For more than two decades, the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland’s (NYPBS) Ensembles programme has upheld a rare, meritocratic principle: that anyone who earns a place through audition and chooses to take part should be able to access world-class music education free of charge.

This year, that model is changing; we are introducing participant fees across our Ensembles programme, a decision we have not taken lightly and one we ultimately believe is in everyone’s best interest. In the short term, this is a substantial change to implement, but one we believe is necessary as part of our longer-term commitment to making NYPBS fair-for-all, financially resilient, and maximising the benefit to our participants.

This move from a ‘free-for-all’ to a ‘fair-for-all’ may be value-driven, but it’s also a pragmatic response to reality. The funding model, which allowed us to offer free places to everyone, has changed irreversibly, and the scale of support we once relied on is simply no longer available.  We have been left with a stark choice: evolve, adapt and improve, or end the programme altogether. We have chosen to evolve.

In the past, we offered free places to everyone- a model based on equality. Treating everyone the same, regardless of their circumstances, may seem fair on the surface, but in practice, it only amplifies existing inequality and limits our ability to support those who need it the most. This approach was unsustainable and ultimately unfair.

Now, we’re moving towards equity: a model that gives everyone what they need to participate, where those who need more receive more, and those who can contribute a bit do. For some, that will mean full bursaries. For others, it will mean modest fees that help us cover the real costs of delivery and extend support further. This is not a retreat from our commitment to access ; it’s a more sophisticated, targeted approach to achieving it. It’s an approach for the world we live in, where barriers to accessing opportunities are complex and varied. 

Previously, our resources were spread thinly providing the one-size-fits-all solution of free places to everyone meant we couldn’t provide deeper support to those facing the greatest barriers. Now, with a tiered means-tested system in place, we’re better equipped to support those who would otherwise be excluded.

This is a significant change, and perhaps a surprising one for outside observers, but it’s also a responsible one. The NYPBS is run by an incredibly lean team, with significantly fewer human and financial resources than our counterparts. Public assumptions about the scale of our resources and levels of core funding often don’t match reality. Our 'national' name helps bolster this inflated perception and often makes it more challenging for us to raise funds from trusts and foundations. 

You might ask, ‘why can’t we simply increase our fundraising?’. We have certainly optimised and streamlined our efforts here to a point where, ironically, the only way we could increase our fundraising now would be to add capacity, which we can’t afford. 

We are committed to being a reliable, impactful resource for young people across Scotland. To achieve this, we need a resilient model that is not overly reliant on unpredictable, short-term funding. Introducing participation fees is the only way we can continue to provide our Ensembles programme in a sustainable and meaningful way. 

Once we can reliably be here for young people and ensure equitable access, participants will have a genuine choice about whether to participate, based on what we provide to them.  In the cultural sector, we often rightly discuss access, but for real impact, we need to ensure that what happens after access is meaningful and of high quality; otherwise, we’ll have inclusion without impact. 

This means facing a difficult, yet honest question: if those who directly benefit from the programme don’t see it as something worth investing in, are we truly delivering the value we set out to provide? If we want this programme to truly serve young people, we must be willing to test our assumptions. This is crucial for any cultural initiative like ours that aims to remain relevant, responsive, and grounded in the needs of its community.

Of course, not everyone welcomes change. Some will argue this isn’t how things have been done. And yes, there will be growing pains. But the truth is, we have been the exception in this area for some time. Most music tuition and youth development programmes in Scotland charge participation fees, including our own other NPC activities. Most pipe bands charge subs. Most of our National music companies do too.

NYPBS Ensembles is one of our most expensive programmes to deliver, and arguably one of our most transformative. Charging for it is not unusual; it is, in many ways, overdue.

Still, we recognise the challenges this may present for some families. That’s why our bursary system is at the core of this new model, not an afterthought. No one should be excluded because they cannot afford to take part. 

When I first started this job, introducing fees wasn’t only not on my mind, but something I would have fundamentally opposed on principle. However, it’s a conclusion we’ve reached rationally, one I believe was inevitable and is driven by our true agenda: helping young people build their confidence and sense of belonging through Piping by connecting them through equitably accessed, reliable and high-quality music-making experiences. 

Ultimately, we believe this change will be good for the programme and the young people it serves. It will take time. We will get some things wrong. However, our intention is sincere: to create a programme that lasts, delivers value, and continues to evolve in line with the needs of our community.