Scotland's economy by £280 million a year and supports more than 2,000 full-time jobs. That did not happen overnight. Generations of Scottish children have grown up learning to play instruments, all contributing to our society. The benefits extend far beyond the realm of music in schools, and I know that the committee has acknowledged that in its report. However, while music education is a part of the core curriculum, instrumental music tuition is not. That is why I am so concerned about charging. From 2016-17 to 2017-18, there was a fall of almost 1,300 children learning to play an instrument. That coincided with increases in the level of fees for tuition. As we have already heard, councils such as Glasgow and Edinburgh provide instrumental music tuition to pupils for free. Clackmann and Shire, less than 40 miles away from Ither, is now charging £524 for a year of music tuition, and that equates to roughly £14 per school week. That is double the level that they charged last year. Equity is a defining principle of the curriculum for excellence, but that is quite clearly not being represented in instrumental music tuition. The cost is, of course, a problem for many parents. Despite that, many councils charge for instrumental tuition, and we are hearing that several local authorities are in fact increasing their fees. I realise that those decisions are not taken lightly, but they have serious consequences. Those charges affect those from the most deprived backgrounds. I acknowledge that systems are in place to provide tuition for disadvantaged children, but as Kirk Richardson from the EIS also pointed out, they tend to come attached with a stigma, and those children who are eligible are not coming forward, creating an instrumental musical attainment gap. Elsewhere, councillor Dodds from West Lothian spoke of an 80 per cent fall in the number of primary school children taking up music tuition since the council began charging this year. John Wallace, chair of the Scottish Government's music education partnership group, spoke about Clackmannanshire's situation, saying that large slices of local culture, such as the Clackmannan district brass band, will disappear in the future. Families have written to councils that the EIS has warned of dramatic falls in the number of music teachers. There has been a 42 per cent fall in the number of dedicated primary school music teachers since 2011. That picture is bleak. I would like to say that I share the committee's concern that, if there is no action on this, the flow of talent from Scotland's schools into bands, orchestras and, indeed, back into education as teachers themselves will suffer in the coming years and decades. Subject choice is narrowing, and I know that that is actually tomorrow's debate, but with subject choice narrowing, the arts are often one of the first to go. I think that it is therefore important that we ask ourselves what kind of education system we are building. Will we ignore our leading musicians who have contributed greatly to Scotland's culture and have benefited vastly from instrumental music tuition, yet they are the ones who are warning that the situation is worse than ever before? Will Scotland become a country where all children take the same four or five subjects at higher, where they do not play instruments because tuition is too expensive, where our music and art teachers are no longer needed or wanted? That is not a Scotland that I want to see, and it is not a Scotland that needs to become a reality. If we let the charges and the variation across the country continue, I am afraid that this is a Scotland that we are going to get. I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in the debate. I should begin by reminding members that I am a member of the Musicians Union. I was previously a freelance music tutor and I am also a convener of the cross-party group on music. It is a bittersweet experience to take part in this debate, because it gives me an opportunity to talk about music. Unfortunately, the excellent inquiry undertaken by the Education and Skills Committee has been prompted by what are legitimate and serious concerns regarding the provision of instrumental music services across Scotland. I want to put on record my thanks to the committee for producing this very considered, thoughtful and serious piece of work. I also want to recognise the contribution of all Rose, who gave evidence, both orally and written submissions to the committee, and in particular to the EIS and the Music Education Partnership group, who I have had the pleasure of engaging with at the cross-party group on music, where the question of music education and instrumental music services has now become a standing item on the agenda. There are a number of themes that are emerging in the debate and deliberations. One is between local and national responsibility, another is between the instrumental and intrinsic value of music, and one is between music education and instrumental education. I would like to time permitting to take each one in turn. On the question of local or national, I think that we are very legitimate and understandable points made by COSLA and local authorities, and I understand that they face difficult decisions. Decisions that, as well as being difficult in purely budgetary terms, can be politically difficult as well, given the multifarious demands and competition for resources placed on them. However, the point that I would wish to echo is that made by the Cabinet Secretary, which is that local authorities in different parts of Scotland, including Renfisher, in my constituency, have demonstrated that they are capable of delivering instrumental music services without a charge. What can be learned from that is that it is possible, and I hope that other local authorities will look and engage with Renfisher and Glasgow City and other local authorities to understand how they have been able to deliver that service. I respect local democracy, and I do not wish to see the imposition of a national music agency, which would undermine that, although I do await with interest the outcome of the legal case that is on-going with the Gars to the 1980 act. I personally see, and I say this from a very subjective point of view, instrumental education as part of the core curriculum and, indeed, as part of music education. I do not believe that instrumental music tuition can be separated from music education any more than physical activity can be separated from physical education within a high-skill or primary setting for that matter. I believe that where all PE consists of, where to be watching sport or discussing sport, people would legitimately say that that was not physical education. I think that very much the same applies to instrumental education as well and music education. Music education, historiography, composition, listening skills are all very important, but it is part of a broader holistic approach. The ultimate endeavour in all forms of musical education is to be able to perform and play. There are many disciplines, and I say that as someone who has studied musicology and who did a master's degree in composition, which feed towards that. However, for any common sense definition of what music is, it is the process of listening to that oral phenomenon, of attending a concert or any sort of music-making event, and to suggest that the actual art of performing can somehow be separate, I do not really think that it is a sustainable position. The final point that I want to come to is what I think is one of the most contentious issues, and it is one that I struggle with, which is the instrumental and intrinsic value of music. For many policy makers and particularly those who are trying to pursue a sceptical audience, we will often adjust the various additionalities that are brought through music education. Many of them have been articulated this afternoon, many are articulated in the report by the committee and many are articulated in what is going on now, reported by the music education partnership group, and indeed in the change the tune instrumental charter from the EIS, and they are all very valid arguments, but fundamentally, if the only argument for instrumental music services is that it can approve attainment in other areas, when it does leave open the possibility in future, that should some better means be identified, when that would vitiate the argument, no longer