WE would like to take the opportunity to clarify some points on music provision following the recent coverage.

As a council we recognise the importance of music tuition for children and want to reassure your readers that our proposals seek to ensure all children continue to have the same opportunities as at present. We are committed to children having access to music but we need to find a new way of carrying out services given the budget pressures we face.

Currently, quality assured music tuition is provided by music teachers at the request of a school. One of Wiltshire Council’s functions is to handle the paperwork and the payments between the school and the music teacher.

Payment for the tuition is made by the school to Wiltshire Council, which then pays the teacher.

The school generally recovers the cost from the parents.

Over the coming months, the Wiltshire Music Education Hub, which is linked to Wiltshire Council but funded by the Arts Council, will be putting a system in place so that music teachers may be booked direct by the school and paid direct by the school, without the need for the local authority to act as an expensive intermediary.

In addition, the hub will host and maintain a quality assured directory of providers.

The hub will allocate funding to supplement the fees for disadvantaged children and provide additional subsidy to isolated schools to address the issue of tutors’ travel costs.

We also plan for clubs, groups and ensembles to be available through Wiltshire Young Musicians and Salisbury Area Young Musicians.

The hub will provide guidance to music teachers as they set up the new arrangements. Some may wish to form joint arrangements with others to share administration while others may wish to be more entrepreneurial in the services they offer.

We will be supporting music teachers and schools to make the changes while continuing to provide the tuition that is so valuable for a child’s development.

Richard Gamble, Portfolio Holder for Education, Skills and Youth

Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services

Alan Macrae, Portfolio Holder for Safeguarding

IN response to Kirsty Maguire and Margaret Hillier, both of whom wrote last week (March 5) about the proposed closure of Wiltshire Music Service, I would like to reassure both writers that opportunities for music lessons can still be affordable by applying to Childrens Chance.

Over the past 17 years we have funded hundreds of music lessons for children and young people in and around Salisbury – there is no need for any child in this area to miss out for financial reasons.

Further information and a one page application form can be found at childrenschance.co.uk.

Thank you.

Jane Miller

Chairman, Childrens Chance