THE introduction of charges by local authorities has created a middle-class culture of music education with costs to families per year typically reaching over £700, a new study has revealed. While children and young people from poor or working class households in Scotland are increasingly excluded from instrumental music education those from more affluent families were more able to afford it, or by going private, seeking alternatives out of school, according to the University of Strathclyde study. It revealed that one typical family was forking out £415 a year plus travel costs on top of the local authority-imposed costs of lessons of £295. Across Scotland fees can be as high as £524.