would there be an argument for instrumental music services if those outcomes could be achieved by alternative means. That is why it is incredibly important that we continue to argue for the intrinsic value of music as something that enriches us. I have found that perhaps one of the most powerful accounts of the value of music that I ever heard was in reading an account given by a palliative care nurse, and it was in the reflections of people at the end of their life and what their regrets would be. If the regrets weren't, I wish I'd had a bigger car, I wish I'd spent more hours at work, it was things such as I wish I'd spent more time with my family, I wish I'd learned a language and I wish I'd learned to play a musical instrument. I think that giving a young person the gift of the ability to play a musical instrument is something that they will take for the rest of their lives, and I don't think that there's any more beautiful or worthwhile gift our educators can give, and I believe that's why we should support instrumental music services and instrumental music tuition for all young people in Scotland. I thank the committee for all their work in producing the report. The provision of instrumental music tuition is an issue that Parliament has considered a number of times, but recent reports show that the service is under greater pressure than ever before. Budgetary pressures on local authorities mean that councils are facing difficult choices year after year. Every year, instrumental music tuition comes up in budget proposals in my region, and I'm sure that it's the same across Scotland. In the past year, Clackmannanshire in my region has increased the fee to £524 a year, the highest in Scotland. The annual uncertainty is a huge pressure for those employed in the profession, and it's not fair on pupils and their families each year facing uncertainty as to what instrument I'm really poosed for time. I thank Clare Baker for taking intervention. We're Clare Baker to accept that budget pressures are not a new phenomenon, but it's something that's been around for many, many years, even prior to the SNP Government. I'm afraid that I wouldn't accept that. I feel that in recent years, local authorities have faced greater and greater pressure. As others have described, there is a tipping point in the service this year. The consequences of those pressures risk the viability of the service. The financial question on local authorities mean that they face difficult choices, and the status of instrumental music tuition leaves it vulnerable. The underlying problem won't be resolved until local authorities receive a fair share of Scottish Government funding. The committee report recommends that school music services should continue to be managed locally, and they raise questions over how to ensure equity of access across Scotland. Individual circumstances should not be a barrier to instrumental music tuition, but it is the case that not all households will be able to afford this additional expense. While concessions are welcome, they are not consistent across authorities and means testing is pretty blunt. A family on a low income will often be liable to pay fees, which in many areas have become unrealistic. If we look at the view of music professionals, research by the Musicians Union has found families with household incomes under £28,000 are half as likely to have a child learning and instrument that those on a family income of over £48,000 or more. 41 per cent of lower income families say that lessons are right with household budgets. The same report also looked at the benefits of learning a musical instrument with positive impacts on confidence, concentration, self-discipline, patience and even overall happiness as a result of attending music lessons. Those wider benefits should be better promoted and understood, so decisions on music education are seen as much more than figures on a balance sheet. Instrumental music teachers can be let in a position of underemployment if reduced uptake is a consequence of fees. This job insecurity leads to them suffering low morale and stress on an annual basis. We need to be encouraging our future musicians and music teachers, not having them question the viability of their career path. Underemployment of instrumental music teachers could also impact on participation in orchestras and other ensembles. It could also mean pupils being taught in larger groups, which in some instances can offer tuition at a lesser cost. We see some local authorities adopting that position, but it can result in reduced quality for pupils. In February this year, I had the opportunity to visit the Royal Conservatoire. In February, along with other partners, the RSC launched what is going on, a new study examining music education. The report explored formal, informal and non-formal sections of music education in Scotland, finding that music was among the most popular subject on the Scottish curriculum and arguing that more needs to be done to ensure understanding of its value to individuals and the economy. In its submission to the committee inquiry, the RCS stressed the time that it takes to learn a musical instrument to the level required for the conservatoire. Instrumental tuition has to begin at an early age, well before free tuition is available by the means of studying for an SQA. The submission sets out that, by the age of 8 or 10, a child who cannot access tuition due to fees will simply not be able to demonstrate the skill level required for entry in 10 years' time. By not providing free instrumental tuition at an early stage, we are potentially preventing students from being able to reach the level required without either paying for fees or employing private tuition. Entry to the RCS also requires performance of a piano piece as part of admission to its undergraduate teacher training programme, but not all local authorities are providing instrumental tuition in piano for their limiting opportunities for pupils. I have previously raised questions over widening access to the conservatoire and I welcome the work that they are undertaking to improve access, but when it comes to music, the role of affordable, accessible, instrumental music tuition cannot be underestimated as a way to increase access and opportunity. The committee report welcomes continued support for the Youth Music Initiative, as a means for introducing young people to music at an early age, recommending consideration of extending it or introducing a new initiative. That is a key point. The YMI allows a high number of young pupils to experience music making, but does not provide any means for continuing participation. It offers a limited number of hours without a further option for musical experience unless you are selected for instrumental music tuition and can then afford it. Instrumental tuition should be a necessary continuation of the YMI experience and much more should be done to build on it. A briefing from EIS argues that investment in projects like the YMI, though valuable, cannot replace instrumental music teaching. It does serve as a taster, but there needs to be greater consideration given to how to build on it. I would be interested in the minister's comments on that in closing. Just a final brief point. The EIS says that the important long-term impact of the economy and culture is important. It is an important aspect of the debate that should not be overlooked. The UK is recognised as a cultural leader and our music industry is a significant part of that. It is part of our identity and our performers are recognised across the world. Yet music and the performing arts are at risk of becoming a profession only for those who can afford to take up those opportunities. That would make our cultural life poorer and we must work with our local authority partners to ensure that instrumental music tuition remains a gateway for those opportunities for all young people. Music is fundamental to people of all ages and backgrounds. Few of us can imagine a world without music. That is why the education committee inquiry into instrumental music tuition in schools entitled A Note of Concern. The future of instrumental music tuition in schools was so important. It is a huge concern that fewer children will have the benefit of learning to play an instrument while at school, in my view an essential part of their educational journey. Teaching young people who want