National Association of Youth Orchestras
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S3M-1232, in the name of Ian McKee, on the National Association of Youth Orchestras. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament applauds the objectives of the National Association of Youth Orchestras in supporting, encouraging and facilitating young musicians by giving them the opportunity to perform orchestral works at the highest level; recognises the association's vital contribution to the cultural life both of the capital city and all of Scotland, and would like to see it remain based in Edinburgh.
I am grateful for this opportunity to bring two matters to members' attention—the value of the National Association of Youth Orchestras to the culture of Scotland, and the location of its headquarters. I thank all those who added their support for the motion.
Children who are gifted at music do not want to spend their time practising on their own at home. Many join informal groups or play in a school orchestra and the most talented and enthusiastic often become members of one of the many youth orchestras that can be found the length and breadth of Britain.
The National Association of Youth Orchestras was formed about 40 years ago with the intention of offering mutual support to orchestras that joined it. In this context, the word "national" refers to the United Kingdom, and services are offered to youth orchestras in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Some years later, the association founded its annual event, the festival of British youth orchestras. The festival, which lasts for three weeks, takes place in Edinburgh and Glasgow and coincides with the Edinburgh festival. It offers young people the opportunity to mix with members of other youth orchestras and to have the experience of performing to live audiences as part of the festival fringe. Because the event is associated with the Edinburgh festival, the youngsters gain access to the rehearsals of some of the world's top orchestras and can learn from the process.
Because the association was undertaking an increasing amount of administrative work, it was deemed necessary for it to have a permanent base. As much of the work related to organising the festival of British youth orchestras, Edinburgh was chosen as the location. It has been the administrative centre of the NAYO for more than 20 years.
Time moves on and circumstances change. Issues that concerned the association's executive council included a large increase in the number of children who take up music and wish to join an orchestra and a consequential increase in the number of youth orchestras, many of which were not members of the NAYO, perhaps because they did not know of its existence. As a result, the executive decided, quite properly, to mount an inquiry to determine the changes that were required to cope with the new challenges. As part of that inquiry, a consultant was employed to report back to the executive with recommendations.
So far, I have given a factual description of events until last year. I do not think that anyone would have a major disagreement with what I have said, or indeed with what happened. Thereafter, however, the picture becomes more complicated.
In an article in the NAYO members publication in January 2008, George Caird, the chairman, referred to the review and stated that the association's staffing, activities and administrative location might have to change. When I spoke to the association's consultant, David Marcou, earlier this week, he said that it was likely that the administrative location would change but that no final decision had been taken and no redundancy notices had been issued to the Edinburgh staff. However, when I spoke this week to a person who had worked in the NAYO's office for 24 years, she was adamant that staff were told on 8 January that they would be made redundant in the second week of September, just after this year's festival.
I do not intend to go into the legal intricacies of what a redundancy notice is and is not, but there is no doubt that the staff thought that they were being made redundant, so much so that two of them handed in their notice in the next few days as they needed to look for other work.
All the writing on the wall suggests that the NAYO intends to move its administrative headquarters to England, if not London, even if it intends to retain a small presence in Edinburgh. What are the reasons for that decision? The association has decided to carry on organising the festival-associated activities in August, so much work still needs to be done in Scotland. Recruitment drives and other administrative activities can be mounted from an office anywhere, and if there are staff issues, they should be tackled in their own right rather than by moving an office, which is really using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The City of Edinburgh Council is bending over backwards to help the NAYO with any accommodation problems.
What I suspect is the real explanation is one of many that were put to me—some in the association consider that the NAYO is hindered by having an operational base far from London and there is a broad consensus in England that having the head office in Edinburgh reinforces the perception that the NAYO is a Scottish organisation and not representative of youth orchestras nationally.
I do not know how often an organisation such as the NAYO needs to lobby UK ministers, but I would not have thought that it was frequent enough to warrant a major upheaval such as moving its head office. An easyJet return from Edinburgh is not all that expensive. Furthermore, that argument probably puts paid to the idea that the office could be located anywhere in England other than London.
Why does an organisation have to have an office in England to be called a national organisation? I argue that it will be easier to correct the misperception that a UK national organisation cannot be based in Scotland than the much more damaging perception of English parochialism that is engendered by the argument that a truly national organisation can be based only in England.
