RACE!!! Is this a record? Can the editor not afford music lessons for his bairns?

I have no idea, really, where I’m going with this but ‘race’, in two forms admittedly, in all five of the top stories this morning, online.

For a brief moment, I thought the Question Time story might be about anti-Scottish panel and audience selection procedures but, hey, I’m not that daft, for long.

But, FOUR stories about free music tuition in schools!? Does the editor have a bairn or four with a flair for the recorder or for screeching the neighbours mad with their violin?

Pardon me if I didn’t know how important this issue was for the body politic at this difficult time for the constitution.

And, can I ask, sounding a bit ‘angry of Newton Mearns‘ why should a few ‘special‘ bairns get free individual or small group music tuition ‘on the taxpayer?‘ Mostly, we’d pay for swimming lessons or membership of a gymnastics or horse-riding club.

Finally, I used to be a Primary Teacher, back when we were sending aircraft carriers to the South Atlantic. I had to do whole-class (30) Art, Music and Drama classes. Why did we pay for a specialist who could do nothing for 90% of the bairns, to run an elite wee activity?

And….what’s the BBC’s Dougie Vipond got to do with music? Now if they had that great maestro, Jim Prime, maybe I’d listen.

9 thoughts on “RACE!!! Is this a record? Can the editor not afford music lessons for his bairns?”

  1. Hey! Not just the prveleged! I learnt an instrument at school (a few years ago) – lessons had to be paid for (though subsidised I guess. Surprised the parents even considered it, to be honest. I did have to find my own way through very limited public transport areas, over 30 miles, by myself, mind you, for any extra curricular activitivies with said instrument. Staying over at random people’s houses to get the one bus back home the next day, or begging lifts. None of this wishywashy getting ferried about stuff). The regional schools board lent you the instrument (richer folk’s parents bought theirs), so you got to learn whatever they had spare.

    So are they saying there is no music tuition at all at schools anymore – music is very good for development etc you know. I realise that music may be one of the cuts that will get people’s backs up, and that it’s a bit of an issue, and rightly so. But like you say John – in ALL the headlines?!

    All of these types of news headlines recently I’ve realised are most likely indirectly related to the Scottish budget – look how terrible it is! It isn’t funding everything by enough! The SNP are terrible!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Noted, and good point, I was told to go out into the garage to practice because the noise was so awful. I was an early owner of fingerless gloves, and needless to say, I never became a virtuoso. You were far better off not being subjected to that! ?

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  5. Yes it is that easy
    If you work for the BBC you can plug your personal wish list
    Especially in Scotland if it’s something the taxpayer will pay for
    The elite surely have enough to pay for already
    A good accountant is expensive

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.