to think that children who do not practice should not get free music lessons

[ReallyTired]

In our county children who are on free school dinners get free music lessons. Some of these children have absolutely no desire to learn a musical instrument, they do no practice and worse still some of them muck about in the lesson. The only reason they have lessons is that their parents have signed them up.

I am in favour of music lessons being provided for those who parents cannot afford them. However I think the free lessons should be stopped if the child fails to behave or makes insufficent progress after a year of tutition.

There are lot of children who families are not poor enough to get the free music lessons, but their parents cannot afford to pay for music lessons. It is sad that the children of the working poor cannot have access to music lessons.

I completely agree with you.

Learning music has many benefits beyond simply the ability to play an instrument. But these are only realised if the child actually plays it. If they don't, let another child benefit instead.

Children of working parents have the same right to a music education as those of parents who do not. And yes, you are right, music lessons are a luxury some working families really cannot afford, however much they or their children would like them.

YANBU. It's not fair for the children with aptitude and interest.
Private lessons (one-to-one) are hideously expensive.
The kids music scene here is dominated by the children from middle class families. I was shocked (I'm obviously naive though) that the national children's orchestras are very expensive to join.

if the lessons were provided for a minimal price then this would weed out the real time wasters. agree its hard to justify those on free school dinners getting something that the rest of the working population can't afford. especially at a time when the schools are struggling to educate children in key areas like english.

We pay £12 a week for twenty minutes one to one. My son is making fanastic progress. After a year of lessons he has just completed guitarist way book 2. He does 20 minutes a day of practice at the age of ten. Learning guitar has raised his confidence no end. He has learnt that hard work produces results. The work ethic has poured over into his school work.

I would like schools to reform access to free music lessons to more children. Ie. offer free music lessons for short period to more children and only allow children who actually make progress/ show enthusiam to have more than a term's lessons. I would favour a taster of music lessons being done in a group of 3.

Prehaps there could be scholarships of individual music lessons to children who show they are keen. Evidence of progress would need to be shown to keep the free/ subsidised lessons.

My son's school does have music opportunites but a class of 30 learning the recorder is not music.