We are told that the decision to move headquarters has not yet been confirmed. I ask the National Association of Youth Orchestras to consider all the evidence and to think again before embarking on such a divisive policy.
I thank Ian McKee for securing tonight's debate on the National Association of Youth Orchestras. I share his concern that there is doubt over the association's long-term future in the city, but I am sure that the council and Ian McKee will do all that they can to ensure that it remains based in Edinburgh. As the motion states, the association makes a vital contribution to cultural life not only in our capital city, but throughout the country.
The debate provides us with a good opportunity to consider the importance of youth orchestras to Scotland, and I have a particular interest in speaking tonight. While at school, I played—or at least tried to play—the oboe and I was in the school orchestra and the Perthshire central bands, which brought together young musicians from schools from across the county. I never played in the Perth Youth Orchestra, but many of my peers did.
The opportunity to be part of an orchestra should never be underestimated. It is thrilling to be part of something so big that sounds so wonderful, and to hear applause at the end of a piece is exhilarating. On a practical level, the chance to practise and play their instrument in a full orchestra allows young musicians to hone their playing abilities and to improve their skills. Another obvious plus is that it is enormously gratifying to see the pleasure that people get from listening to an orchestra full of young people. It also allows those young people to make new friends and lifelong acquaintances.
Being part of a youth orchestra offers young musicians the opportunity to learn their trade and gain more experience before heading on to bigger and better things. I mentioned the fact that I played the oboe at school. When I was first oboe at school, a young Michael O'Donnell was second, but members should not be fooled into thinking that I was any good. In stark contrast to me, Michael displayed an obvious talent, and I am delighted to learn that he is now a professional musician with a formidable reputation that includes his playing at the Edinburgh and Cheltenham festivals and the BBC proms.
Others who have carved out remarkable careers have been Alasdair Beatson and Malcolm Edmonstone, also in my class at school, who are award-winning musicians and have performed around the world. Of course, we cannot forget Ayrshire's Nicola Benedetti, who was recently crowned best young British classical performer.
Those musicians have all played in youth orchestras, and I do not doubt that they will look back fondly at their time spent there and be appreciative of the support, tuition and experience that it gave them. They are doing Scotland proud, and I hope that youngsters in youth orchestras and groups across the South of Scotland—such as the Lanarkshire Orchestral Society, the North Ayrshire Schools Orchestra, and the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra—find as much enjoyment in their respective groups as I did. Who knows? They may be harbouring the next Nicola Benedetti.
Those examples and their successful stories illustrate why it is so important that we continue to support youth orchestras and groups in all their guises That is why everything must be done to ensure that the National Association of Youth Orchestras stays in Scotland. I accept that the association's moving to London would not necessarily negatively impinge on youth orchestras and groups, but I worry that such a move could send the message that Scotland is not as good a location as London for UK bodies such as the NAYO, which we all know is not the case. As Ian McKee suggested, modern technologies and transport links surely enable wider dispersal of cultural bodies. In the 21st century world, London need no longer be the epicentre.
I share the sentiments of Ian McKee's motion and support him and the City of Edinburgh Council in their efforts to ensure that this important organisation remains here. I am heartened that the council is working hard with the NAYO to achieve that.
I, too, congratulate Ian McKee on securing the debate. The news that the National Association of Youth Orchestras is likely to relocate its main operational base south of the border this autumn is an important straw in what begins to look like a chill wind blowing through the Scottish arts scene, which is made chillier by the continuing funding row with drama students at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.
Last week, I attended Scottish Ballet's production of "Romeo and Juliet" at the Festival theatre. The performance was stunning. Even though I know little of the finer points of ballet, I had the sense that something important in how we conduct ourselves as a civilised nation was being played out on the stage in the capital. However, the coalition that controls the City of Edinburgh Council has withdrawn revenue funding from Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera. Both companies are reassessing their plans, and it seems inevitable that performances in the capital will be affected. Some might argue that Edinburgh, which has world-famous arts festivals, has more than its share of cultural activities and can afford to cut back in times of financial restraint. I disagree.