to learn how to play an instrument is a fundamental part of their learning, which boosts their creativity, confidence and holistic wellbeing. A 2016 study on music and attainment found that young people aged 11 to 16 who played an instrument showed greater progress and better academic outcomes than those who are not playing with the greatest impact for those playing the longest. In addition, for young people with additional support needs music is an excellent therapy. I first learned of the Norddorff-Robbins music therapy in the 80s and the fantastic work that it has done over the decades. Norddorff-Robbins Scotland worked with people from ages 1 to 100 and in 2017 delivered over 5,000 music therapy sessions across a range of settings throughout central Scotland, including schools, community settings and their centres in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Deane Fife, helping individuals with physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs. Many third sector and community groups also offer music as a therapy for ex-offenders, recovering addicts and young people experiencing mental health problems, such as Kirkntillog's Rookie Rock stars in my constituency of Strascarver and Bearsden. Presiding Officer, the benefit of music as a therapy and of playing a musical instrument is beyond doubt and all the evidence is there to support it. What is the problem that we are facing in our schools today? As we have heard from the convener, most but not all local authorities have introduced charges for instrumental music tuition. That has had a drastic effect on the uptake of learning to play an instrument. Despite sibling subsidies and the complexities of them, as Jenny Gilruth pointed out, the cost is simply out of reach for their budget and that must surely increase in equity in the classroom. My own local authority in Easton-Bartonshire, run by a Tory Lib Dem Coalition, now charges £230 for tuition, increased from £177 in the last budget. Happily, the excellent Douglas academy music school, which is in my neighbouring constituency of Mogai, is free to students on application and it is flourishing. The other factor to consider is the chicken and egg situation, which the convener mentioned, where the less children being afforded music tuition means the less teachers are needed, creating an ever-decreasing circle of supply and demand. The committee believes that parents and carers need to be fully informed about the cost for instrumental music tuition and associated costs for participation in music opportunities, such as school or local authority bands, who have always played such a big part in communities. Of course, no local authority introduces those charges lightly, but everything possible should be done to eliminate or mitigate charges and there must be consistency across local authorities to do away with postcode lottery advantages and disadvantages. The committee believes, for all the beneficial reasons that I mentioned earlier, that music tuition should be provided free of charge in every local authority. We have heard the stats. Some local authorities do not charge, but the majority do. It is demonstrating that it is an entirely political or a prioritised choice. It seems to depend on how much value individual local authorities put on instrumental music tuition. Should it be regarded as a luxury subject or should it be viewed as part of the core curriculum? Of course, there are differing views regarding the status of that. To have instrumental music tuition in the core curriculum would have practical implications, but I believe and the committee believes that the benefits would far outweigh negative consequences of such a decision. Scotland has a rich heritage of musical excellence, as Tavish Scott mentioned, from folk and country music to talent to traditional and rock music, and our amazing roll call of talented world-renowned singer-songwriters is too many of them to mention. Anyone who has been at the excellent Celtic Connections annual music festival or any of the wonderful festivals around the country, such as Belladrum or Transmit, to name just a couple, will know that music is an integral part of our society. We are also home to the world-renowned Royal Conservatoire Centre of Excellence, and as we have heard, the committee heard compelling evidence from tutors there regarding their concern about the future of instrumental music tuition. I am proud that, in my constituency, young singer-songwriter Katie Cross and her band The Amberjacks are first-rising stars of the country music scene worldwide. Katie's father runs Bishop Briggs School of Music and is going from strength to strength with hundreds of youngsters queuing up to learn and expanding their instrumental skills. The value of music to children simply cannot be overstated. Music tuition must play a core part in young people's development. It is not a luxury or a bonus subject. It enhances the creativity and rounded education of our next generation, and it should be nurtured, not neglected. Deputy Presiding Officer, as a member of the cross-party group on music, with a lifelong interest in instrumental music myself, I am delighted to be able to speak in today's debate. As a child, I cannot remember a time when instrumental music did not play a part in the life of our family. My father played the violin and my mother the organ, and they both played the piano, sometimes even at the same time. It was not surprising that I took piano lessons from a young age. Our piano teacher, Ms Stevenson, was a pianist of concert standard. She could tell simply by the sound if the wrong finger had been used on a piano key. Given that she was blind from birth, it was just a small example of her incredible talent as a pianist herself. Music has had a positive and enjoyable influence in my own life, and I am keen, as are other members here today, to facilitate the introduction of the young people of today to music. Here in the Parliament, I have had the privilege of inviting St Mary's Music School in Edinburgh to the Scottish Parliament to play in the garden lobby. Having seen those groups of students play, I know that we have a lot to celebrate in Scotland when it comes to musical talent. The report that we debate today from the Education and Skills Committee paints a rather gloomy picture at times, one where there is a real postcode lottery in music tuition, offering greater opportunity in some areas than others, and where family income plays a key role sometimes in deciding who gets to play an instrument and who doesn't. Where there is opportunity, staffing pressures diluting the education that is being delivered. The introduction of hefty charges for music tuition gives cause for concern when we look at the numbers dropping out as a result. We heard in the report about the example of West Lothian in my region where, following the introduction of charges, numbers of primary students in tuition fell from 1128 in 2017 to 234 in 2018. In that case, charging was agreed upon at local authority level in order to avoid the next worst scenario of losing some instrumental tuition altogether. Indeed, over half of parents agreed with some form of charging in order to save planned cuts to string and percussion. Nevertheless, that huge drop-off in the numbers of students taking tuition tells us that the £340 charge is out of sync with what many parents can actually afford. Yet local authorities are having to make these difficult decisions in the face of drastic cuts that are enforced on them by the SNP Government. That is £1.64 billion in core funding in real terms since 2011 to 2012. I would like Mr Lindhurst to explain to me what the conservative input to the budget process this year would have done to improve local authority for answers. Gordon Lindhurst? As Mr Swinney knows, it is a question of priorities and what one focuses on and what one puts the funding towards. Returning to the report before Parliament, as Kozla stated in its response, no local authority introduces charges lightly. We heard, of course, about examples of local authorities setting their own exemptions and concessions, which are welcome, such as an exemption of fees for children who are in receipt of free school meals across the board. However, as often happens, and as some witnesses have highlighted, it is those families just above the thresholds for exemptions that sometimes suffer the most. An