The Kingston council should introduce public music practice rooms so musicians and aspiring musicians from lower income backgrounds aren’t disadvantaged.
Music is life. Well at least that’s what musicians think. Music is what makes the world go round, whether that be the low voice of the horn powerfully bellowing it's tune or the intricate and delicate sounds of the flute, leaving everyone captivated in its wake. Or the versatile piano that can cleverly do both. It’s amazing really what the right combination of chords, quavers and crotchets can bring about, wouldn’t everyone want to experience it? However, this can only be achieved through the partnership between the musician and instrument. A bond built through perseverance, promise and seemingly perpetual struggle otherwise known as practice. Practice that everyone should have access to, regardless of their income background or whether they can afford to buy their particular instrument. This is why public music practice rooms should be brought into Kingston. Free access to pursue your passion where everyone is given the equality of opportunity.
The main noticeable practice area in Kingston is Hook Music Studio. They provide a rehearsal room and film studio and many other commercial uses as they’ve outlined on kingston.gov.uk. The things that could be considered a problem is that it is all for a price and there is only one musical instrument, a piano. This studio's main focus is on recording and editing which is very good but common. Where did the string instruments go?
Kingston has many basketball courts, some football pitches and skateparks. For example, Kingsfield Concrete Skatepark. These are all public and free places for individuals to practice their respective sports all provided by Kingston Council. Why can’t some of that money be invested into public music practice rooms. Kingston's lack of addressal of music as something that can be a fun and developed activity is disappointing. From 2019 there were 52,000 musicians in employment and 33,000 basketball players in the UK. This shows that more people actually pursue music as a profession and shows the high level of interest in it. As a result, there should be more rooms to practice in to fuel that interest, especially for people from lower income backgrounds who might not have previously gotten the chance.
Some may say that to have free instruments is a financial drain on the council but I disagree. The only major things needed are a one off lump sum and someone to regulate the usage of instruments. This will surely have much more benefits in the long run, encouraging people to get out of their houses and socialise. It also allows people to get a break from life and use music to lean on as a comfort which helps with mental health.
More public music rooms should be introduced by the Kingston Council so it introduces a sense of fairness between physical activities compared to the more intellectual ones. It can also increase socialisation and held to create better overall mental health. The fact that free instruments can be used benefits people from lower income backgrounds.
