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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be irritated that ds was not allowed to go to his instrument lesson today?

107 replies

SixImpossible · 07/05/2014 18:37

Apparently they had a maths test,and "maths is more important than music". TBH I'm not sure whether those are ds's words or his teacher's. He has one 20minute violin lesson every week, which we pay for. What right do the school have to prevent him attending? The music company will not reimburse or replace missed lessons unless they themselves cancel.

OP posts:

manchestermummy · 07/05/2014 18:56

Absolutely, when you're seven, that's seven, a maths test that will be utterly meaningless is much more important than anything else.

BomChickaMeowMeow · 07/05/2014 18:56

I'd raise it with the school - my daughter has piano lessons once a week at school and has never been prevented from attending.

Perspective21 · 07/05/2014 18:57

Learning an instrument is hugely educational, and the life lessons a child can learn; practise, performance, confidence and acquiring new skills are transferable to other areas in the curriculum. Never mind that playing an instrument is a joy in itself and playing with others, especially in an educational setting, is a very sociable activity.

manicinsomniac · 07/05/2014 18:57

YANBU. Most school offer music lessons in lesson times and, although it can be extremely annoying when there is always a child who needs to leave your lesson just as you're getting to the important part, they must be allowed to attend. It's a paid for activity and takes priority.

At our school there are no peripatetic music or drama lessons during our school exam weeks. If a child has something unmissable at the same time as their music lesson (eg a performance or sports match) then they swap with another child in advance. But a paid for lesson should never just be missed if the child is in school.

Wibblypiglikesbananas · 07/05/2014 19:00

Invoice the school.

Thomyorke · 07/05/2014 19:01

My Dd maths improved party due to learning a musical instrument, her confidences soared and her main stumbling block in maths was fear the art of reading music gave her the ability to attempt maths in a new way.

hugoagogo · 07/05/2014 19:07

When dd had music lessons in primary school, she often seemed to miss them for things like this-really annoying.

When I spoke to the LEA they said they always aimed to give a certain number of hours per term, this was quite a bit less than I expected it did not add up to 20 mins per week for 12 weeks or whatever.

Stinkle · 07/05/2014 19:14

Yanbu

My daughter has a guitar lesson through the School's Music Service that the local council runs. I pay for it but it's offered and run by the school.

I'd be annoyed if she had to miss the lesson and expect to be reimbursed

DD's guitar teacher tends to rotate the order of the children each week so it's not the same time so she doesn't always miss the same lesson, and on the odd occasion where it's been difficult to let DD leave, the guitar teacher just gets a different child from a different class, then goes back to DD

If school offer the service then they should honour the lesson

Lottiedoubtie · 07/05/2014 19:14

Year 2? Then no, Yanbu at all!

If it was the 'actual' SAT test, DS still shouldn't have been told that maths was more important.... But the music lesson should have been rearranged for him.

Complain, he isn't old enough to sensibly challenge the teachers authority on this, and his music lesson should have been accomodated.

rowna · 07/05/2014 19:14

Either the school allow attendance in school time or they don't. But they can't allow it then decide on a whim that someone can't go, giving no chance for the music teacher to rearrange a time.

3littlefrogs · 07/05/2014 19:32

Music lessons in lesson time are a waste of time and money.
The hassle of copying up missed work is just not worth it.
Better to arrange lessons outside school.
TBH a 20 minute lesson isn't really worth while. (IMO)

phantomnamechanger · 07/05/2014 19:44

If it were the actual SATs week, I would have expected the school to notify all the music teachers that go in, that the Y2s would not be able to have lessons on certain days that week. Same as they do when a whole year group is going to be on a trip or residential.

This has never been an issue for us, all 3 of mine have lessons in school time, and also piano out of school. in secondary school, the teacher will come in on a different day in order to avoid important tests and exams, so they don't miss a lesson if they are coming up to an exam.

