Taking place on 7 May, the Virtual Conservatoire extends StAMP and the aims and principles that underpin it to brass players of all ages and stages from anywhere in the world.
Programme includes:
1400-1410 Mindfulness for Musicians with Lee Holland: a participative introduction
1410-1420 Playing by Ear with Richard Michael
1420-1430 Virtual play along with The Wallace Collection*
1430-1450 Add some music to your day: accessing creativity and communication in music with Professor Raymond MacDonald, University of Edinburgh*
1450-1530 Recent Discoveries from the 19th Century by The Wallace Collection, including virtual play along**
1530-1600 Howard Snell in conversation with The Wallace Collection
For more details and to register, visit the StAMP website.
The Scottish Young Musicians National Final on Sunday 29thMay is fast approaching and there is an air of excitement as each local authority completes its competition to nominate its finalist for the all-day event at the RCS. We have been impressed by the support and enthusiasm of all and by the talent displayed by the incredible young musicians. To get this far during a Covid year has surprised many, but here we are on the cusp of putting something new and we hope worthwhile on Scotland’s music map.
There will be 22 young musicians represented at the final, one from each of the LAs taking part and one from the independent schools. Those LAs that could not take part because of Covid intend to join next year. As it’s been our first year, we’ve been flexible as to how the competitions have been run. Some have opted for school competitions leading to a local authority final, whilst other have gone directly to the final stage. The goal has always been to have as many students as possible participating in every school in Scotland and SYM is there to help everyone achieve this.
We are honoured to have Nicola Benedetti welcome everyone to a finale which will have Jamie MacDougall keep the pace as master of ceremonies. We are equally proud to have a panel adjudicator of international standing Christopher Bell, Heather Nicoll, Aaron Shorr as well as Jennifer Pike.
The support offered by the donors of prizes has been incredible. As well as the overall winner receiving the commissioned and donated trophy of the Maid of Morven by Scotland’s acclaimed sculptor, Alexander Stoddart, the intention has been to offer career changing experiences as well as practical prizes purchased from prize monies.
We are enormously grateful not just to those who have donated prizes but to the effort put into the inventiveness of what these prizes could achieve for the young winners. Many of Scotland’s great orchestras and ensembles have offered experiences including the RSNO, SCO, Scottish Ensemble and The Dunedin Consort. The music conservatoires The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the hosts of the final, and Trinity Laban have both embraced the offering. Lastly, many of the suppliers of music equipment to young people including Stringers, Band Supplies and Haydock Music have been most generous.
The national final will be graced by an exciting performance by Stranraer Brass Ensemble, the winner of this year’s Scottish Young Musician’s Brass Ensemble of the Year following a hotly contested competition.
The North Edinburgh Community Festival is a free, family friendly and community-led event taking place for the first time in West Pilton Park and the West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on Saturday 7 May 2022 from 12noon – 6pm.
This is a day to celebrate all the amazing talent and opportunities in North Edinburgh, with over 100 organisations, groups and individuals living and working in the area offering free activities, stalls, and performances!
A holiday like no other – The Scottish Schools Orchestra Trust’s summer courses are a unique opportunity for children to make friends, expand their musical horizons and develop a love of group music-making which will last a lifetime!
SScOT’s summer residential course is a non-auditioned, six-day activity holiday including a mixture of outstanding musical teaching, sport and art sessions, and social activities.
The summer course is open to any child aged 9-15, who plays an orchestral or wind band instrument at Grade 2 to Grade 8 level and beyond. There are no auditions for any of our events and full bursaries are available.
The end of course concert will take place in the New Auditorium, RSNO Centre, Glasgow, 16th July.
Fèisean across the country made a welcome return to in-person activities during the Easter holidays after a 2-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic. A number of week-long tuition events, workshop days and concerts were held during the school break, welcoming hundreds of excited young people to learn traditional music, Gaelic song, drama and art from highly skilled tutors, all of which were organised by volunteer-led committees.
During the pandemic Fèisean embraced technology and continued to deliver vast programmes of tuition with regular online lessons and workshops, keeping participants engaged and providing employment opportunities for tutors who lost other sources of income. This has been a positive step for Fèisean, with many additional skills gained by committees and tutors and the young people who were able to access these opportunities.
With restrictions being eased, the opportunity for Fèisean to return to face-to-face activities is very much welcomed by committees, tutors and participants alike.
In the run-up to these in-person Easter fèisean, Development Manager at Fèisean nan Gàidheal, Calum Alex MacMillan said:
“Fèisean nan Gàidheal is delighted to be supporting Fèisean as they make a return to in-person events over the Easter holidays. Covid has caused so many events and activities to be cancelled and postponed, with our young people missing out on so much. Although the focus of the Fèisean is tuition in the traditional Gaelic arts, they provide much more than that, giving young people and their communities, opportunities to come together and learn, socialise, develop skills and knowledge of their local culture as well as supporting the local economy. It is fantastic to see the excitement and enthusiasm of the Fèis committees and we wish them every success with their upcoming events”.