anonymous teacher put it quite starkly by explaining that, for some families who do not qualify for an exemption, it can often come down to whether to pay a fuel bill or pay for instrumental lessons. That is a choice, Deputy Presiding Officer, that parents should not have to make, especially when considering the wider benefits that a curriculum involving music can deliver for a child, improving motor skills, mental agility, self-evaluation and listening skills among others. We have heard about the number of dedicated music teachers working in Scotland's primary schools falling by some 42 per cent in the last seven years, which puts a huge strain on those who are left, causing shortened lessons, busier classes, a reduction of one-to-one time with a teacher and the dilution of specialisms amongst music tutors. The profession can see itself sometimes as the so-called low-hanging fruit, most at risk of the reality of council cuts and the statistics and experiences of pupils would appear to bear that out. Instrumental music tuition needs to be recognised for the role it can play in raising attainment rather than simply as an add-on. As local authorities struggle to cope with an ever-reducing pot of funding, is tuition becomes ever more vulnerable? I hope that the Government will reflect on that in today's debate and come up with a clear course of action for the future, realising, as I think that we do in this chamber, that the future of Scottish music as a cornerstone of our culture is at stake. Thank you. I call Alasdair Allan, who will be followed by Daniel Johnson. Presiding Officer, those who gave evidence to the Education and Skills Committee left it in no doubt about the transforming effect that music can have on young people's lives and the need to ensure that that experience remains accessible to all. In my constituency, I can recognise the vast amount of work that is undertaken by a small number of music teachers and tutors, and Larslet should be said for free in the islands. Without them, it would be difficult to see how the Western Isles could make the huge contribution which it does to the mod, the face movement, the musician of the year competition, the school pipe bands and I could go on. Across Scotland, music is a strong and essential player in our culture, whether it is, as we have heard in Shetland's fiddling tradition or, indeed, that of space aid or Peebroch or Scotsong or the silver bands of our former mining communities or Glasgow's coral tradition. It is difficult to see how any of that can be sustained, however, if young people do not get the opportunity to be part of those musical experiences. Musical instrumental tuition is key to ensuring that those diverse traditions continue to prosper. The committee heard how all forms of musical education can benefit children and young people in many ways, including through positively impacting on wider attainment. The decisions about instrumental music tuition are made by each local authority. The committee recognised that it is important that there is local democracy, that councils have the freedom to make their own decisions on that. However, I hope that, when making those kinds of decisions, local authorities might reflect on the position of the committee and, indeed, more importantly, on the position of local communities across Scotland who contacted the committee about that. I hope, for instance, that they will recall the commitments that local authorities gave in 2013 to avoid the excessive variation in fees across the country that we have seen of late. One central issue that the committee had to face was whether all of Scotland's local authorities are living up to those commitments in practice. Music as a subject in schools is, of course, being taught across the country, but the fundamental question that other members have pointed to is whether all young people get access to the instrumental tuition that they will realistically need at an early stage to stand much chance of doing a course like advanced higher music. Certainly, they will probably need that tuition if they want to become actively musical for the rest of their lives with all the benefits that we have heard that that brings. The picture on the ground in many areas stands in contrast to the commitment that those local authorities gave six years ago that instrumental tuition that is necessary for SQA qualifications would not be charged for. The picture on that and other issues varies dramatically across the country. Although local authorities generally make free provision for children in receipt of school meals, beyond that there is a large group of children for whose parents, rather, the costs charged by some authorities often make musical tuition simply unaffordable. We saw recently how Midlothian Council announced in its budget that they intended to slash free tuition. The subsequent campaigns saw contributions from artists across Scotland, including Karen Polworth, as well as, of course, valiant work from local MSPs, forcing the local authority there into reversing those plans. However, their decisions to reverse that decision was, of course, very welcome. I hope that the work of the campaign for free music tuition serves as an example to other local authorities about the strength of feeling that exists on that subject. Presiding Officer, I understand the pressures under which local authorities work just now. We have heard about it, just as there are, although it is rarely acknowledged by some parties, pressures on the Scottish Government itself faced with the consequences, as it is, of Tory austerity from Westminster. However, I believe that some authorities have failed to recognise a central point. Some councils are in fact rationing instrumental tuition to the point where the opportunities of a career in music are being seriously restricted for many young people. On the committee, we heard a fear expressed by some students at the Royal Conservatoire, for instance, that in some parts of the country the prospects of a young person qualifying to become a music teacher are in fact becoming very seriously restricted on grounds of social background. If a career in teaching maths were ever to be socially restricted in that way, we would, I think, be asking some pretty searching questions. I also had an email just this morning from one music teacher in Scotland very strongly rejecting the excuse that I have to call it put forward by some local authorities in the form of the discretionary argument, the argument that those are discretionary areas of education, not areas in which local authorities are compelled in any way to provide. That music teacher merely pointed that out. If we were to apply that argument consistently, we would have to say that there was no obligation to teach anything legally in Scotland schools other than RE, and he very strongly put the point that that was a red herring that the Parliament had to reject. The Deputy First Minister has made clear that the Scottish Government aims to work collaboratively to find solutions to help to ensure that instrumental music remains accessible to all and to welcome the efforts that have been made between the Government and local authorities on that date. Meanwhile, it is important for the Parliament to recognise today the huge contribution that music tuition makes to the lives of children and young people in our country. I hope that the committee's report leaves that much beyond any doubt. I, too, would like to thank the committee for bringing forward this debate, because it speaks to a very important topic in education, which is about the breadth of education that we deliver and what the meaning of education is. I would like to begin with a personal insight. Since the summer, most evenings, I have been picking up my guitar, which had been much neglected for about 10 years or so, and most evenings these days I play a little bit. I give that as an example not of what can be achieved through music tuition, because most people who have heard my guitar playing would probably conclude that the reverse is true, and there is a deficit of tuition in my particular example. However, the reason why I give that example is because I have found that it has improved my wellbeing. It has replaced activities such as watching TV in the evening with something that I think has improved my stress levels and my overall mental health. The importance of that, although