School music tuition fee rise deeply concerning, says principal

A rise in the fees young people have to pay to learn music risks making music “only for the most affluent,” a County Armagh principal has said.

The Education Authority (EA) is to increase fees for music tuition and instrument hire for schools and pupils by 10-20% from January 2026.

Almost 13,000 pupils were registered with the EA music service in 2024/25, including 1,400 entitled to free school meals.

Fiona Kane the principal of St Ronan’s College in Lurgan called the proposed increase in music tuition and instrument hire “deeply concerning.”

“At a time when access to the arts is already limited for many families, this move risks sending the wrong message during a cost-of-living crisis- that music education is only for the most affluent,” she said.

“In St Ronan’s College, located in an area of Neighbourhood Renewal, we currently have 65 young people accessing the EA Music Service with 10 tutors providing peripatetic tuition across a range of disciplines such as strings, guitar, drums and singing.”

Neighbourhood Renewal areas are deprived areas that were chosen in 2003 to receive additional support from local government.

Ms Kane continued: “Music and the arts are not luxuries; they are integral to health, wellbeing, and educational success.”

The EA had previously said that it was seeking savings from its music service, which provides music tuition and instruments to pupils in schools across Northern Ireland.

But the exact scale of the increase in music charges that pupils and schools will face has now been revealed in a paper from the EA, seen by BBC News NI.

Often if a primary school has no teacher of music on its staff, it will book group lessons from music tutors from the EA’s music service.

But primaries will be charged more for visits and lessons from music tutors to teach children how to play an instrument.

Post-primary schools and pupils will also face increased fees, and the money pupils and schools pay to hire instruments will also rise.

Most instruments cost £50 a year for schools and pupils to hire, but that fee will rise from January.

Ms Kane said giving pupils access to literature, theatre, museums, and music had “a proven correlation with positive life chances”.

“Rather than cutting back, we should be investing more to ensure every child can benefit from access to these opportunities,” she said.

“This situation will no doubt place a further financial strain on families and in some cases those furthest from opportunity.”

“I urge the Education Authority to reflect and reconsider this proposal.”

Children entitled to free school meals who currently receive free music lessons and instrument hire will also now be charged, though they will still receive a significant discount of 70% on their fees.

The EA has also said that it is exploring options to reduce other school transport costs but would have to consult on its plans at a later date.

The principal of Rathcoole Primary in Newtownabbey, Emma Quinn, said music had always been at the heart of the school.

“In past years we have provided fully funded music lessons by the EA music service, including payment of full lessons, instruments and more,” she said.

“The service has been invaluable to us as a school.

Ms Quinn added the cost of music provision, whether EA or a private service, has and will be a barrier to many families and students.

“We had clarinets, flutes and were offered whole class percussion tutoring,” she said.

“With increasing costs, these essential and important creative outlets, will be cut.

“To develop the child as a whole, we must not lose these services, due to a hiking cost.”