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Midlothian cuts creativity but at what cost?

P. Smith
Feb 3, 2019
2 min read

Music tuition for children below 4th year level in Midlothian is set to be stopped following a meeting of Instrumental Music Service Staff. It is the first region in Scotland to announce this. Discontinuing this tuition will likely have a severe impact upon the growth and development of music talent in the region.

In addition to this - other potential cuts are likely to be on the horizon as it was announced that due to a shortfall in finances within the local authorities that 'devastating decisions' with regard to jobs and services may occur. The measures which councilors are facing are quite simply 'catastrophic' for the area and again the pupils and secondary students are facing less provisions within the 'creative arts' sector.

What do the creative arts include? Subjects such as art and drama. This along with the halting of music tuition is going to create a void in learning which is not just reducing creative activity but much more: creative arts can develop talent and skills that youngsters may have which may otherwise go unnoticed and also role play within drama classes is an important outlet for expression and emotional development - therefor not a luxury but a crucial element of learning.

It is extremely unfortunate that these areas of education are outlined in relation to cuts and a reduction of provision however councilors are facing a challenging time and important decisions are inevitable. This is not only unfortunate for jobs and services but also places added pressure on Midlothian local authorities, as it has the status of being the fastest growing local authority in all of Scotland.

There will be a council meeting held on the 12th of February which will result in further insight into what is quite a dire situation for the region.

On top of this - there is a large possibility that there will be local library closures including that of Newtongrange and Dalkeith. Not only do these libraries allow the borrowing of books but much more - there are classes, exhibitions and computer access along with the venues being utilized for various activity based groups.

I was in Dalkeith arts center the other day and was struck by how it embraced all library users in a warm and welcoming manner - there was a parent and baby group singing, a councilor surgery, computer users and and book browsers. It felt like a important community hub and was busy.

Children require literature, quiet spaces, freedom of expression and skill development in order to become confident, to manage emotions and enhance future career prospects. The prospect of cuts, discontinuation and reduced provisions is sad and just adds to the notion which may be held by some - the creative arts are not an essential component within the education system and community.

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