many speakers have spoken to the importance of cultural contribution in learning music or wider benefits such as confidence or community, if we look to the broader definition of education, the ability that music can provide, both in terms of one's capacity and in particular in terms of mental health and wellbeing, is considerable. Tom Arthur's points are no longer in the chamber, but Liz Smith raised about wider definitions of education and our incredible opponents. Through that teacher who said that music was non-essential, I see that it is an absolutely essential life skill. If we are serious about tackling that broader sense of wellbeing in our young people, I think that music can play a critical part. However, that part that it can play goes much more broadly than simply life skills and wellbeing. There is a considerable degree of science that lies behind the benefits of music. We all know that to be true. From the simple insight of using a mnemonic or a little tune to memorise a fact, there is a much more effective way of memorisation. Increasingly, neuroscience is showing that music has a much more profound impact on our neural pathways and our grey matter. Music improves memory, IQ, co-ordination and concentration. In a decade-long US study, it found that we have pronounced academic performance improvements through music attuition. Likewise, executive function is improved. In psychological science, there is an article showing that task switching is improved, which is critical to executive function—the ability to decide what task to tackle at the right time. Indeed, one of my particular areas of interest in neural developmental orders is precisely the insight that music, much like practising gymnastics, dance or martial arts, improves co-ordination and improves executive function through repetitive and controlled behaviour, that there are much wider and profound impacts than simply the activity itself. That is why I think that it is of profound concern the evidence of cuts and withdrawal of free music tuition. I have heard a number of people mention that a number of local authorities have continued to maintain free tuition. Indeed, Edinburgh is one of those such areas. I do not know about other members' local areas, but I know that in Edinburgh every single year for the last few years, that free music tuition has been under threat. It has been one of the cuts that the council has been forced to look at while it has been looking at its very much stretched resources, but it would be a mistake. Members have pointed to the importance of exam preparation. Simply providing music tuition in the final years, as someone leads up to another, is simply insufficient. If we judge the ability of someone to gain true mastery of any skill, it is around 10,000 hours. 20 hours in a single academic year is a drop in the ocean of what is needed. However, there is, I think, a more fundamental and more profound equality issue at heart. Ross Greer outlined that excellently. Quite simply, both in terms of geography and socioeconomic circumstances, the withdrawal of free music tuition has a profound impact, meaning that there is a deeply unequal distribution of people being able to obtain music tuition. Quite simply, £500 a year is too much for too many people. The reality is that many families will recognise them if it is a music tuition and will continue to make it available, and so, therefore, those withdrawals will create a profoundly iniquitous situation for children across Scotland. One that will affect their opportunities, one that will affect their performance and progress at school, and one that will deprive them of what I think is a vital and important life skill. Fundamentally, we cannot look at this topic without looking at the subject of local government finance. The reality is that, since 2010, spend per pupil in primary schools has reduced by £427 per pupil. In secondary schools, that is £265 per pupil, on almost 8 per cent and 4 per cent reduction respectively. There has been an overall 7 per cent reduction in the proportion of government funding that has been given to local government. When you consider that a third of local authority spend goes on education, the only consequence, the only thing that will happen, is cuts such as that to non-core spend, such as music tuition, and that is the thing that we all have to consider this afternoon. Stuart McMillan, followed by Rachael Hamilton. Thank you very much. I want to thank my colleagues across the chamber for their hard work and their support, but also for their contributions this afternoon. I want to touch upon just one brief point to the Labour Party colleagues in the chamber before I go on to discussing the report. It is regarding the issue of local government finance, and it has been stated already by colleagues that there are challenging times. Nobody can deny that, but at the same time, this is not a new issue. I am going to give you a wee quote. It is a quote from a Councillor Robert Jackson. Councillor Jackson was the leader of Inverclyde Council in the early 2000s. That is what he said in 2002, when Inverclyde Council was faced with a £4 million budget shortfall. That is what he said. He said that this is a standard procedure, and I am confident that officers will come up with recommendations to address that. We are dealing with it as we do every year. The challenge of local government finance is not new. It is not something that happened from 2007 onwards, despite what some politicians in the chamber might want to say, but it is not new. It has been an issue for many, many years. I am going to touch on the actual report. I generally found the report very useful and very helpful in trying to understand many of the various issues that have been raised. The report highlights the importance of music tuition, both individually and nationally, for pupils. I firmly agree that learning a musical instrument is of great benefit to every single person involved, not solely because of what the other things will bring, but because of what music can do for an individual. Every member in the chamber who has spoken so far understands the importance of music tuition. I know that the Scottish Government is committed to preserving instrumental music tuition and vows the contribution of all music teachers and instrumental music instructors in our schools. I also know that music teachers and schools never fail to impress me with their talent and their absolute abundant energy and enthusiasm to teach music to pupils year-in, year-out. I remember Mrs McCrory, my music teacher, when I went to Port Glasgow High School. I still see Mrs McCrory out and about in my constituency. I thank her for everything that she attempted to do with me. She was not teaching me the pipes. I learned the pipes outside of school. That is an aspect that has not been touched upon in the debate so far. Not every person who learns a musical instrument learns it in school. There are many people who learn outside. I learned that the bagpipes in the boys brigade, there are also the scouts, there are the army cadets and many other organisations where people can learn a musical instrument. Thankfully, over the years that I have touched upon with my contribution to listening earlier, certainly when it comes to bagpipes, there has been a change over the years in terms of tying in the piping and instructing with the SQA. That is going to certainly help going forward. I accept that the committee's piece of work was not about external school tuition, but I want to make sure that people are aware that people learn musical instruments not solely through school. There will be many people who will follow this debate and will accept that particular point. I want to touch upon a few of the sections of the report. Section 9 and 20 suggests that music education benefits young people. It raises their self-confidence and the sections 11 and 17 can play a pivotal role in improving people's attainment and mental health and social skills. That is absolutely true. It must be recognised that sections 25 and 27 suggest that there are differing views on whether the status of music tuition is discretionary or part of that core curriculum. Section 30 suggests that specialist tutors, a diverse range of instruments and sufficient level of teaching time is needed in order to present for SQA examinations. I also recognise that, as per section 75, that