It is hugely educational, enriching and sociable to play a musical instrument. and the teacher should be made aware that you will not get that money back - However, I would make certain you get the teachers version of events before you go in all guns blazing. It might be that on realising there was a test, DS himself decided not to let on about the music lesson, or was given the choice of do in it at another time eg break/lunch/instead of PE, and actually said no, he'd do the test with the class. (not very fair to put a 7yo in this position though).

phantomnamechanger · 07/05/2014 19:55

Music lessons in lesson time are a waste of time and money
disagree 100% I'm afraid - DD1 went from beginner to grade 6 in 3.5 years on her instrument, DD2 is grade 5 in Y7, having only started part way through Y4 - both were on 20 mins a week till they went to secondary and its still only 30mins a week now,OK so they both already played piano and were not learning to read music from scratch. Both play in school orchestra and a small group outside school. Both also attend an orchestral summer school, for a week in the holidays, and have an absolute ball. Crucially both are also very bright and conscientious about catching up missed work, and well organised at swapping their instrument lessons with friends to avoid missing a subject test or the middle of a science practical or something.
But I digress. Every penny we have spent on these lessons has been worth it, OP INBU to be cross as she is out of pocket, IF the story as we have it is correct and there are not crossed wires.

stillenacht1 · 07/05/2014 20:02

As a secondary music teacher I hear; from other teachers "so and so missed their chemistry/French/Maths lesson today"; from parents,"Can they have their piano lesson at lunch?"(yes, our peri can teach all 35 pupils that she has in 50 minutes!) and from the pupils,"I think I missed my lesson today!". I do wish staff would be a little more supportive in general but I totally realise they have their FFT targets to attempt to meet.

UncleT · 07/05/2014 20:06

Slight generalisation I know, but often the kids who learn the violin, piano or other in addition to the core curriculum actually tend to be the more conscientious ones anyway, so 20 minutes of maths really isn't likely to make a difference, particularly at that age.

whatever5 · 07/05/2014 20:13

At dd's secondary school they are warned in advance of test/exams so that they can swap their music lesson with another child if it clashes. Obviously your son is too young to do that so his teacher should have organised it if she thought the maths test was so much more important. I would be extremely annoyed if my child was made to miss a lesson I had paid for.

Original poster

SixImpossible · 07/05/2014 20:13

Is it SATs week for KS1? KS2 SATs are next week.

OP posts:

Rainbunny · 07/05/2014 20:21

I used to take violin lessons at school (which were free as I recall, seems those days are long gone) but they always tried to schedule each child's lesson to coincide with PE class as I guess they felt that PE was the least important class to miss 30 minutes of.

Rainbunny · 07/05/2014 20:24

Hmm, 3littlefrogs - I couldn't disagree more. I had a 30 minute lesson once a week, shared with one other pupil. Out of my year, two other students who studied violin with me ended up studying music at university, one of them at Oxford. Not bad for a weekly 30 minute lesson plus after school orchestra practice.

Nocomet · 07/05/2014 20:24

Schools problem, they need to move their maths tests or the violin lessons.

You should get what you pay for!

Picturesinthefirelight · 07/05/2014 20:42

I'd be wanting the school to reimburse me.

Dd is in secondary & has both piano lessons & singing lessons at school. There is one lesson she isn't allowed to muss but she kniws which one & is abke to swop around.

Ds is primary & id expect the school to notify thecteacher if an unmissable test was planned.

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 07/05/2014 20:45

Team Maths here! (Well not exactly but I am a maths graduate and worship the subject.)

Personally I think that maths is more important than breathing let alone music but that is not the point. The point is that the school has arranged the teacher to come in and you have paid for it. Therefore the school has a responsibility to allow your son to make the lesson. If it is a bad time then it should be arranged for a swap. (If your son was Year 7 rather than 7 then he should be doing the swapping himself but if he could do that level of time tabling at 7 then he would be a maths genius.)

I would complain. If they don't reimburse you then I do think Windymill's idea about the voluntary contribution is brilliant but I don't know if I'd be brave enough to do it.

CoffeeTea103 · 07/05/2014 21:03

Mathis is definitely more important than music.

Suttonmum1 · 07/05/2014 21:13

I thought there was a well known correlation between maths and music abilities. It's all probably a misunderstanding and SATs related. Hopefully teacher can give two 30 min lessons to make up, which might be especially useful if your child is doing a grade at the end of the year.

Hulababy · 07/05/2014 21:16

SixImpossible - y2 can choose when they do SATs. We are currently doing ours this half term but spread over the 4 weeks, and only half a class at a time. Mornings only 2-3 days a week.

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