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In response to the proposed recommended changes to the Island’s Music Service, an amateur Island musician shares with us her argument for keeping peripatetic music teachers, citing that poorer children wouldn’t be able to afford music lessons and the quality of Island music education would drop immensely.

She lays out for the record music’s academic, social and economic benefits for all Island pupils; argues the case for properly qualified music educators; and debunks the myths of music and elitism. Ed

A premature and premeditated preliminary?
What is the IW Council up to with our Music Service this time? Whilst tomorrow’s meeting is just a “discussion on options before a public consultation”, it’s probably more than that.

For those of you unfamiliar with local government and procedural motions, doing “options for recommendation” greatly influences the subject and direction of a public consultation. It’s is a very common political tactic used by many local councils to narrow the debate and then frame the focus of the subsequent “public consultation” onto redundancies, and not necessarily onto what’s best for the pupils and the Music Service.

Due diligence required
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At last night’s public meeting, around 150 Friends and supporters of the Ventnor Botanic Garden (VBG) gathered to hear the plans of preferred bidders, John and Mylene Curtis.

During a short introduction, Mylene explained that she and her husband John have had a home on the Island for fifteen years.

Mylene went on to talk about her company, Fleet Tutors, which she has been running for eight and a half years. It is a national tutoring provider, specialising in one-to-one academic tutoring of young people who have fallen out of the education system.

Re-engage young people
She told us that being involved with the Garden was an opportunity to give back to the Island and believed that the Garden has ‘incredible potential’ to re-engage young people in education.

Four distinct communities will be served through the Garden, not only school children but people of all ages and this fits with the Friends of VBG and requirements attached to the Lottery funding for the visitors’ centre.

Do what we’ve aspired to
Head Gardener, Chris Kidd, told the meeting that the plan being presented by John and Mylene was supported by everyone who works at the Garden.

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This in from the Police, in their own words. Ed

Police are investigating a suspected hit-and-run road traffic collision in Ashey Road, Ryde, Isle of Wight, shortly before 1am on Sunday, March 11, 2012.

Residents in the area heard a loud bang and saw some vehicles being driven away from the scene towards Upton Road and Swanmore Road. Damage was then discovered on two cars, a Ford Mondeo and a Ford Fiesta, parked on Ashey Road near the junctions with Rosemary Lane and Woodland View.

Get in touch
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After the packed meeting last night, we spoke to Chris Kidd, Head Gardener at Ventnor Botanic Garden (VBG) about the future after the takeover.

We chatted about the strong turn out; his views on the takeover; the Garden being a Community resource for the Isle of Wight; touched on charging for entrance; some of the extraordinary Conservation work they’ve been doing at the Garden; the land they own over the Undercliff Road and how it might be used by school children.

Have a listen to get the full detail.
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This coming Friday, anyone interested in exploring or hearing more about an alternative monetary system should head to Newport.

Roger Hayes will be talking about the The Lawful Bank and how it provides a gateway to ‘The Alternative Monetary System’ (TAMS) – a new and independent monetary and banking system owned and controlled by its users/members.

Taking control for the benefit of the people
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20-year-old East Cowes resident, Richard Hall, is the Organ Scholar at King’s College, London where he is studying music.

Richard credits the Isle of Wight Music Service and its teachers for providing him affordable tuition and a path to university. He talks about how invaluable the Music Service is to Island children who don’t choose careers in music. Ed

I moved to the Isle of Wight as a young teenager. Showing little but average academic promise, I was somewhat indifferent to my studies at school and, as is so common in young teenagers, harboured little ambition, direction or motivation. Not only were my grades unremarkable, but I was also becoming disruptive in classes.

Now, having gained three A levels at A* grade, I am studying for a degree in Music at King’s College, London – where I am the Organ Scholar – and at the Royal Academy of Music.

Using musical education to fund my degree
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You’ve another month to wait, but put this in your diary if you’re keen on local history.

On Saturday 14th April, Village Memories, a companion to the sell-out Brook, A Village History will be on sale at Seely Hall in Brook.

Through seventy personal memories, it tells the story of what it was like to live and work in Brook and surrounding villages in the Isle of Wight from the 1920s to the 1960s.

Where and when
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Head to Ryde on 23rd March if you want to welcome the Earl of Wessex to the Isle of Wight. This in from the council, in their own words. Ed

His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex is to visit the Isle of Wight on Friday 23 March 2012.

The Earl of Wessex will visit Ryde School to unveil plaques to commemorate the opening of the Bembridge Building and Wessex Quadrangle. He will also tour the school, meeting staff and students.

Unveiling a plaque on Ryde Pier
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The BBC’s investigative radio programme, File on 4, will tonight report on its findings about senior council officials being paid through Limited companies, à la Dave Burbage Consulting Ltd at Isle of Wight council.

The BBC have sent Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to 400 councils across the UK, discovering that “Almost 100 permanent posts at local councils are being filled by people paid through limited companies.”

They also have found that “dozens of high-earners are allowed to make their own tax arrangements rather than be paid through the PAYE system.”

“It’s not right” says Margaret Hodge
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It’s a while since it was reported that one of the UK’s largest oil refineries was about to go bankrupt. We said that we’d keep an eye on changes in fuel prices so here’s the latest update.

Prices from 31 January in brackets.

Cheapest stations within 5 miles of PO30 3EQ for Diesel
143.9p (141.9p) Morrisons
South Street, Newport, PO30 1JQ
Last updated on 11 March

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John Curtis, the preferred bidder to take over the Ventnor Botanic Garden and his wife, Mylene, presented their ideas for the Garden last night to a packed public meeting.

After explaining that the Garden has a shortfall each year of around £250,000, Mr Curtis, who described himself as someone who fixes companies, told the audience that they intend to charge an entry fee to the Garden.

No fencing would be placed around the Garden and it would not be policed, with 5-8% ‘revenue leakage’ (ie. people going in without paying) being expected each year.

No parking charge for those paying entrance
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If you live near the coast, you’ll have had the warning that there may be delays across the Solent today (Tuesday) from the fog horns.

So far, Hovertravel are reporting a short delay to their service due to fog.

Red Funnel say RedJet West Cowes departures “running 5 mins late due to fog causing issues in Solent”.

Image: Fladager Photography under CC BY 2.0

Professor Anthony Rooley is a lutenist and the founding director of the world-leading early music ensemble, the Consort of Musicke. The Consort has made over 120 recordings with renowned core musicians including Isle of Wight soprano Evelyn Tubb, Dame Emma Kirkby, Andrew King and Simon Grant. He writes in relation to the future of the Isle of Wight Music Service and makes the case for the need for quality peripatetic music teachers. Ed

The very best way of awaking and engaging young people’s interest, and then developing their individual skills in music-making (and indeed in other performing arts) is for their curiosity to be alerted so they desire to study and practice assiduously out of their own volition.

It has been amply proven over the last 40 years that regular visits from ‘peripatetics’, who are themselves skilled to a professional level, know their instrument, know the attitudes needed to engage children is the very best and most cost-efficient way of our school-system functioning with regard to the performing arts.

Emerging talent where there’s support
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You know that when we can, we love to help promote a good fundraising effort.

Here’s one that we all can get involved with and someone might be lucky enough to win £1,000 in the process.

Between 1-30th April, TK Maxx will be running its biennial “Give up Clothes for Good” clothes-collection campaign, in partnership with Cancer Research UK.

Each bag could raise £30
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