Gerald Lynch
A group of Hume children’s musical dreams have been dashed by the ending of a music tuition program.
The Pizzicato Effect has been run by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) for the past 14 years providing music tuition free-of-charge for approximately 60 Hume students each year,
The MSO made the call to end the program in mid-August which has left many young musicians devastated and, more recently, raised the attention of one Hume councillor.
The MSO said the delivery of the Pizzicato program was complex and sat outside the existing staffing of the MSO with the employment of ten teaching artists to deliver the two hour twice weekly program.
Despite attracting a loyal group of donors and supporters and receiving a small grant each year from Hume council, Star Weekly understands the program consistently cost around double the amount raised, requiring a significant financial investment from the MSO.
At a March council meeting, councillor Joseph Haweil was supported by his fellow councillors in calling on the council to write to the creative industries minister and local MPs to find funding for the program, which is now being privately ran by parents.
Cr Haweil said he was touched by a story from a local foster parent whose 11-year-old child benefited greatly from the program and was extremely disappointed with its conclusion.
“Living in out of home care the child had experienced great trauma, struggling with tasks like brushing their teeth, sleeping, eating, and school engagement…and difficulties with social relationships,” he said.
“According to the parent, for their child, teamwork was ‘insurmountably challenging’ and in comes the Pizzicato Effect.
“By the end of the child’s first session, they had a cello in hand and a massive smile on their face, raving about the teacher and fellow students.”
Cr Haweil spoke to the social aspect of the program, explaining how the child even improved their eating habits through participation in the program, including eating fruit with peers that they previously wouldn’t touch, as well as improving their confidence and developing social skills.
While the council advocates for the return of funding, a group of community volunteers and parents are taking matters into their own hands and have started the group back up.
The parents are relying on private funding, which program organiser Ellen Day says won’t last for much longer.
Ms Day spoke at the March 25 council meeting seeking funding as part of the Hume council budget.
“We are up and running again, though in a very modest form of just one afternoon per week and only four weeks per term. But we are playing music together again and the kids are stoked,” she said.
“Our first two terms were funded by private donations, and we are hoping to build our donor base to give the program a sustainable future and a chance to grow and to take in new students.
“It’s great that the MSO want to reach more children and nurture an interest in music, but where can the children from disadvantaged regions like Hume get their start playing an musical instrument if there are no programs offering what the Pizzicato Effect does, free tuition and the loan of an instrument to treat as your own for the time you are studying with us.”
A new MSO program, ‘Jams in Schools’, has been established seeking to reach more students in Victoria, engaging them in interactive performance sessions, however it won’t offer dedicated music tuition programs.
Activities will be starting in April at Westbreen, St Monica Our Lady’s, Gladstone Park, Roxburgh Park, Dallas Brooks Community and Meadow Heights primary schools.
The state government was contacted for comment.
