To say no to buying a violin for my DC?

[NoInstrument]

DC is 9, Year 5.

School told us on Friday that we have to supply a violin for our DC to play in music. The school do not have any to lend out, it’s either we provide one or DC can’t take part in music lessons this year.

The cheapest one I can find that will arrive by tomorrow (lesson is on Tuesday) is £65.

I cannot afford £65. I’ve just spent £200 on uniform for DC as they’d completely wrecked everything else. And even if I did have £65 to burn on a violin we have nowhere to practise, I live in an upstairs flat and theres limits in our tenancy to what can be done when, instruments are not allowed after 5pm (DC is in ASC until 4.45pm everyday).

There is no second hand sale at school as the Year 5s last year played a different instrument.

I’m a single parent, DC is on FSM but school don’t use it for this sort of thing, they use it for the Year 6 residential and an individual subscription to 2 homework apps (everyone else has to pay I think £5 a year)

AIBU? And what will happen to DC if they’re the only one without a violin (which is likely as its happened before with trips, DC has been the only one not going on none compulsory trips when I couldn’t afford it)

Also this.

In my view this is even more reason why it should be being spent on ensuring that your child can participate fully. They have a generally ‘advantaged’ cohort and therefore will have relatively fewer challenges to manage and can draw on more parental resources (financial and otherwise). The school I work at is similar: very low PP (and most are services rather than FSM). Max of only 1 or 2 kids per year group on FSM. PP funding is used to cover extra-curricular sports clubs, private (in sch) music lessons, trips (including ‘voluntary’ ones) and residentials so that all children have the opportunity to participate in everything we offer. I think it’s shocking that your school aren’t doing this and I would be kicking up a stink with the governors and then the LA/my MP, tbh.

Does this mean there are a loaf of parents with dc in the year above who have violins they want to get rid of?

DS and DD had whole-class violin lessons in Y3, but the school had a set of violins to use for that initial year.

This sounds like exactly what the pupil premium funding is for. Maybe you could ask the school how they are spending it and how it benefits your child?

The scheme is clearly not properly thought-out. We have local schools which do this but much of the point of it is that they lend the instruments as well as providing the lessons! In fact I donated our two violins to the scheme rather than try and get £10 for them on Ebay.

It's not a good use of PP money either - i'd they run a scheme (which is great albeit I'd choose anything over a violin....), they need to resource it properly.

This is totally ridiculous - it sounds like a scheme thought up by someone with zero knowledge of musical instruments. They are asking parents to spend thousands of pounds between them on instruments that are likely to be discarded once the course is finished many of which even a professional violist couldn't get a decent sound out of. No one should be asked to source and pay for a violin for whole class lessons and I would be surprised if many turn up with one. If you can, then contact the teacher running the lessons to find out whether this is what they were expecting to happen and whether they can source a violin for your child to borrow.

Never heard anything so ridiculous, and violins are sized for the player, so you can't just grab the first cheap /freebie you might spot on line, as other have said I would speak to the head, I absoultely would not tolerate my child being put in another class while the group lesson is going on. If you do decide to play the game with the school, then pop to a local music shop, they can advise on size and if they have any reasonably priced rental schemes, additionally they may have access to resales, where younger childern have outgrown their instruments. I think it's brilliant that they are given the opportunity to learn an instrument, but it should be made financially accessible to all.

You can rent violins

It's madness to have parents provide instruments in this situation. A stock of well set up basic stentors would be way more use than Amazon violins which are likely to come with bridge and soundpost down and be nigh on impossible to keep in tune because the pegs aren't well made. Also new bows need a lot of rosin to get started. Setting everything up for failure really!

It’s not all that helpful but I can’t think of a better way of putting a child off playing music than giving them an hour’s lesson on a £60 violin. I’d be amazed if it would stay in tune

Where are you based OP?
https://music4themany.com/#:~:text=music%20for%20the%20many%20%E2%80%93%20equal,1185526
I think your school is putting your son in a ridiculous position with this but maybe investigate whether you can borrow an instrument for him to learn on. There may be other charities or bodies that can help.

