A PETITION aiming to “save” East Lothian music tuition in schools has attracted more than 1,300 signatures in a matter of days.

East Lothian Council confirmed that it was going through a “redesign” of the instrumental music service in schools.

The cash-strapped local authority is looking at where it can make savings and raise money, and it has previously been said that there are tough decisions to be made.

Currently, more than 1,100 young people across the county receive instrumental music service instruction free of charge.

An online petition has been set up calling for the “existing and proposed cuts to the music service provision” to be reconsidered.

It reads: “Please help us to show the council that music is so much more important than they are giving it credit for. It is vital for our young people’s growth!

“It is a way for young people to engage with each other, it is so inclusive and people of all abilities can interact together; music is proven to have benefits to mental health, in particular stress and anxiety, in addition to this it can give young people the ability to express their creativity and develop a great sense of worth and self-esteem.

“Research shows that pupils who learn music perform better in many subjects and have a greater ability in problems solving and mathematics.

“Music helps young people to work collaboratively, cooperatively in smaller and larger groups.

“All of these points show that music helps our children to become healthier, well-rounded, contributing members of society.”

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council confirmed that the local authority was aware of the petition, which can be signed at you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-east-lothian-music-tuition-in-schools

They said: “The council’s budget setting meeting was held in February, with a focus on protecting essential public services as far as possible in an extremely challenging financial climate.

“A number of measures were agreed by elected members, including carrying out a redesign of the instrumental music service in schools to align costs more closely to the funding received from Scottish Government.

“This will ensure it is cost-effective whilst still maintaining the no-charging policy.

“Work on this remains at a very early stage and so it is not possible to provide further detail at this time.”