The following events took place over the Easter break:
2nd April
Fèis Phaislig Easter Concert – Paisley
4 & 5th April
Fèis Obar Dheathain – Aberdeen
4th – 8th April
Fèis an Earraich – Skye & Lochalsh
Fèis Latharna – Oban
Fèis Rois Oigridh – Ross-shire
8th April
Fèis a’ Bhaile Easter Fèis Day – Inverness
8th & 9th April
Luach – Lewis & Harris
11th – 15th April
Fèis Taigh Dhonnchaidh – Isle of Lewis
Chaidh Fèis Taigh Dhonnchaidh a chumail eadar 11 – 15 Giblean 2022 ann an Nis ann an Eilean Leòdhais. Bha com-pàirtichean eadar aois 4 – 18 an lathair agus chòrd e ris a h-uile duine a bhith air ais còmhla aghaidh ri aghaidh. Bha tòrr spòrs a’ dol!
Fèis Taigh Dhonnchaidhtook place between 11-15th April 2022 in Ness in the Isle of Lewis. It was very well attended by participants aged 4-18 and everyone was delighted to be back together face to face again.
Fèisgoil activities continue with almost all provision now happening face-to-face in school classrooms as well as continuing to embrace outdoor learning where appropriate.
For more information on Fèisean nan Gàidheal events visit www.feisean.org or find us on facebook.com/feisean
Be A Chorister Afternoon, we are looking for children in P3 -P5 at the moment. Being a chorister, and part of the award-winning Choir of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh, is to be part of a unique tradition that began in 1880. Around 16 boys and girls make up the chorister element of the Choir and over a five-year period they receive an exceptional music and academic education, divided between St Mary’s Cathedral and St Mary’s Music School.
In this special afternoon, we aim to give children and parents an insight into what life is like as a chorister. We welcome Primary Pupils P3-P5 who enjoy singing for a special opportunity to participate alongside the Choristers of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral.
This is a FREE event
open for registrations Friday 6th May 2:30pm – 6:10.pm book now https://bit.ly/BACA5 The award-winning Choir of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Edinburgh, is a unique tradition that began in 1880. stmarysmusicschool.co.uk
Taster Day – FREE event Sunday 29th May 11:00am – 3:30pm
Come and take a peek behind the curtains, and see what it is like to be a pupil here at St. Mary’s Music School
What are you doing on Make Music Day, Tuesday 21 June? If your classes and groups are learning, playing or performing on that day, you can connect your musical activity to this global celebration. Find out all about Make Music Day
Make Music Day takes place annually on the summer solstice and celebrates music making in 130 countries all over the world. Anyone and any activity can be part of it, just by making music for other people to enjoy for free. From gardens and playgrounds to city squares and concert halls, musicians and audiences come together to celebrate and shout about the music in their communities.
However, you want to celebrate, list your event on the Make Music Day UK website to connect and promote your activity. You can list online activity, or a closed event with no access to the general public. As long as there is no fee to watch or take part, listings are not curated and there is no closing date. There are logos and video logos to brand your event and you can connect on social media by tagging @MakeMusicDayUK and using #MakeMusicDayUK and #MakeMusicDay.
Your musicians will see their event as one of hundreds taking place in the UK and tens of thousands across the globe. And they can watch some of these as part of our online broadcast, or maybe live in their community – search by location.
If you’re looking for inspiration, there are projects and themes to attach to. This year these include:
Make Music Day playlist – 16 upbeat, feel-good songs with free resources provided by Hal Leonard Europe: arrangements for piano, voice and guitar, SATB choir, and chords and lyrics.
Global Folk Challenge – post a traditional song or tune in a digital pot and pick one out from another country or culture to learn.
Fete at 40 – celebrating 40 years of the event which originated in France with French music and hook ups with twin towns and other auld alliances.
On location – film or photograph a performance with a great backdrop to show off
We’ve bespoke support to help you get the most out of your connection. Alison Reeves is the Scotland Development Project Manager, contact her directly scotland@makemusicday.co.uk. Come along to a meet-up or workshop – one for schools and youth groups is planned in May, so keep checking listings. And check out our resources, including guides on live-streaming and making videos with only your phone.
Scotland has always been the busiest part of the UK on Make Music Day so join the party and celebrate with the world!
