Music Journal - March/April 2022

March/April 2022 Presidential handover: Deborah Keyser and Vick Bain share their career paths and their views on the vital role of the ISM ISM, ISM Trust and ISM Members’ Fund annual reviews: facts and figures for 2020-2021 Musicians’ earnings: the ISM’s annual survey of fees paid to members for teaching, accompanying and examining

Visit our website www.hencilla.co.uk or email mail@hencilla.co.uk Hencilla Canworth G I Ltd is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

Whole -scho acces ol £99/y s ear*

The exciting, new online solution for primary-school music Over 500 of the world’s best-known songs from pop, film, and musical theatre for choirs, assemblies, and classroom music lessons

Interactive Classroom Tools

Popular Song Learning Resources

Classroom Music Lessons

• Virtual Music-Book Library • Classical Listening Maps • Personalised Classroom Playlists

• Lyric Videos • Demonstration Tracks • Backing Tracks • Teaching Resources • Interactive Videos

• Fully Planned Lessons for Years 1-6 • Whole-Class Instrumental Methods

Discover more at www.eemusicclass.co.uk *Terms and conditions apply

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022

Welcome The March edition of Music Journal marks an important moment in the ISM calendar. It is when we share the details of what the ISM has been doing over the past financial year, which covers the period September 2020 to August 2021. This edition contains the annual reports for the ISM, the ISM Trust and the ISM Members Fund. Because we did so much over the course of the year, we have had to cut down the reports a little. I do hope that you find them of interest. They certainly show just how busy we have been lobbying and campaigning, as well as providing services to you the member.

Above: Deborah Annetts Photo: Emile Holba

As we enter spring 2022 there are still many problems besetting the sector.

Music education faces severe difficulties, particularly in England where at the time of writing the refreshed National Plan for Music Education has still not been published. There are still many challenges around musicians touring across Europe; we are continuing to do everything we can to lobby Westminster to sort out the huge bureaucratic mountain of red tape facing performers and technical crews caused by leaving the European Union (EU). We are also anxious about the Brexit Freedoms Bill and what that might mean for employment rights, which many people take for granted but which actually originally came from the EU. So we will be monitoring the situation very carefully. And lastly, Nadine Dorries, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced a freeze to the cost of a licence fee to the House of Commons. The freeze would be a real-terms cut of £2bn in the corporation’s finances. We are worried about the impact further deep cuts at the BBC could have on its investment in music, which would be potentially devastating for our music industry. The BBC is an important part of our music industry as a large employer of musicians and investor in a wide spectrum of music genres, including emerging artists and classical music. We will be contacting the government to highlight our concerns.

The ISM is proud of its independence. We were founded way back in 1882 to look after the interests of the profession and promote the art of music. We have not deviated from that purpose. At the heart of our mission is independence.

We are not aligned to any political party. We do not accept money from any government. Our one concern is music and those who work in our sector.

Front Cover Deborah Keyser Photo: Matthew Thistlewood

Our independence is something that we value to this day, and we know that our independence is important to you as well. As an organisation we must continue to ask ourselves if we are providing relevant services and what we should change. We will share our findings at our next AGM, which will take place on 7 May at the Royal Over-Seas League in London. Please mark the date in your calendar and I hope to see you there.

See feature on pages 10-15 Insert image:

Contents 4 6 10 16 22 24 26 29 30 32 36 36 37 44

News & campaigns Where next for Dignity in the Workplace Presidential handover ISM Annual Review ISM Trust Annual Review ISM Members Fund Annual Review ISM AGM Minutes Professional development Legal & business News from our members Local Area Events Classified advertising News from our corporate members Ask me a question

Volume 88 / Number 6 Published by: The Incorporated Society of Musicians 4–5 Inverness Mews, London W2 3JQ T: 020 7221 3499 E: membership@ism.org W: ism.org Incorporated Society of Musicians is a limited company registered in England No. 36882. Registered Office as address above.