with the introduction of charging for lessons, there has been a significant drop in participation levels in music tuition. That is where the aspect of the various local authorities who have stopped their charging is certainly beneficial, and I warmly welcome that. There was another point that I want to touch upon. That is section 106. That is the issue of the aptitude tests. For many people, music or sport is the route out of poverty. It is the route to a better life, and it is the route to having a better opportunity to put more into society. The issue of having aptitude tests is fundamentally wrong. I welcome the recommendation in the report, but I would go stronger than that. I would just remove aptitude tests altogether, because there will be many young people through schools who, when it comes to the educational element, might not have that particular ability in terms of the theory, but when it comes to the practical, they might be world leaders. They might have that world-class talent, so why put that obstacle in their way at that particular point in their journey and life? I personally would be stronger in that. My final point is on the issue of people learning instruments outside of school. In my constituency, I am delighted. We have a wide variety of bands that compete, perform and win on an annual basis. The Riverside youth band, based in Port Glasgow, has lower-clive pipes and drums, covering all of them. Certainly with lower-clive pipes and drums, they started off just as there was nothing for many years. I want to thank every single person who teaches music, whether in school or outside. Rachael Hamilton, followed by Angus MacDonald. First, I thank the Education and Skills Committee for its detailed report, which drew evidence from a wide range of stakeholders. The committee reported and noted that, without action, the journey of young talent from Scottish state schools into bands, orchestras and to become the teachers of the future will be very difficult. We know that the number of music instructors working in Scottish schools has fallen to an all-time low. There are now just 667 dedicated music tutors serving primary and secondary schools compared to 1,043 in 2007. Ultimately, the effects of the decline in participation in music tuition are being manifested in a form of Scottish cultural deficit, a ticking time bomb of unintended consequences that could last a generation whereby we could lose a steady stream of talented young musicians, along with their skills and talents, draining the very lifeblood from Scotland's creative sector. Scotland, as we know, accounts for 11 per cent of the UK's live music revenue, and music tourism brings in around £280 million a year to Scotland and secures 2,000 full-time jobs. In 2015 alone, some 720,000 foreign and domestic visitors came to the country for festivals and major musical concerts. Kirk Richardson, convener of the instrumental teachers network, said that, if music tuition is allowed to die, there will be a huge commercial loss to this country. We need to wake up to that. We cannot simply sit back and let this happen. We need to see the Nicola Benedeti, James McMillans and the Lewis Capaldi showcase Scotland's musical talent to the world. We know from research that learning to play an instrument can provide intellectual, physical and emotional stimulation and help in areas of concentration, focus and perseverance. It offers social opportunities with like-minded children who may join a band, an ensemble or orchestra. Just like children who play sports, participating in an orchestra or band can build friendships. I recently had the pleasure of going along to the St Boswell's music brass band in my constituency, and there is a young band that has just formed and you could just see the pleasure in their eyes. It was a wonderful experience. I want to go on to say and quote the musical education partnership group, who said that, in addition to enhanced mental and physical health and wellbeing, the benefits to the child include the development of transferable skills such as team-working, resilience, discipline, performing, problem-solving, evaluating abstract thinking, physical and fine motor co-ordination. Playing an instrument can also offer help to children and young people to cope with school and social media pressure, and the pressure of course of exams by allowing time out. My youngest daughter does exactly that. She takes a break from homework by playing the piano or singing. Her singing has led her to perform in the National Choir of Scotland just this year in Perth, and it was an incredible performance led by the composer Christopher Bell. To go on, the report concludes that music tuition could be provided free of charge. However, at the same time, the committee acknowledged that financial decision making should rest with local authorities. Many of us, including COSLA, note that there have been no suggestions of how free music tuition would be funded or could be funded. Liz Smith, my colleague, mentioned a music endowment fund that is set up perhaps through philanthropy and the Government, which is one way. Perhaps those discussions could go further. We know that the cabinet secretary himself said in evidence to the committee that it is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that pupils in their area are not prevented from learning a musical instrument because of their background, location, disability or financial circumstance. Currently, only 27 of the 32 local authorities charge a fee of some kind for instrumental music lessons. Four introduced fees in 1819 and eight raised fees, the highest fee being in Clackmannshire. The total cost of instrumental music services is approximately £30 million, as we have heard today, and tuition charges across Scotland raised approximately £4 million per annum, so there seems to be some sort of funding challenge there. As a member, along with Tom Arthur and Gordon Linshurst of the Music CPG, I am acutely aware of the challenges that young people and their families face when it comes to funding lessons. We know that the fees associated with instrumental music tuition has led to a significant reduction in uptake. Whilst we support local decision making, no one can be content with pupils in one council paying more than £500 for music lessons whilst others receive it for free, and that vicious postcode lottery cannot be allowed to continue. The local authorities currently part fund, as I said, those concessionary rates by charging those who do not qualify for exemption and pupils entitled to free school meals or family and receipt of housing benefit or income support will in some local authorities be exempt from the charges, but that is not consistent across Scotland. We have heard that today. In addition, just 10 local authorities currently offer a sibling discount and perhaps that is something that other local authorities could take on board. Local authorities, along with the Government, need to look at new ways of exploring and introducing a range of exemptions and concessions more consistently across the country. To finish, I just want to mention Ralph Riddioff, who said that the postcode lottery is not fair, it is not consistent and it is a matter of grave concern to the Scottish Government. I know that the cabinet secretary is taking on that on board, but, in conclusion, the declining music participation is a worrying trend, which must be reversed. The committee report was excellent, but let's see action from now on. Angus MacDonald, followed by Stuart Stevenson. Welcome to the debate, which is the culmination of the Education and Skills Committee's inquiry and also a petition that came to the Public Petitions Committee around the same time, calling on the Scottish Government to make it a right for every child in school to receive instrumental music tuition free of charge. The decision was taken by the PPC Committee to refer the petition to the Education and Skills Committee for consideration as part of its on-going inquiry at the time after we had taken valuable evidence on the issue. It was highlighted at that point the importance of the arts in a child's life and the educational benefit that music and creativity could have on attainment—a point on which we all agree, I'm sure. There won't be anyone here in this chamber who doesn't want children to learn music, but it's accepted widely that there are different