Live Music Now Scotland launches Traditional Tales for Tiny People in both Edinburgh and Glasgow as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022
Aimed at early years children and their families, the sessions will feature tales and music from the Orkney islands & the Western Isles
Inspired by Scottish traditional music and folklore Traditional Tales for Tiny People will support early years and their families post-pandemic
Live Music Now Scotland is excited to announce Traditional Tales for Tiny People as part of Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022.
Bringing the traditional stories, language and music of the Orkney islands and the Western Isles to early years and families, Traditional Tales for Tiny People will feature live performances from some of Live Music Now Scotland’s emerging professional musicians.
Not only are these musicians some of the country’s most talented, but they are also specially trained and experienced in working with early years audiences and families. Lasting 45 minutes, each session will feature two musicians who will perform a range of songs and tell stories that reflect nature, family, culture, tradition and much more besides.
Working with two locally engaged community venues in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Live Music Now Scotland hopes that the initiative will bring the known benefits of music and storytelling to early years and families who have, in large part due to the pandemic, had little or no opportunity to experience it before. As research suggests, storytelling plays an important role in allowing early years to understand and navigate the world around them, as well as how to interact with others, and these are skills that these sessions will look to nurture.
In Edinburgh, sessions will take place on a Sunday afternoon at Holy Cross Church in Davidson’s Mains. Lasting 45 minutes, these participatory sessions will be led by three alternating LMNS musicians who were all born and raised on the windy planes of the Orkney islands and grew up listening to the region’s traditional tales and tunes – Aidan Moodie (guitar), Graham Rorie (fiddle) and Owen Sinclair (guitar) .
In Glasgow, Sunday morning sessions will take place at Partickhill Bowling and Community Club and will feature the vocals of Josie Duncan, Kaitlin Ross, and Catherine Tinney, all of whom hail from the Western Isles. Told in a combination of Gaelic, English and Scots, their tales will tell of nature, people and places, families and relationships, and the stories that are embedded in society and retold many times as part of traditional social occasions, including waulking songs and Puirt à beul (a traditional form of song native to Scotland).
Carol Main MBE, Director at Live Music Now Scotland, said:“Storytelling not only enhances knowledge and memory recall while supporting early literacy development, but it also has the ability to build a greater sense of community, which is something we all need just now, not least young children who would have, pre-pandemic, had far more opportunity to regularly engage with their peers.
With Traditional Tales for Tiny People, we hope to not only facilitate this interaction and provide support for families as we emerge from the pandemic, but also to keep the wonderful tunes and tales of Scottish folklore alive.”
For more information, dates, and to book please contact:
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra is delighted to be presenting two Creative Learning residencies as part of its summer tour season 2022.
First stop in the Highlands. Alongside chamber concerts, SCO players will entertain young people with Stan and Mabel and the Race for Space at Eden Court Theatre and Elgin Town Hall and there will also be a Come and Play opportunity for amateur musicians to play core orchestral repertoire alongside the musicians.
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra then brings fun for all ages to the Shetland Isles. There will be workshops in primary schools, Big Ears, Little Ears concerts for 0–3-year-olds and their grown-ups and a full VIBE weekend course – a group music-making project for teenagers who play any instrument, at any level or in any genre. Head to the SCO What’s on page to see how you can Join In!
As we move away from COVID-19 restrictions in all four UK nations, some music professionals may be concerned about the ongoing risks associated with the spread of the virus. The ISM has put together an advice page which offers suggestions for managing the risk of spreading and/or catching COVID-19 during your work in music.
The results of the ISM’s most recent annual survey of music educators’ fees have been published. Music professionals can use them to see what others are charging for their services in their area. View the results
Round 1 of the Access to Music Making Fund is now open for applications.
The purpose of the Access to Music Making fund is to create access to high-quality music-making opportunities for children and young people aged 0-25 years (or, aged over 25 if they are disabled and/or care experienced).
Who Can Apply
Applications to the Access to Music Making fund can come from organisations and individuals based in Scotland or who are delivering programmes within Scotland for the benefit of children and young people of Scotland.
Organisations already in receipt of Regular Funding from Creative Scotland can apply but should discuss your intention to apply for funding with your lead officer in the first instance. Applications will be required to demonstrate why the proposed activity is additional to your existing funding agreement and how the activity enhances current and future plans.
Twenty years after its original publication, Music Mark has refreshed and relaunched A Common Approach, available now in digital format.
A Common Approach is an online resource to support music educators in their teaching practice and help develop a holistic approach to music education. In order to be as useful as possible for teachers across the UK, A Common Approach has also been mapped against school curricula, including the Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland. Relevant to all vocal and instrumental teaching, including individual, small-group, large-group and whole-class lessons, music educators at all stages of their career can use the support and shared learning found in A Common Approach. Take a look here.