Editor: Deborah Annetts Sub-editors: Vinota Karunasaagarar Clare Stevens Proofreader: Christine Gwyther-Scott All ISM publications are copyright

deborah@ism.org

Design: cogdesign.com Typography: marcmarazzi.com Advertising: Ruth McPherson, Senior Business Development & Events Manager T. 020 7313 9316 E. Ruth.McPherson@ism.org Editorial and advertising copy date: 28 March 2022 for May/June 2022 issue Price: £7 per copy Subscription: £35 per year ISM membership: almost 11,000 Views expressed in MJ are not necessarily those of the ISM. The publication of any advertisement does not imply endorsement of the advertiser or the product advertised.

Printed by Optichrome, Woking GU21 5HX ISSN 0951 5135

ISM annual fees survey See feature on pages 30-31

3

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

News & campaigns

Music Education Ahead of the release of the refreshed National Plan for Music Education (NPME), which is expected in spring 2022, the ISM continues to campaign for every child to have access to high-quality music education and a broad and balanced curriculum.

‘ISM music education survey reveals 99% of teachers want consultation over NPME‘ The ISM’s recent survey of music teachers has shown that 99% of respondents want to be consulted on the draft refreshed National Plan for Music Education (NPME) before it is finalised.

Over 500 music teachers in England took part in the survey. Thanking teachers for their responses, ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts said: ‘We hope the Department of Education now commits to a meaningful consultation with music teachers on the draft refreshed NPME.’ Further survey results will be released in due course.

4

ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts asks Ofqual Chair Ian Bauckham to retract harmful proposal In January ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts wrote to the Chair of Ofqual, Ian Bauckham, asking him to retract his proposal to suspend the teaching of certain specialist subjects, including music, to help solve the staffing crisis caused by COVID-19.

The letter pointed out that the proposal would be highly damaging to music education and was contrary to the government’s commitment to music in schools and to delivering a broad and balanced curriculum.

Following the ISM’s letter and emails to Ofqual from many ISM members, Ian Bauckham responded and made it clear that he was not writing in his capacity as Chair of Ofqual and that he supports music education in schools.

Read the letter and Ian Bauckham’s response in full: ism.org/news/ism-writes-to-chair-of-ofqual

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

Brexit The ISM continues to campaign on Brexit-related issues on behalf of musicians. We have been meeting regularly with politicians and government officials to highlight the disastrous consequences the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is having on musicians’ ability to tour in Europe.

Following the resignation of Lord Frost as the chief post-Brexit negotiator, ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts wrote to his successor, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, in January to provide an overview of the situation for touring musicians. The letter highlighted the ISM’s concerns about the government’s misleading statements regarding visa and work-permit-free touring, and the lack of clarity and accuracy in government guidance for musicians working in the European Union (EU). It also raised the reluctance of officials to pursue a bespoke Visa Waiver Agreement for purely political reasons, and the lack of engagement with EU Member States to negotiate individual bilateral agreements. The letter asked for Truss to clarify what negotiations are currently underway and to work with the EU to secure cultural exemptions for other red tape affecting musicians such as ATA Carnets.

Read the letter in full. ism.org/news/ism-writesto-liz-truss-as-she-takes-over-ministerialresponsibility-for-the-uks-relationship-with-theeuropean-union Keep up to date with the latest visa information with our guide: ism.org/visa-guide-europe

More details from the YouGov poll. ism.org/news/ ism-brands-the-chancellor-of-the-exchequersfinancial-package-for-the-arts-a-disappointment The ISM also wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak about the lack of support for freelance musicians who have lost work as a result of the pandemic. Although Sunak announced a £30 million top-up to the Cultural Recovery Fund in December, the letter pointed out that this package would not help freelancers. The letter also outlined the measures that should be considered, including expanding the Cultural Recovery Fund to allow creative freelancers, including musicians, to apply for and receive support directly from the fund.

In addition to the top-up funding, the ISM has called for more targeted financial support for musicians such as furlough, Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and the reinstatement of the uplift in Universal Credit. We have also called on the government to expand the reinsurance scheme to protect against shows becoming financially unviable due to outbreaks of COVID-19 among the cast and crew.

