Students who are involved in music making do better all round; there is endless research to support this, but unfortunately, music lessons often incur a financial burden. I am trying my best to break down the financial barriers involved with learning to play an instrument and am trying to widen the music offer in our music department. Huge cuts to school budgets mean that we are functioning in very difficult times; the funds for me to provide instruments and lessons are not readily available, and so I am doing all that I can to raise money to buy instruments and provide lessons to those students who could do well in music but cannot afford to pay for it.