approaches to the same issue across the country, and not one approach is right or wrong. There is a question, however, of how children can access instrumental music tuition equitably across the country, and that appears to be more of a complex conundrum than it would first appear. All 32 local authorities provide music tuition as part of core curriculum from P1 to S3. However, as noted by COSLA in its briefing, it differs from instrumental music tuition, which is a discreitional service offered additionally and complementary to the curriculum, which has a cost attach that has to be paid for. As we've heard already this afternoon, that creates a varied picture across the country in how local authorities cover those costs, some charging pupils and some not. However, there is a question of access, how affordable it is for children from low-income families but are not eligible for any exemptions to access that tuition. That question should be answered within the context of the child being interested in learning to play an instrument or, for that matter, if instrumental music tuition would positively influence that child's learning and help them to further their own attainment. Looking at the situation in my constituency of Falkirk East, Falkirk Council unfortunately imposed a charge for their instrumental music service with exemptions for pupils in P4 to S6 who are eligible for free school meal entitlement or school clothing allowance. The annual concerts put on by the instrumental music service in Falkirk have always been a highlight of the year, which gives pupils involved from across the district the chance to showcase what they have learned through their music lessons. Of course, the youth music initiative, as in the rest of Scotland, also plays a major part in Falkirk district, with pupils able to access music opportunities through their programmes too. I have been a strong supporter of YMI going back to the days when I served on the council and its education committee. YMI has proved to be of huge benefit to pupils across the country and in Falkirk district, but it also funds considerably the Falkirk traditional music project. The Falkirk traditional music project offers young people from P4 to S6 the opportunity to learn a traditional Scottish instrument. The trad music project offers tuition and the loan of instruments at no cost to the pupils, with tuition available in the mandolin, chanter, accordion, whistle, bagpipes, fiddle and baran. Professional traditional musicians teach the lessons after school at Falkirk high school and it is extremely successful. I know of one person in particular who has benefited from YMI and learning music in school who is looking to go on to become a musician and tutor in the trad music scene. However, if that provision had not been available to her while she was at school, her career may have taken an altogether different direction and we may never have been on the cusp of discovering the next big trad artist in Scotland. When looking at the issue, we should always keep in mind what we want the future to be. Questions about the kind of country we want to be also include issues like this. How much exposure to creativity would we like our children to have now in order to give them the opportunities to shape a creative career or life in the future? We know that Scotland benefits both culturally and economically from the likes of Skippanish, Scary War, Mannran and other trad rock groups heading all over the world to showcase the best of Scottish talent. We have a long history of musical quality across the decades in Scotland, so it is plain to see that Scotland's music has a wide reaching and proud heritage spanning many years. However, do we really want a legacy of children unable to afford music lessons at school becoming apparent in 20 or 30 years' time with a resultant talk about a lost generation of talent? In closing, the future where Scotland is promoted on the world stage of this today by musical talent, too numerous to mention in this debate, could be lost if all pupils are unable to access IMT equitably. I would join other members in urging local authorities and the Government to find a suitable solution to this issue as soon as possible in order to avoid the possibility of a lost generation of musicians. The last of the open debate contributions is from Stewart Stevenson. I recall as a minister for transport, infrastructure and climate change attending on behalf of Adam Ingram, who was one of my fellow ministers who could not go, are getting it right for every child event on 12 March 2010 at 11.30 am at Pytodri Stabion in Aberdeen. We arrived a little early and there was a presentation from a psychologist complete with a bit of film, and it showed a one-hour-old child. What the child was actually doing was lying on its back, not surprisingly, and it was having music played to it, and it was doing this with its arms, beating its arms together in syncopation with the music. The music was then switched off, and he stopped doing the moving the arms. The music was switched on and the child was doing it again. I found that eventually moving, but in this context absolutely fascinating, that the effect of music on somebody who was one hour out of the womb was so significant. I happen at the moment to be surrounded by a number of female friends who are pregnant, and they say that playing classical music is making the palpitations in the womb diminish as the child even in the womb is responding to music. For my part, should there be any doubt whatsoever about the beneficial effects of music on us all in our psychology and physiology, that girfech event led me to that understanding. I am kind of with Ross Greer and with Tavish Scott in that my musical confidence could barely be described as limited. At primary school there was an attempt to teach me the violin, which I have to say utterly, utterly failed. My only musical instrument, competence, is that I can use a spoon on my teeth and by flexing my cheeks change the note that comes out. To describe it as music I think would be grossly exaggerating. I wanted to intervene on Tavish Scott on an important point when he was talking about the Shetland fiddle achievement. I very much love the fiddle music from Shetland. If we are talking about postcodes on provision of musical tuition, we want to make sure that we include the ability to have variation that preserves, enhances and develops local variations in the instruments that are used. In the case of Shetland, how the bow is used on the fiddle. That is quite different from elsewhere. I think that I have got a love of music. I suppose that in part, a very significant part of my life was that my very first date for the person who this year will have been married to me for 50 years was when I suggested that we go to the Dubliners concert in the music hall in Aberdeen in 1966. It may have been the first time that she had seven drunken nights, but it was not the first time to which I have been exposed to the same as a student. Today, at the moment, I find myself greatly enamoured by three Kibecois groups—Soldat Louis, Salomé Leclerc and Vom Dunor—who have a range of instruments that they play. One of them that I could just about deal with, Vom Dunor, is the Jaws harp, where you stick this little bit of metal in here and you ping the metal there, and that might be something that I could do. I think that, too, if you examine with a very powerful magnifying glass the cover of one of the 12-inch LPs that we have at home of the corries, you will see among the approximately 1,000 people that are probably in the photograph there we are sitting in the front row. Music has been a very important part. Incidentally, the Dubliners, of course, one of the reasons they came to fame was through a guy called Rohan Oorahaly, who was an Irishman, not too surprisingly, but was actually the founder and owner of Pirate Radio Caroline. They were a immensely popular radio station that played the Dubliners in enormous amount indeed. I have very much enjoyed reading the committee's report. I have got two music teachers in my family, my late brother-in-law was a kinder teacher, and one of my nieces is a music teacher in Kent. She is finding it rather sterile territory at the moment, and so she is standing on Thursday for the local council trying to do something about it. Obviously, not for the SNP, so I am uncertain as to whether I