While the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and Arts Council England have donated £650,000 to a hardship fund, which will be administered by the charity Help Musicians, the ISM believes this falls well short of the comprehensive support that musicians need.

Read the letter to Rishi Sunak in full. ism.org/news/ ism-urge-financial-support-for-musicians

Financial hardships facing musicians In December the ISM ran a poll which showed that the majority of people are in favour of financial support for musicians affected by the pandemic. The poll, conducted by YouGov, found that 71% of respondents supported the government providing financial support to those working in music and theatre who have lost work as a result of the current COVID-19 outbreak. In response to the poll, ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts said: ‘The public understand how hard the pandemic has been on musicians and the creative industries. It’s time for Rishi Sunak to do what is right and popular and support our creatives during this incredibly concerning time.’

Join the ISM Members’ Community on Facebook Stay connected to your fellow ISM members by joining over discuss hot topics, the group offers you a chance to network 1,500 other music professionals in our exclusive Facebook and feel supported by your peers. group. A space to share stories and ideas, ask questions and Access the group at facebook.com/groups/myismis

5

(=4X4eTW?Q0@TH4Xe+@Ne[Re4W+2@0+[4e.]HIc?Q< e>+W+XXN4Q[ e2@X0W@O@Q+[?RQe+Q2eR[>4We8RWNXeR8e@Q+TTWRTW?+[4e.4=+`?R]Wea@[>@Qe[>4e X40[RW e (>4cea@HIe+HXRe=4ITe4OTIRc4WXe[ReN44[e[=4?WeH4<+IeW4V]?W4N4Q[Xe+Xea4IIe+XeX4[[@Q<eR][e+eX=+W42e`?X@RQe8RWeTWRNR[?Q<e+Q2e O+@Q[+?Q?Q<e+eTRX@[@`4eaRWG@Q<e0]H[]W4 e %IIe4OTJRc4WX e4OTIRc44X eR89?04WX eaRWG4WX e+<4Q0ceaRWG4WX e[W+?Q44X eX[]24Q[X e[][RWX e`RI]Q[44WX e[W]X[44Xe+Q2e8W44I+Q04WXe X=R]I2e+2=4W4e[Re[>4X4eTW@Q0ATH4X e&`4WcRQ4e?XeW4XTRQX?.I4e8RWeTWRNR[@Q<e+Q2eN+@Q[+@Q?Q<e+Qe?Q0I]X@`4eaRWGTI+04ea=?0=e@Xe TRX?[@`4e+Q2eX]TTRW[?`4 e

