Cuts to musical education a “scandal” says renowned Scottish composer

A fifteen-year-old Scottish composer is having her work performed this weekend at a festival run by the internationally renowned musician Sir James MacMillan. But she may be one of the lucky ones because the Cumnock Tryst festival in East Ayrshire is being held against a backdrop of cuts to music education across the country.

In Scotland, most local authorities now charge parents for music lessons for all except the poorest. A move which Sir James calls a “scandal” as Ciaran Jenkins reports.