Music & Dance Funding Schemes

The Arts have suffered at the hands of the national curriculum, with dance being incorporated in PE lessons and theatre trips almost none existent for today's school children.

Gone are the days when schools took children to the theatre for the experience, now they only go to the theatre if the production in question is directly related to what the class is studying and being tested on.

National Grants

This lack of attention to The Arts in schools has led to many talented children being overlooked and drastically reducing the countries talent pool.

Although this isn't the only attributing factor. Attending the best Arts schools that the UK has to offer can be very expensive for parents, but a necessity if they are to nurture their child's talent.

March 2004 saw the government announce plans for a new grant scheme to give talented children access to specialist training in music and dance.

These grants are intended for young musicians aged eight to 16 and young dancers aged 11 to 16 with exceptional potential and dedication, but don't necessarily have the financial means to access the best available training.

The grants are means-tested with the full amount totalling £3,375 a year from September 2008. This means that parents won't have to contribute to the fees if their total family income, before tax, is £27,500. If the family income is more then parents are expected to pay a contribution which is staged depending on the total income is.

This plan is part of a bigger picture. The Music and Ballet Schools Scheme launched following the Gulbenkian Report in 1978 which reviewed the state of specialist music education.

A total of five specialist schools were designated as part of the scheme and each were allocated government aided places.

The scheme became the Music and Dance Scheme in 2002 and has since broadened its remit to include Centres for Advanced Training for children to attend out of normal school hours and has expanded learning opportunities for a larger number of talented children.

When it comes to music and dance training, there is a need to nurture a child's talent from an early age. This scheme is open to children from the age of eight, through to 19 and not only offers them training in their particular talent, but also gives an academic background alongside.

There is now a total average of 800 government-aided pupils attending one of the eight MDS schools in England.

The basis of the scheme is to help parents with the school fees and costs of boarding for their child at one of the eight schools in England.

Aided Pupil Scheme

In order to qualify for the scheme, a child will have to meet the selection rules set by the school in question. Each school's criteria differ slightly, but children will usually have to take an entrance exam, looking at their academic skills, an audition so that the school can asses their talent level and an interview, either with a panel of judges or the school head.

When it comes to costs, parents who's family income before tax is below a predetermined level aren't expected to pay anything towards school fees. For the current school year, this level is £14,063 for an Aided Day Place or £11,312 for an Aided Boarding Place.

To apply for a place on either scheme parents should contact the school that they want their child to attend. A list of participating schools can be found at www.dcsf.gov.uk/mds