Musical opportunities are being opened up to more youngsters from disadvantaged areas, through a new centre.

Work has begun on converting part of Our Lady and St Bedes School, in Stockton, into a new centre for the Tees Valley Music Service (TVMS), where youngsters can learn to play an instrument.

The service, which provides music lessons for adults and youngsters, both in school and after lessons, is based at the Oakland Centre, in Middlesbrough, but officials are eager to expand their work.

The new accommodation will allow the service to hold rehearsals and courses on its own premises, as well as providing a music library, studio, workshops and offices.

The service is also changing its relationship with schools, so more lessons are automatically given to bigger schools rather than the TVMS only responding to demand.

Stockton Borough Council officer David Kendall said: "The TVMS has always resisted the gibe that instrumental music is a middle class activity.

"It is true, however that learning to play has tended to be more easily successful in affluent areas.

"A consequence of the change to allocating tuition resources to schools according to school size is that pupils from more disadvantaged homes have the chance of benefiting."

The TVMS is also aiming to encourage more youngsters to take up stringed instruments, because there has been a marked increase in those wanting to learn expensive wood and brass instruments, leading to a drop in the number of string players in the Stockton area.

Mr Kendall said: "Some woodwind and brass instruments are up to ten times more expensive than violins.

"Most of the finest music written over the past 300 years is string-based, and it is important that young people are introduced to it as part of western cultural heritage, just as they are introduced daily to an ever-changing diet of popular culture.

"The service is trying new approaches to string playing and will be involved in a string teaching project being devised by the new Regional Music Centre."

The TVMS hopes to encourage secondary schools to work with neighbouring primary schools on music projects, and to share resources.

Other plans include recording of a CD of songs written and performed by all the schools in the Stockton area.