d *4 RTTRX4e.]IIc?Q< e=+W+XXN4Q[e+Q2e2?X0W?O?Q+[?RQe+Q2ea?HIeQR[e[RH4W+[4eX]0=e.4=+`@R]Wea?[=@QeR]WeRaQ RW<+Q@X+[@RQe+Q2eQ4[aRWG d *4 +W4 0RNO@[[42e[ReTI+c@Q< R]WeT+W[e?Qe?NTWR`@Q<e[=4 aRWG@Q<e0]I[]W4eR8e[=4eO]X?0eX40[RW d *4 +W4 +Qe4V]+MeRTTRW[]Q@[@4Xe4NTIRc4We+Q2e0RON?[[42e[R @NTWR`@Q<e2?`4WX?[cea@[=@QeR]WeRaQeaRWG8RW04 d *4e`+I]4e@Q0I]X@`?[c e+TTW40@+[4e2?:95W4Q04 ea4H0RN4eI4+WQ?Q<e8WRN R[>4WXe+Q2e0RQX@24WeT4RTH4e4V]+Iea@[=R][eTW4F]2?04 RWe8+`R]W e*4e.]?I2eW4H+[?RQX=@TXe.+X42eRQeO][]+IeW4XT40[ e *4ea?IIeaRWGe[R <?`4e+Q2eW404@`4e8442.+0Ge?Qe+e0RQX[W]0[@`4ea+c e a=@0=ea4 GQRae a@HHe?NTWR`4e0W4+[?`?[ce+Q2eTWR2]0[?`@[c d *4ea@IHe[+G4e+eTWR+0[@`4e+TTWR+0>e[Re?OTWR`@Q<e[=4eaRWG@Q<e0]H[]W4eR8eR]WeRaQ RW<+Q@X+[?RQe 4 < e4QX]W@Q<e4V]+H RTTRW[]Q?[@4Xe @Q +QceW40W]@[O4Q[e+Q2eX4H40[?RQeTWR04XX eTWR`?2@Q<e8H4b?.H4eaRWG?Q<eTRH@0@4X e+Q2e8+O?Ic 8W?4Q2Kce0RQ[W+0[X d *4ea?HIe4Q0R]W+<4e+TTWRTW@+[4e.4>+`?R]Wea?[=?Q R]WeRaQeRW<+Q@X+[?RQe+Q2e@QeR]WeQ4[aRWG d *=4W4ea4 aRWGea?[=e@Q2?`@2]+HXe]Q24We[>4e+<4eR8e"# ea4ea@HI 4QX]W4e[=+[e+TTWRTW@+[4 X+84<]+W2@Q< [W+?Q@Q<e+Q2e+2`?04 ?XeTWR`?242e[ReR]WeX[+89e+Q2eW4TW4X4Q[+[?`4X d *4ea?HHe?NTI4O4Q[e+Q2eTWROR[4 +TTWRTW@+[4eTRI@0@4X eTWR042]W4Xe+Q2 0RNTI+@Q[XeTWR04XX4Xe[R TWR[40[e4`4WcRQ4 @Q0H]2@Q<e[=4 8W44I+Q04WXea4 4Q<+<4e+Q2eX[]24Q[Xea4e[4+0= d *4ea@HHeW4XT40[e4+0=eR[=4W Xe2?<Q@[c eW4<+W2I4XXeR8e[=4eX4Q?RW?[ceR8eR]WeWRH4 ?Q +QceX4[[?Q<

d *4e]Q24WX[+Q2 [=+[e@[ @Xe2?:9@0]I[e8RWe@Q2B`@2]+HXea>Re=+`4eX]894W42e.]IIc@Q< e=+W+XXN4Q[eRWe2@X0W@N@Q+[@RQe[ReXT4+GeR][ d *4ea@HHeW4XT40[e0RQ8@24Q[@+I?[cea=4W4eTRXX?.I4e+Q2e+?Ne[ReN+G4e[=4 TWR04XXeR8eW4TRW[?Q<e0H4+W eX[W+?<=[8RWa+W2e+Q2e+004XX?.I4 d '4TRW[XeR8e.]IHc@Q< =+W+XXN4Q[eRWe2?X0W?N?Q+[@RQeN+24 [R ]Xea?HHe.4e[+G4QeX4W@R]XIc e=+Q2H42eX4QX@[@`4Hc e+Q2 a?[=e[=4e 0ROTH+?Q+Q[ X X+84[ce+Q2 a4IH.4@Q<e+XeR]We8?WX[ TW@RW@[c e )>?Xea?IIeN4+QeTWR`?2?Q<e+24V]+[4eTWR[40[@RQe8RW 0ROTH+@Q+Q[Xe+Q2 e a=4W4e.]IHc@Q< >+W+XXN4Q[eRWe2@X0W?O@Q+[@RQe?X 8R]Q2e[R >+`4eR00]WW42 [+G?Q< +TTWRTW@+[4e+0[@RQ +<+?QX[e[>4eT4WT4[W+[RWX e*4e a?HIe2R +IHe@QeR]WeTRa4W [Re4QX]W4e[=+[e@Q2@`?2]+HXea=Re=+`4 N+24e0RNTH+@Q[XeRWeT+W[@0?T+[4e?Q <RR2e8+?[>e?Qe+Qce?Q`4X[?<+[?RQe2Re QR[eX]8;4We+Qce8RWOeR8eW4TW@X+HeRWe`@0[?N?X+[?RQe+Xe+eW4X]H[ d *>6W6e?Q3C`?3^,LYe/6MSQ<e\Se,e\W,36e^QDSQ SW UWS86YY?SQ,He,YYS1?,\ESQ a6eaDHHe6Q1S_W,<6e\>6Pe\S Z66Ge?\Ze-3`?17e-Q3eZ^UUSW\ d *4ea?IHeO+@Q[+?Qe+eI@X[eR8eX]TTRW[eX4W`@04Xe8RWe]X4e.ce[=RX4ea=Re>+`4eX]884W42e=+W+XXO4Q[ e.]HIc@Q<eRWe2?X0W@N@Q+[?RQ d *=4W4e@XX]4Xe+W4 W+?X42ea@[=e]X [=+[ N+ce.4 R8 +e0W@O@Q+IeQ+[]W4 ea4ea?IH W484We[=4e?Q2?`@2]+He0RQ04WQ42e[R +Q +TTWRTW@+[4e X]TTRW[eX4W`@04 4 < e=[[TX$ !aaa [=4=+`4QX RW< ]G

