Madam,

It is with great dismay I write yet again about the proposed devastating cuts to the Ceredigion Music Service.

I use the word ‘devastating’ as I cannot see how, with a cut of over £250,000, it could possibly be anything else.

However, councillors were told at the scrutiny meeting on 9 May that the music service would come out ‘bigger and better’ with their proposed restructuring!

There were many red herrings swimming around in that meeting used to disguise and distract the truth of what is being proposed.

The issue of charges for music lessons is a major red herring. Charges have been an accepted necessity for years and the Cabinet want to look like good fairies by standardising the charges. In reality it may not raise much more money for the music service than it has done in the past. The proposed re-structuring means the core budget will be so small the music service will be reliant mainly on what the pupils are charged. How can this possibly be ‘bigger and better’?

What the Cabinet is trying to play down is where they are planning to save most of the money- staff salaries. There has been no mention about retention of travel expenses. When asked this question it has been sidelined and avoided. This is coming from people who awarded themselves a two per cent pay increase! I think there is only one word for this disgraceful.

I have pointed out before the difficulties of recruiting in Ceredigion. I know there are staff living out of the county and I suspect we could lose those staff, putting the music service at risk.

Another red herring is about widening what is offered by the music service. I believe letters have gone to schools and the only extra being offered is piano. What happened to the ukulele? At the scrutiny meeting on 9 May, the Cabinet was quite convinced this would help expand the music service. All part of their ‘restructuring’.

There is a realisation dawning in Wales that there are not enough young string players coming through to fill places in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales. Indeed, last year they had to borrow players from Ireland and Scotland. This is because young children are not being given the opportunity and encouragement to play these instruments at the right age in primary school. Without enough staff (the Cabinet has insisted there have to be two redundancies immediately) how can the children of Ceredigion have opportunities to play these important orchestral instruments?

We wait now to see how much money the music service will have in its budget when it knows how many pupils will want lessons.

What will happen if there is not enough money in the budget to employ the teachers needed? Will children be refused what they have requested and are willing to pay for?

Yours etc, Isobelle McGuinness, former head of strings and assistant music service manager, Llanbadarn Fawr, Aberystwyth.

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