Although the Scottish National Party (SNP) is experiencing stern political challenges at present in Scotland, its decision made in 2021 to scrap charges for learning a musical instrument has been hailed as a "big catalyst" for the reported 8.9% rise in the number of pupils taking part in instrumental music lessons in the past year.

The findings of the newly published Instrumental Music Services (IMS) survey for 2022/23 showed that nearly 62,000 pupils took part in lessons — the highest number since the survey was first carried out over a decade ago.

The IMS stated that pupil numbers had "rebound very strongly after the dip during the pandemic".

No charges

For the second year, no local authorities charged for tuition in instrumental music services, or for instrument hire. This was facilitated by agreement between COSLA and the Scottish Government with funding provided to all local authorities.

In 2022/23 the Scottish Government provided £12m with a further £12m allocated for 2023/24, although the report notes that this was a real terms cut.

Increase in demand

The increase in demand in 27 of the 32 council areas has also meant that there are now waiting lists in operation due to the limited number of instructors (currently around 625 full time) and building capacity — with nearly 800 pupils in Dumfries & Galloway waiting to enjoy their first experience of playing. The cost of providing the service also rose by 10.6%.

In Renfrewshire Council it was reported that only one third of those expressing an interest could currently be accommodated.

It was also reported that uptake varies across the nation — with just 3% of pupils in North Lanarkshire to 30% in the Western Isles participating in lessons.

27% of participating pupils lived in 20% of the most deprived areas in Scotland, with around 12% also in receipt of free schools meals.

John Wallace, former principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland said that the report was "incredibly good news" and that it showed that there was "a bottomless appetite for music"4BR

Incredibly good news

Speaking to 'The Scotsman' newspaper, John Wallace, former principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland said that the report was "incredibly good news" and that it showed that there was "a bottomless appetite for music".

With just under 800,000 school children in Scotland he highlighted that linked to the Scottish Government's Youth Music Initiative meant that reaching between 30-40% pupils was "sensational compared to other countries".

Vindication

Alastair Orr, one of the leading campaigners to scrap tuition fees was also delighted, telling the reporter: "The record number of children learning to play an instrument or to sing is a clear vindication of the ten year campaign to secure free instrumental tuition in Scotland's schools."