Seriously?!?

[NearlySpring]

Dd (6) REALLY would love to learn to play a musical instrument, quite a few children in her year at school have the lessons (we see them coming in with their cellos and violins).

Today I enquired about booking them for her. They are £17 per child for 30 mins lesson once a week This is for 3 children sharing the lesson. PLUS £80 per term to hire a child sized violin or cello.

I am a single parent and I work full time. I have a decent job and decent salary and we are comfortable, but this seems like such a large amount of money to pay out each term in addition to the clubs she already does.

So I was thinking today... I wonder how all the others afford it, I know for a fact that two of the kids who have the lessons have parents who don't work. I looked on the school website to find out that if you don't work you get FREE music lessons.

AIBU in feeling that music lessons are a luxury and shouldn't be free for people on benefits?

Maybe I AIBU and just a little green eyed that I work so hard and cannot afford something that I could get for free if I didn't work. Not benefit claimant bashing here, it's a hard time and many people are being made redundant, I totally understand lots of people on benefits right now just can't find work (I was in same position not all that long ago)....

But seriously, free music lessons?!?

Unfortunately, we do not live in an IDEAL world, where all DC have the same, and we all live in palaces. Some people work and some people don't work. It is only just then that the DC of the people who work should have music lessons before the DC of the people who don't work - for whatever reason.

If the people who worked, stopped working, there would be nobody to subsidise anything; as the people who work are subsidising the people on benefits it is only right that their DC are better off - why bother otherwise?

'I was informed it is to do with inclusion, encouraging children who might otherwise never have the chance to learn an additional skill to have that opportunity.'

But these children aren't limited to those whose parents are on benefit.

yes but you take what you can within reason, surely every one does that. Those of us who work presumably claim the single person tax allowance soon to be £7k+ or whatever? We probably pay tax at the rates stated not double. We probably claim child benefit if we're entitled to it. I don't see why it's any different claiming a free lesson. By all means lobby to change the system but if the system is as it is it's not morally wrong to claim what the state is choosing to give you.

As cory says music can help in other things. Apparently children who learn music do benefit in other lessons, perhaps because you have to practise hard, learn, memorise all things which do children good, learn to keep still, do as you're told and also if you're good at the music like all hobbies that might make you feel better about yourself. The surprising thing was the cost for a shared lesson which is more than non shared music lessons in private schools. Presumably there is a heap of admin which is also being paid for to get the feesl to that level. As I said worth finding a local music student to teach one to one out of school.

i don't think it's about whether people on benefits should get the lessons but more about the fact that people on low incomes should also get them free.

I suspect people tend not to appreciate what is free so some nominal charge and child who doesn't practice not allowed to continue with the subsidy might help. Nominal music lesson in school without a parent supervising practice every day is a waste of state funds in many cases.

Wow the people who provide music tuition in schools in your area must be taking the p**s!!

£17 for a shared 1/2 hour lesson!

We all have provate arrangements for lessons and each have an individual half hour and we pay:
Me: £14
DH: £12
DD: £10

DD plays the violin and her early instruments were second hand. In fact her 1/4 size and 1/2 size we only paid £25 for! Obviously we paid more for her full size one because we expect it to last years and by now she has shown she is not just taking it up on a whim.

Sadly I agree that in the current economic climate free music tuition is probably something we cannot afford because in anyone's scale of priorities surely food, housing and education comes first?

It is sadly though 'cos when I think back to my school days music tuition in a wide range of instruments was completely free and our school (just an ordinary local comp) owned loads of instruments so I had mine on free loan for years.