More links
https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/get-support/develop-as-a-musician/advice/musical-instrument-funding-2

I was just about to search for that too.

If the lesson is curricular, and during the day, the school cannot insist on payment at all. They can ask for a voluntary contribution.

Slight update

School have come back and said any child who doesn't have their own violin will still be in the lesson they'll just sit in the lesson and "learn" alongside their friends.

School have said PP funding has been allocated and theres no spare. It's going on Mental Health Support for all children on PP and on the Year 6 residential (which usually costs £2-300) and on the apps. They wouldn't budge when I bought it up so I think DC will be one of a very few in the class without one.

Current Year 6s learnt a different instrument so no old ones there.

According to class Facebook group majority are thrilled and are happy to provide the instrument. It's that sort of area.

Will look into rental options.

Did you quote the DfE guidance that I linked upthread, OP?

Contact the Local Authority. The school is breaking the law. Quote the link provided by a previous poster about curricular learning during the school day.

Sorry, crossed with @ThanksItHasPockets.

I really would try calling a music shop and explaining the situation. They may either rent or know someone who's wanting to pass on a violin but check the size. My daughter started on a 1/2 at seven. It is a lovely lovely instrument if you get on with it. She practised in break time.

My dh school teaches the whole year group in y2 (2 classes) violin (peri teacher comes in and is free as part of curriculum) and after y2 they can continue in group lessons with the same peri but think they are asked to contribute towards costs.
The violins are provided by the school but I think when they wish to go further then they are encouraged to get their own.

https://m.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1327371971318194/?ref=showcase_feed

Yeah because a kid playing a vioin 5:30pm is the height of antisocial behaviour. 😅 Si ridiculous and not sure it would stand up legally. Regardless, I would just play and if anyone questions it I would just show the landlord my “Classical Violin” CD/DVD which I just love to listen to every day. Presumably in North KoreaBritain you are still allowed to listen to music after 5pm - problem solved.

A beginner practicing makes a sound rather a long way away from what most people would regard as music.

Hi, so your child falls under the ‘pupil premium’ category with having FSM. Schools are allocated a certain amount of money and few people know this, I didn’t until a teacher friend told me. But you can speak to the school about how they use that money for your child and how you’d like it using. I know this because my friends daughter is ‘ pupil premium’ and her mum requested the money be used for an after school club. Hope this helps.

Where we live you can rent them from the Music Service of the local authority. Is that a possibility? Ask about reductions if your child is eligible for FSMs. Also, I thought that it was illegal to exclude children from compulsory trips on the basis of cost?

Music teacher here - and a violin player. School should be providing the instruments for the whole class music lessons. They used to be called wider opportunities and it was a great initiative as it meant those who couldn’t afford to sign up to individual peripatetic lessons got to try out some instruments. My daughters primary never even had a music teacher til after one had left and one was y6 and I was really annoyed that basically weren’t taught music. Music just be taught up to ks3 and is an entitlement so your child is being discriminated against and refused a lesson they are legally entitled to.

Cheap violins aren’t really worth it. I’ve a few in the house we bought the kids when younger. They don’t hold their tuning and sound awful.

I’d put in a complaint to the head and governors asking how your child will get their legally entitled music lessons as part of the curriculum. Ofsfed won’t like it.

Sounds like a school in a well off area with so few pupil premiums, apply to school, you have nothing to lose. But also if they do this every year there will be tens of violins sitting gathering dust in your area. Ask on freecycle, ask the school WhatsApp (you can just say to save waste before I buy one has anyone got… ) ask charity shops as it’s the kind of thing that will be in the back. Also write a strongly worded letter of complaint to the governors of the school as the usual is to buy a recorder which is a tenner. Violin is ridiculous. From a music perspective very hard to learn and not great for kids as it needs tuning every lesson / practice. Good luck