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | DIGNITY IN THE WORKPLACE

Where next for Dignity in the Workplace It has been four years since the ISM published its groundbreaking report Dignity at Work. Deborah Annetts looks back at what led to the report, and what still needs to happen The ISM welcomes the recent announcement of the Bullying and Harassment helpline by Help Musicians UK. It is always good to see the music sector working together to tackle the profound cultural issues relating to harassment and bullying in the music sector.

While this development is helpful, we should not lose sight of the extent of the challenge facing the music sector when it comes to bullying and harassment, particularly with respect to gender. The ISM is unusual in that it has an equal representation in terms of gender at Board level and a largely female-led senior leadership team. It strives to be the authoritative voice of music professionals and is very aware of the inequalities across the profession, ranging from underrepresentation to pay inequalities to racialised, gendered, and classed constructions of who counts as an ‘ideal’ musician.

In 2017, revelations of sexual harassment in the film sector led to reports of similar allegations in other sectors including ours, the music sector. The ISM began to receive phone calls from women who wanted to share their experiences in the work environment.

After talking with them it was clear to us that the sector was facing its own ‘#MeToo’ moment and we needed to dig deeper into what was happening.

Francesca Treadaway worked with me to devise a survey which was open to all those working in music, and we were inundated with deeply felt testimony reflecting the experiences of those working in music.

It was not just women who responded – we also heard from people with other protected characteristics.

The survey and subsequent report Dignity at Work revealed that the music industry was riven by a high level of discriminatory practices and behaviours, including sexual harassment. Nearly half of the 600 respondents stated that they had experienced some form of discrimination with reference to the nine ‘protected characteristics’ under the UK’s Equality Act, namely age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race,

religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. What was clear was that although music tried to portray itself as forward thinking there were many ingrained inappropriate behaviours across the sector.

47% who responded said that they had experienced sexual harassment, inappropriate behaviour or discrimination; of these, 71% were female. It is also notable that 72% of the 47% who suffered discrimination were self-employed. 60% of the 47% provided details relating to sexual harassment, which equates to one third of the total number who responded to the survey.

77% of those who had suffered sexual harassment did not report their experience and their reason for this was because they were frightened of being blacklisted. This was something which came up again and again. The two other most common reasons for not reporting any type of discrimination were the fear of not being taken seriously and the acceptance that this behaviour is part of the culture.

We then looked at what was happening in higher education institutions, broadening this out to theatre and dance where we found similar inappropriate behaviours. Clearly cultural norms were learnt early across the arts and if change is to happen then it needs to be both cultural and legislative.

While conducting our research, we found respondents wanted to see a sector-wide Code of Practice, and that is why I as a solicitor with expertise in discrimination law drafted the Code of Practice, working with the British Film Institute (BFI) which was the pioneer of such codes. We were delighted when the Musicians’ Union (MU) came on board, and today there are over 100 organisations that have signed up to the code – but there are also still some notable absences. There is no reason why all music organisations should not sign an established code, to show their commitment to eradicating discrimination, bullying and harassment in our sector.