As we have heard, the National Association of Youth Orchestras has been based in Edinburgh for more than 30 years and has mounted a summer season in the capital and in Glasgow every year for more than two decades. We now hear that that annual festival is guaranteed only until 2009. The association supports 125,000 young musicians and 1,800 orchestras from all over the UK. Its funding comes mostly from the private sector and charitable trusts. It attracts no Government funding, which will surprise many, given its sterling work to promote young musicians. The association's planned move is apparently aimed at securing part of the bigger share of Government funding that is available for youth music south of the border.
It is sad that arts funding in Scotland has not kept pace with increases in England, where funding has risen by 60 per cent in the past decade, in comparison with a 39 per cent increase north of the border. As a percentage of the Scottish budget, funding has dropped from 0.61 per cent in 1997-98 to 0.44 per cent in 2005-06. Under the Scottish National Party, arts spending is still not back to the 1997-98 level in real terms. We are told that that shortfall will be exacerbated by Olympic spending.
Edinburgh cannot be complacent about having the world's premier arts festival. Cities such as Manchester are vying for the crown: it is said to be spending considerably more than Edinburgh to achieve its end. According to the Scottish Arts Council's "Thundering Hooves" report, Edinburgh's pre-eminent position could be seriously undermined by the burgeoning number of festivals that are competing for artists, audiences and funding. As we know, the Edinburgh festivals generate nearly £190 million in revenue for the Scottish economy annually, of which more than £140 million accrues directly to Edinburgh and the Lothians, so it is extremely concerning that the capital's coalition council is using cuts in arts funding to help to meet its budget.
The minister has many calls on her arts budget, but she should consider that the National Association of Youth Orchestras has had no Scottish Government funding and that governmental sources south of the border appear to be only too happy to bridge the association's funding gap. At the least, perhaps she should try banging together the heads of her SNP colleagues on the City of Edinburgh Council who, with their coalition partners the Lib Dems, still seem to expect golden eggs after killing the geese that lay them.
I recently watched entranced as Nicola Benedetti blew away a packed audience at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra's final concert of the season. Does the minister agree that it would be a national scandal if future Nicola Benedettis had to make their names elsewhere because their native country was too tight-fisted or too short-sighted to continue showcasing Scotland's talented young musicians and orchestras?
I congratulate Ian McKee on securing this important debate, and I pay tribute to the NAYO for its important work in increasing opportunities for young musicians and for its annual festival of British youth orchestras, which has occurred every year for the past 25 years or so.
Ian McKee described the confusion about whether a final decision has been made. I will not go over that, except to say that I profoundly hope that it has not. I, too, read Professor Caird's article in "NAYO News". I was unpersuaded by his arguments for a move and can find no reasonable grounds for such a decision. I was struck by a recent quote in The Herald by Carol Main, who was the director of the NAYO from 1979 to 2003. She said that she was "bewildered, frustrated and saddened" by the decision, and went on to say:
"Scotland has nurtured and sustained this organisation for many years, and I do not remember anyone ever saying to me, ‘I don't know why you are based in Edinburgh.'"
The other thing that concerned me about Professor Caird's article was that he talked a great deal about the admittedly exciting developments in music in England, but seemed to be totally unaware of what was happening in Scotland in that respect. The youth music initiative, which I note the Scottish Government is fully committed to continuing, is a flagship policy that has made a great difference. I found Professor Caird's comments worrying. I am told that one of the problems may be that there is only one Scotland-based person on the NAYO board. We should make it our job to make them better informed about what is happening in Scotland.
There are many other music developments in Scotland. Sistema Scotland, for example, is a project that is just starting in Raploch to give a large number of young people new opportunities to learn an instrument. The project is based on a Venezuelan model and was initially driven forward by Richard Holloway. I hope that the Government gives further support to that exciting venture.
I was struck by the large number of Scottish members of the NAYO—both local authorities and independent orchestras and ensembles. As has been referred to, the City of Edinburgh Council is a member. My colleague Councillor Paul Godzik lodged a motion some time ago, and I am glad to hear from Ian McKee that the administration is working hard to help to resolve the situation with the NAYO. I hope that the City of Edinburgh Council and the Government will do everything that they can to keep the NAYO's headquarters here—that is important—and to ensure that its festival continues to take place every summer, both in Edinburgh and at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, to which Ted Brocklebank referred.
