The Scottish Government has moved ahead with plans to scrap instrumental tuition fees, pledging £7m for councils to fund music lessons in schools during the next academic year.
A further £6m will cover core arts curriculum charges often levied on families, such as theatre trips for literature and drama students.
Although Holyrood offers recommendations on how to spend the money granted, councils will decide how it is distributed.
The funding marks a one-year agreement made between the Scottish Government and The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) for the provision of free music tuition.
COSLA spokesperson Stephen McCabe hoped this would lead to "a model for the long-term sustainability of instrumental music tuition services across Scotland".
"This must include sustainable funding arrangements for all councils,” he added.