Continued overleaf È

7

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | DIGNITY IN THE WORKPLACE

‘We oppose bullying, harassment and discrimination and will not tolerate such behaviour within our own organisation and network’ ‘We will take a proactive approach to improving the working culture of our own organisation (e.g. ensuring equal opportunities in any recruitment and selection process, providing flexible working policies, and familyfriendly contracts)’ ‘ We will implement and promote appropriate policies, procedures and complaints processes to protect everyone – including the freelancers we engage and students we teach’

One of the main barriers to musicians enforcing their rights under the current Equality Act is the limited scope of the legislation, as it is primarily focused on employees. This needs to change. The ISM responded to the government’s consultation on sexual harassment in the workplace, and our submission included amending the Equality Act to provide protection for all freelance musicians, including while ‘depping’.

In July 2021, the government published its response to the consultation on sexual harassment in the workplace. The response was disappointing since it only considered the workplace in terms of employers and employees – there is no mention of freelance workers. The government has acknowledged the ISM’s concerns that groups such as musicians fall outside the scope of the current Equality Act and promised a wider future review of the legislation. However, they have not given any timescale, so in the meantime freelancers will continue to be left materially unprotected. We are disappointed by the government’s lack of urgency, particularly since the numbers working in the socalled ‘gig economy’ are growing.

inStudy #Dignity

Access Dignity at Work at ism.org/images/ images/ISM_ Dignity-at-workApril-2018.pdf

tudy: s n i y t i n Dig of a survey ucation higher ed s ution it t s n i : k r o tw Dignity a of a survey ation in discriminc sector the musi

2018

A

Access Dignity in Study at ism.org/images/ images/EquityISM-MU-Dignity-inStudy-report.pdf

8

ORT FINAL REP April 2018 ityatWork RUN #Dign LJQLW\DWZ LVP RUJ G

1

at work:

itysic _mu Dign ism

sic music in the _mu ISMon nati of discrimi eyians usic a surv ISM

usicians ociety-of-m l 2018 ed-s

Apri rt -orat corp l repo Finay/in or pan com sect

TheISMUK

on .ukey of higher educati y: a surv uity.otudrg eq #DignityinS

ism.org

institutions

g theMU.or

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | DIGNITY IN THE WORKPLACE

We have again called for changes to the Equality Act. We urgently need the time period to be extended to six months for discrimination claims to be brought in the Tribunal. We need to see the Equality Act amended so that it provides real protection for all freelance musicians, including those who suffer discrimination while ‘depping’. We need the reintroduction of the rights around third party harassment and the use of discrimination questionnaires. And we need better data collection on the prevalence of sexual harassment at work and regulation of non-disclosure agreements and contractual clauses preventing disclosure of future acts of discrimination, harassment or victimisation.

If you feel you have been bullied, discriminated against or harassed please do phone our helpline which is free to members. And make sure you contact our brilliant in-house legal team at legal@ism.org.

They have a strong track record of assisting members in this area and know how to help protect you in the workplace, whatever inappropriate behaviours you may be experiencing. Always make sure you take legal advice if you think you have been unfairly treated or discriminated against, since you only have a very short time-frame in which to take action.

And lastly, it is really positive that more than 100 organisations have signed up to the ISM / MU Code of Practice. Thank you. We need to get to the While helplines have their part to play in counselling stage where all music organisations no matter how those who have experienced unacceptable behaviours big or small have signed up. And you can be part of in the workplace, they may not deliver change. the change by making sure that the organisations you In my experience as a solicitor who used to bring work for have done just this. discrimination claims in the Tribunal, it is legislation The ISM / MU Code of Practice on Bullying and and the use of discrimination questionnaires that bring Harassment at Work can be viewed here: change to the workplace. No helpline can do this. ism.org/campaigns/dignityatwork/ And it is not just legislation which must change. ism-mu-code-of-practice Culture in the music sector must also change so that If you would like sign up to support the Code of outdated behaviours are clearly unacceptable.