should wish her all the best, but I do. My favourite piece of classical music is Gustaf Halt's The Planets. I think that it is absolutely opposite to the debate today. The people who have spoken in the debate, perhaps Rachel Hamilton, is Mars, the bringer of war, whereas Jenny Gilruth is Venus, the bringer of peace. I, for my part, of course, am clearly Saturn, the bringer of old age, but the Deputy First Minister and education secretary has to be Uranus, the magician. We will now move to the closing speeches. I call Ian Gray for up to six minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am not sure what I did to deserve having to follow Mr Stevenson, but if I reach back slightly beyond his contribution, Mr MacDonald used a word in his speech, which I think rather sums up the sense of this afternoon. The word that he used was conundrum. I think that the chamber has, this afternoon, been wrestling with a conundrum. The conundrum is facing the realities of finance, an acknowledgement of local democracy and a desire to provide more musical opportunity. How do we bring those things together in a way that works for us? It is not a conundrum that is new to us. Back in 2012, I led a member's debate, which was based on a campaign that was being run largely by the Scotland on Sunday newspaper at that time, called Let the Children Play, which was addressing similar issues to the ones that we have been talking about today. The minister who responded to me on that day was the then schools minister, Alasdair Allan, who will remember that, and who made a very good response. Out of that, he launched an initiative, the Instrumental Music Group, under the chairmanship of David Greene, who did a lot of work covering similar ground to the work that was covered by the education committee and produced recommendations that the Government accepted. Although, as the debate would lead us to expect, many of those recommendations were for local government rather than national government. Government was certainly willing to respond, and I think that today the cabinet secretary has been willing to respond positively to the education committee report. We have not really found our way out of the conundrum. Russ Greer said that there is no innate hostility to instrumental tuition anywhere, and I think that that is absolutely true. One of the things about the evidence that the committee heard was that nobody argued in favour of charging for instrumental tuition. Nobody made a positive case that there should be charges for instrumental tuition. That is quite telling. The Government, particularly the cabinet secretary, did not argue a positive case for charging. Indeed, today he accepted the case that there should not be charging, but he did hold to the position that he has today that this is a decision for individual local authorities. The representatives of local government who gave evidence did not argue the positive case for charging. They firstly argued the case for having the discretion to charge and secondly made many of the points that have been rehearsed today about the cuts, but they did not really make that case that charging was in any way a good thing. In fact, councillor McCabe, in his response to the education committee report, said a very interesting thing. He said that the in-principle belief that there should be no charging is probably shared by many elected members across Scotland's local authorities. The committee does not suggest how such a policy should be funded. My point is that nobody is saying that we should charge and therefore I think that the principle of the committee report really is established. It is not simple enough to say that some local authorities managed to keep tuition free. Daniel Johnson made the point that, in Edinburgh, where that is the case, it remains an extremely difficult decision every budgetary year. I referred to the pain that my own local authority went through this year in introducing charging. Local authorities councils are in an extremely difficult position and those are difficult decisions that they take. The one thing that would change that, of course, would be if it was established that instrumental tuition was a core part of schools education and music education. I do not, Mr Arthur, make a very passionate case that it should be. It will be interesting, as I said, to see if that is decided in court and what the court decides. Our view on those benches is where they are to decide that it is a core part of education. It is certainly the case that the Scottish Government would have to find additional resources for councils to make that work. There were some references to the good stuff, which is going on, and I think quite fairly. In particular to a couple of musical initiatives, which are worth mentioning, one is the youth music initiative. It is a great initiative, but Clare Baker was absolutely right that we have to be careful, because the youth music initiative is about ensuring that every young person has a taster of instrumental tuition. As the EIS report says, why spark the interest if you do not intend to keep the fire burning rather more purple prose than the EIS, usually indulgent? The youth music initiative is an argument for ensuring accessibility for those who want to build on that taster. The cabinet secretary mentioned Systema, of course. I am a great supporter of Systema, but the Government deserves great credit for the funding that they have provided for Systema, but it is a different thing. Systema takes a community and creates a critical mass of music education by providing that for pretty well every one of the youngest age group in that area. It began, of course, in the Rapploch and is now taking place in other places as well. It is an immensely powerful tool for building confidence and reducing inequality, but it is not the same thing as what the report reports on and we have been debating this afternoon. In fact, it argues that it is even more important that that is available right across Scotland and that we need to still find a way to make that happen. I am pleased to close on behalf of those benches what has been an important, informative and largely consensual debate. I would also like to echo other members in thanking those who contributed to the committee report and to all those who provided the rich and real-world evidence that have made both our inquiry and today's debate so worthwhile. The passion and the persuasive arguments have certainly resonated and there is no doubt that the many campaigners who have pushed and pushed on this issue have been instrumental in bringing it to the fore. I can honestly say that there have been few inquiries in this place that have been mentioned to me so positively and so persistently as I have gone about my own constituency business. I have certainly seen the strength of musical talent that the cabinet secretary mentioned and I would say gently to Tavish Scott that there are so many talented young musicians in them for sure that I would struggle to name them in the five minutes that I have got left. Indeed, I am not sure if I was the intended audience but at this year's and in academy Christmas concert I was both heartened and disheartened that the music teacher who had organised the event raised the subject of instrumental music tuition at the introduction to the evening's festivities. I was heartened because it was inspiring and reassuring to hear someone with such a strong and personal interest spell out exactly what those policy decisions mean, not just for the school or individual pupils but for the wider community and society. He also brought home the wider question what does the decision to price some young people out of such an important part of our culture saying not just about our education system but about our country. That is what made me very, very sad. At an individual level I was also taken by how many parents then took the opportunity to mention to me the difficult choices that they face in this area. The choice between sending their children to band camp, buying new instruments or going on family holidays and those were the lucky ones, those were the ones who still had choices. I think that it is difficult to hear from parents who are struggling to justify the decision to let one of their children learn a musical instrument but not another. Those are similar issues to those that we heard in the committee evidence but,