YOUNGSTERS are being encouraged to get hooked on classical music - and being offering free concert tickets, gifts and the chance to be a critic.

Passport to Music is a loyalty scheme for people under the age of 16, who will be able to attend concerts by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra without paying a penny.

The scheme covers concerts at the orchestra's regular venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen, when accompanied by a paying adult.

In addition to free tickets, young people can register with the Passport to Music website and receive a membership card, free programmes to accompany their visit and complimentary gifts for regular attendance.

Children who sign up online will also be able to publish reviews of the concerts they have attended on the website, with the best reviewer winning a visit to their school from an RSNO musician.

Stephane Deneve, the orchestra's music director, said: "Discovering live classical music when I was eight was a life-changing experience. Passport to Music will help many young listeners feel welcome and valued in the concert hall."

The RSNO also runs a music education programme involving more than 20,000 people a year.

Youngsters have to sign up online to start earning the free gifts and concert programmes. Full details are on the website: www.passport 2music.org.uk