It would be appropriate to end by reinforcing the point that the RSAMD is critical for Scottish music. I was encouraged by what the minister said at question time, but I urge the Government as a whole to do everything that it can to address the funding difficulty at that institution.
I thank Ian McKee for bringing to the Parliament's attention the wonderful work of the National Association of Youth Orchestras and the tremendous support it provides to young musicians throughout Scotland and the United Kingdom. Every member who has spoken is concerned and agrees that there would be some loss to Edinburgh if the NAYO office were to move. Like Ian McKee and Malcolm Chisholm, I would like it if the confusion surrounding the issue could be cleared up.
I wish the City of Edinburgh Council success in its talks with NAYO, in the hope that accommodation will be found to allow it to remain in Edinburgh, and whole-heartedly applaud the organisation's work to support our brightest young talent and recognise its contribution to Scotland's cultural life. Edinburgh is a fantastic base for artistic organisations and NAYO has provided many opportunities for young people to participate in and experience orchestral music over the years, as have our Scotland-based youth orchestras.
NAYO represents youth orchestras throughout Scotland and provides encouragement, advice and access to key opportunities. The annual festival of British youth orchestras is a fantastic example of the contribution that NAYO makes to the development of young musical talent; it is NAYO's largest and most exciting annual event and it takes place during three weeks in August as part of the Edinburgh festival fringe. What an opportunity it presents! Last year's festival involved 43 concerts over 21 days in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The participants came from far and wide and included the Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra, the West of Scotland Schools Ensemble, Moray Concert Brass Band, Perth Youth Big Band, an orchestra from Kent, and Darlington and Dales Youth Orchestra. This year, we will have the orchestra from Kent, an orchestra from Shropshire and the National Youth Wind Ensemble.
Although NAYO has committed to continuing the festival of British youth orchestras in Edinburgh for 2008 and 2009, we all urge it to make a further commitment, regardless of the outcome of its consultation. After all, where would such a festival be better held in the UK than in Edinburgh, which has the world's biggest cultural festival? Where else could be deemed better?
There is a wealth of outstanding orchestral and instrumental opportunities for young musicians in Scotland. I will continue to work with them all and with colleagues in the sector to ensure that the musical landscape in Scotland flourishes.
The Scottish Arts Council supports a vast range of youth orchestras. The RSAMD, which Mr Chisholm mentioned, and our national performing companies continue to provide a range of opportunities for young amateur and budding professional musicians.
The Scottish Arts Council has funded various NAYO projects over the past 10 years. In 2004, the lottery money that the Scottish Arts Council distributed was provided to the new festival of youth choirs, which was integrated with the festival of British youth orchestras.
Under the youth music initiative, NAYO has had support, along with the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and the National Youth Choir of Scotland. I know that NAYO is ambitious for its future and the future of its members throughout the UK. Whatever the outcome of the consultation process, it must continue to work with our young people and organisations in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland in supporting that talent and inspiration and the determination of our young musicians to make great music.
Of course we would prefer NAYO to choose to stay in Edinburgh. I, like Ian McKee, Malcolm Chisholm, Ted Brocklebank, Aileen Campbell and the City of Edinburgh Council, urge NAYO to consider just what a fantastic base Edinburgh is for an orchestra organisation.
I would not like to close the debate without mentioning the National Youth Orchestras of Scotland, the National Youth Choir of Scotland, the national youth pipe band of Scotland and the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland. The Scottish Arts Council has been having a hard time lately, in the chamber and beyond, but I have to say that those organisations—our youth organisations—are all well supported by the Scottish Arts Council and they are going from strength to strength. They will continue to do so, because underpinning everything they do is an absolute love for and celebration of the music they produce. The people who work with them, some of whom are volunteers, have an absolute commitment to seeing that flourish. It will continue to flourish. We would prefer that it continued to flourish with the presence of the National Association of Youth Orchestras here in Edinburgh, which is a natural place for it to be. Moving away from Edinburgh would involve a sad decision, but it is a decision that only it can take.
Meeting closed at 17:34.