Music teaching must start with children as young as babies if arts and culture are to flourish in Scotland, a leading composer has claimed.

Sir James MacMillan will address a major music education conference in Glasgow this week at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland held by the Association Européenne des Conservatoires (AEC).

Around 350 academics and musicians will meet in the city later this week, with delegates from more than 50 countries.

At the conference Sir James will say that music education must begin early in a child's life.

The composer says that teaching the very young a knowledge of music is a "pressing priority."

He said: "Our future students, our future virtuosi, our future orchestras and choirs, our future audiences who can share the joy and delight of the special gift of music are presently babes in arms.

"For the good of our culture and societies we must not delay in embracing them. We need to do that now."

The oft-controversial composer added: "Young people are our future musicians and audience, we must look at what we are doing now and plan for the future and I am talking about the inclusion of the very young, babes in arms, they are our future and how we educate them now will dictate what we have in the future.

"If young people in Ayrshire are exposed to the best music and musicians through the [music festival] Cumnock Tryst they can aspire to be the best and to open themselves to the best.

"Quality and ambition has to be aspired to in Scottish schools, from the earliest stages, in tandem with the widening of access and cultural democracy."

MacMillan launched the Tryst festival, based in and around his home town of Cumnock, in 2013.

One of the key areas for debate at the conference is early years music education.

Professor Jeffrey Sharkey, principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland said: "Music and the performing arts in all their forms can make a transformational contribution to the enrichment of individuals and communities as well as the social, economic and cultural well-being of nations.

"The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is delighted to welcome Europe's thought leaders in music education here to Glasgow to explore new ideas and set new goals.

"As one of Europe's most multi-disciplinary higher education centres in the performing arts, we look forward to both sharing and learning through this great international forum."

Sir James added: "The AEC has put its weight behind an initiative proposed by the European Music Council to create a 'European Agenda for Music,' which has five key principles - Five Music Rights.

"We have to make those rights a universal and local reality.

"The Scottish Government's own Youth Music Initiative has declared that music has to be at the heart of young people's lives and learning.

"Academic research points to music education from the very early stages of life as having huge benefits for the individual and society.

"Musicians, governments and conservatoires need to make the very young, the musicians and audiences of the future, our pressing priority."

Currently all Scotland’s primary school children have access to one year’s free music tuition through the Youth Music Initiative.