Goodbye Music?
As with everything on TheSprout, the views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of TheSprout.
Update: We've contacted Cardiff Council and their response is below in italics.
So, recently, Cardiff Council has been forced to make some cuts in their budget. I don't know too much about the politics of it, but I do know that the Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan (CCVG) Music Service (along with many other education groups) is facing a 100% cut because of this.
The Music Service organises peripatetic teachers for music lessons, and has a wide range of ensembles for singers and musicians. These include orchestras, wind bands, choirs, brass bands, guitar ensembles, and jazz bands. It's fair to say that there is something for everyone who is interested, and until now the Music Service has been available to anyone, no matter what your ability or family income. But, with the current cuts to our funding, it is unknown how the service will be able to continue in this way.
This is an issue that is extremely close to my heart. I started cello lessons in Year 3, nearly ten years ago, and, like most other people, began by having lessons in school.
By the end of the year, I had auditioned for the CCVG Junior Schools Orchestra, and got in. In Year 7, I joined the next available orchestra, and also the High Schools Choir. Now, after progressing through the High Schools Orchestra, I am in both Youth ensembles, for ages 14 to 21.
It is through these ensembles that I have become the musician that I am today, and I have met some of my best friends through being in them. Last summer, the Youth Orchestra went on an incredible tour of Tuscany, where we played concerts in Florence, Perugia and Montecatini Terme, and it was honestly one of the best weeks of my life.
Our Music Service is one of the best in Wales. Last year, in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, there were more musicians from Cardiff and the Vale than any other county. Surely this shows that our Music Service is worth keeping?
The council is proposing to cut £150,000 from our budget (100% of their contribution), and are saying that this will mean an 11% increase in fees. At the moment, this will only come to approximately £5, which many argue is not that much.
However, one of the best parts of the Music Service is that it is available to all, including people with lower incomes. And even then, there are some people who struggle to pay the fees. I have friends who want to be part of more ensembles, but can't afford it.
They are also cutting the Music Development Fund by £173,000 again 100% of the council's contribution. The Music Development Fund pays for specifically targeted inclusion projects, bringing music to areas where people may otherwise not be able to access it.
There is also the fact that something doesn't quite match up. An 11% increase will not cover all the funding that will be cut from our budget. It is therefore likely that the fees will increase by more than 11%.
Because of this, the ensembles are likely to get smaller. The increase in fees will make it an elitist organisation; broadcasting the idea that music is for snobs and rich people, not something that should be accessible and enjoyable by all.
The injustice of it all is that the Cardiff Council has recently employed several new executives at ridiculously high salaries. In fact the salary of just one executive is almost as much as our funding (go figure?). In comparison to the rest of the Council Budget, the funding for the Music Service is relatively small. However, it does so much good!
Last week, we held a protest outside St. David's Hall, including musicians. I played a part in it. We are having another protest this Thursday (28th February 2013), from 4pm outside City Hall, where the final decision will be made.
I will be devastated if the Music Service has to stop because of these funding cuts. It has been part of my life for ten years, and I simply can't imagine life without spending at least two nights a week in town rehearsing. I have so many close friends, who I wouldn't necessarily see without the ensembles. It has helped me to grow as a musician, taught me so much about playing as part of an ensemble, given me a better musical ear, given me opportunities to perform in quartets, and to play solos.
Hopefully, the service won't have to stop entirely, but if the ensembles start getting smaller because people can't afford it, they may begin to question whether it is worth continuing. Already we have been called "unnecessary" by politicians.
We need to prove to them that we are worth funding. We are worth saving! Music is worth it!
A piece on the Music Service was aired on You & Yours on BBC Radio 4, and features some of my friends, (and my dad!). The piece starts at approximately 16:46.
There is also a Facebook group, which is keeping people updated - Save Cardiff County & The Vale of Glamorgan Music Service.
Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Julia Magill, said: "Claims amounting to scaremongering about the budget for the music service have received a lot of publicity in the last day or so and it is time to put the record straight.
"The £173,000 Music Development Fund (MDF) will now be part of the schools delegated budget. Exactly the same amount of money will be available for the MDF next year as this.
"The bursaries for Cardiff learners will be available as now, and is currently of a value of approximately £80,000; however, prices to schools and the cost of ensembles are proposed go up by a total of 11.09 per cent, ending a Council subsidy of £151,000.
"I have asked the Chief Executive, Jon House, and finance officers to go back over the details and they have assured me that the figure of 11.09 per cent is correct.
"Some schools do not pass the cost of lessons on to parents while others subsidise them. Children on bursaries will still not have to pay for lessons.
"Proposing the 2013/14 budget has been extremely difficult as the Council faces steeper cuts than ever before which means some difficult decisions will need to be taken to ensure that our frontline services, such as schools and social services, are protected.
"The Music Service currently generates an income of £1.364m. Whilst the proposal is to end the additional £151,000 subsidy from the Council, a combination of alternative funding arrangements and the price increase means the overall resource to the music service, the music development fund and provision of bursaries will be the same as before."
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Photo Credit: Mr Jaded via Compfight cc
1 Comment – Postiwch sylw
Weeping Tudor
Rhoddwyd sylw 39 mis yn ôl - 26th February 2013 - 15:28pm
Music is vital. Plus the photo looks like a work by John Cage. Love it!