A row has broken out over the suspension of Aberdeen's music services, with an education union accusing the local authority of "penny pinching".

Aberdeen Music Centre will be suspending its services for the beginning of the first term of the next academic year.

The centre in Aberdeen provides opportunities for pupils to perform in a wide variety of musical groups including choirs, bands and orchestras.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Scotland's largest teaching union, has warned cuts to the instrumental music service will have "serious implications" for music pupils.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "Councils should be continuing support for instrumental tuition and indeed looking for ways to expand it.

"Instead across the country we see a penny pinching cuts agenda slicing away at the service, as in the case of the Aberdeen Music Centre.

"Budget and staff cuts are affecting instrumental music services in many schools and the level of provision that can be offered to pupils."

An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said: "Aberdeen City Music service runs a number of extracurricular groups on a weekly basis which are open to children learning a musical instrument in city schools.

"These groups are taken by music instructors. The service is in the process of negotiating the inclusion of these ensembles as part of the Music Instructors Working Time Agreement.

"Due to the timescales involved in this negotiation process it has been decided that these groups will not run at the beginning of the first term of the 2017/18 academic year.

"We will endeavour to have the ensembles re-established as soon as possible in the new school year and will release updated information as soon as it is available."