How valuable are music lessons?

But with the cost of individual tuition and the price of instruments, her mum Eileen is convinced that learning to love music is prohibitive to some families.

"We are fortunate in that we can provide this for Jenna, but I am sure that many other families cannot afford it," said Mrs Cole.

The Coles, who live in Bingley, pay up to £50 a term for private piano tuition. They also shell out a further £3.50 a week for 15 minute guitar lessons for Jenna in school. And all this outlay is before you buy or hire an instrument.

"The lessons in school used to be free at one point, but the cost has just gone up and up," said Mrs Cole. "Everybody should have the opportunity to learn to play, but I don't know whether this is happening. The government should make it free to all."

Jenna is a pupil at Gilstead Middle, where music is considered to be a very important part of school life. School music teacher Angela Marsh says it is vital for schools to nurture musical talent in the same way they would academic ability.

"Even if a child decides they do not want to become a professional musician, they can get a great deal out of music," she said.

"It can build their self-confidence and self-esteem and maybe gives a child an opportunity to shine in a subject they would not expect to.

"Learning music increases will power and powers of concentration. It gives a way of expressing yourself. It is a very valuable skill.

"Sometimes I think playing an instrument simply gives a child a sense of satisfaction, which is equally important."

There are 380 children at Gilstead who all have music lessons once a week and around a third have extra 'peripetetic' lessons provided and part subsidised by Bradford Music Service, the Council's musical arm.

With the demands of the National Curriculum and tighter resources generally, music in schools has been squeezed.

And it is a point that has not been lost on prominent musicians who have warned that the coming decades will see less and less home-grown musical talent without cash from the government.

Most children's first contact with a musical instrument is at school and without an enthusiastic music teacher, Sir Paul McCartney would probably still be just plain old 'Paul' and Nigel Kennedy might have gone into hairdressing.

Sir Simon Rattle, former conductor with the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, warned recently that new talent simply wasn't coming up through the ranks.

The government is attempting to address the problem and has set up the Youth Music Trust to distribute £10 million worth of lottery money to schools to assist in the purchase of instruments. The first grants have not yet been made, but a spokeswoman for the Department of Media and Culture said the aim was to improve access to school music.

"We are trying to create opportunities for any child who wants to learn to play an instrument."

However, there are still many schemes to encourage musical youth. Pupils at Queensbury Upper School and Hainsworth Moor Middle have been working with a Composer in Residence to put together their own unique piece of music.

Barry Russell spent hours with the joint orchestra helping them make the best of the instruments as part of a project run by Northern Orchestral Enterprises Ltd to foster young talent

The result was Line Dance for Large Ensemble and a triumph, according to Queensbury's head of music, Anne Jackson.

"It was excellent. It gave the students the chance to do something that they would not normally have done."

l Anyone requiring more information about the NOEL scheme should contact Sue Rosborough on (01422) 330533.

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