Submitted proposals offer a ‘game-changer’ for music education in Scotland
Harriet Clifford
Monday, September 6, 2021
More than three quarters of people polled across Scotland agreed that a new National Centre for Music is a suitable use for the old Royal High School on Calton Hill.
This article originally appeared in Music Teacher magazine.
The Royal High School Preservation Trust (RHSPT) has submitted proposals for the Thomas Hamilton building on Calton Hill to be restored as a world-class centre for music education and performance in Scotland.
Originally devised in response to City of Edinburgh Council’s search for a long-term use for the old Royal High School (designed by architect Thomas Hamilton), the vision has evolved into a new National Centre for Music.
Scotland’s national music school, St Mary’s Music School, is at the heart of the project, having received planning permission in 2016. Alongside the school, the updated proposals have united partner organisations like the Benedetti Foundation and IMPACT (International Music and Performing Arts Charitable Trust) Scotland.
The Royal High School Preservation Trust (RHSPT) has submitted proposals for the Thomas Hamilton building on Calton Hill to be restored as a world-class centre for music education and performance in Scotland.
Originally devised in response to City of Edinburgh Council’s search for a long-term use for the old Royal High School (designed by architect Thomas Hamilton), the vision has evolved into a new National Centre for Music.
Scotland’s national music school, St Mary’s Music School, is at the heart of the project, having received planning permission in 2016. Alongside the school, the updated proposals have united partner organisations like the Benedetti Foundation and IMPACT (International Music and Performing Arts Charitable Trust) Scotland.
In August 2021, the RHSPT commissioned an independent poll about the plans, finding that 76 per cent of 1,622 respondents across Scotland agreed that a National Centre for Music is a suitable use for the building, while 66 per cent agreed that the old Royal High should be used for cultural rather than commercial purposes. In Edinburgh, 82 per cent of 533 local residents supported the building’s use as a National Centre for Music.
RHSPT has been campaigning since 2015 to bring together St Mary's Music School and the old Royal High.
Dr Kenneth Taylor, headteacher at St Mary’s Music School, said: ‘As partners of the project for the past six years, we have worked closely with the RHSPT to help evolve the vision for a National Centre for Music which will build strongly on our expertise for music education for the widest number of young people in Scotland.
‘To be at the heart of the Trust’s proposals, with a specially designed school building, performance and rehearsal spaces, as well as new opportunities for our pupils to engage with the wider community is simply exhilarating. The school is energised by the prospect of a new centre for music on Calton Hill.’
Laura Gardiner, director at the Benedetti Foundation added: ‘By harnessing each organisation's specialisms and enabling true partnership working, the National Centre for Music has the potential to be a game-changer for music education in Scotland.’
The proposals are backed by £55m from Carol Colburn Grigor and the Dunard Fund, and have been tested for economic sustainability by BOP Consulting, with predictions nearing a £100m contribution to Edinburgh’s economy over 30 years.
More information can be found at www.rhspt.org.