Practice, please email your organisation logo to To play our part in bringing about cultural change, colin.stuart@ism.org the ISM is committed to our Keychange pledge to have at least 50% representation of women and gender minorities on the ISM Council and at ISM events.

In 2021 we achieved this goal on our Council and at our two digital conferences, ‘Building for the future’ and ‘Where to next for music education?’ The Keychange pledge represents a collective effort to change the music industry landscape and work towards gender balance. At the recent Association of British Orchestra’s (ABO) conference our President Elect, Vick Bain, discussed this issue further while chairing the Gender Agenda panel. The panel highlighted gender inequalities within the profession from sexist behaviour in orchestras and conservatoires to the lack of HR support for freelancers.

Visit ism.org/advice/ ism-counsellingservice

See our feature on page 10 to read more about our President Elect’s work

Recommend ISM membership to a friend The support of your professional body is more essential than ever. You can help to grow the ISM community by encouraging your friends and colleagues to join.

We’ll also give you money off your next year’s membership fee every time someone you recommend joins us at the full or early career rate – £20 off if you are a full rate member, or £10 off if you are an early career rate member.

If they join at the full rate, we’ll give them £10 off their membership fee too.

Send the name and email address of the friend(s) you are recommending to membership@ism.org. Ask your friend to quote the code FULLREC if they are joining us at the full rate or EARLYREC if they are joining at the early career rate.

Find out more at ism.org/recommend

9

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | PRESIDENTIAL HANDOVER

Presidential handover As Deborah Keyser comes to the end of her year as President of the ISM and Vick Bain takes office, both women talk to Clare Stevens about their careers in music, the issues that matter most to them, and their perspectives on the ISM

Above: Clare Stevens Photo: Bruce Childs

It may be more than 100 years since the first women were granted the right to vote in UK parliamentary elections but progress towards their equal representation in public life has been slow. The ISM however has always been ahead of its time. In 1884, just two years after it was founded, it opened up membership to women.

Today it continues to be a forward-thinking organisation and one that champions women. It is unusual to have a largely female leadership team, a female chief executive officer (CEO) in Deborah Annetts, and women currently in post – Deborah Keyser – and incoming – Vick Bain – in the role of President.

Both Keyser and Bain are champions for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in every aspect of the music business and beyond. In this feature, our outgoing President and President-Elect tell us how they built their own careers before moving on to look at their work with the ISM and how the organisation will evolve in future.

Deborah Keyser Welsh born and bred, Deborah Keyser studied music at Cardiff University and postgraduate at Goldsmiths’ College (University of London), where she was part of the last cohort of graduates of the National Centre for Orchestral Studies. ‘It was an extraordinary experience,’ she recalls, ‘being a violinist with a young training orchestra, being conducted by people like Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Sir Charles Groves and Sian Edwards – she was absolutely top notch – but do you know, this was back in 1989 and she was the only woman who conducted us the whole time.’

Above: Deborah Keyser Left (top): Artist in workshops for CoDI Lead, Ty^ Cerdd’s new disabled-led composerdevelopment pathway Left: Tumi Williams aka Skunkadelic Photos: Matthew Thistlewood

As a new graduate living in London, Keyser spent a short time building a typical musician’s portfolio career, working as a peripatetic instrumental teacher alongside freelance playing, prior to two jobs with the BBC, working for Radio 3 and then BBC Music magazine, and a period in orchestral management and opera production.

‘I managed the Brunel Ensemble for a few years, alongside artistic director Christopher Austin, commissioning composers, working a lot with brand new music and living music creators,’ she says. ‘It was really fantastic.’

In 2005 Keyser took up a role at Creu Cymru, the development agency for theatres and arts centres across Wales, later becoming its director. She also worked on the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, is still on its management board and that of the International Association of Music Centres, and is a Trustee of Anthem Music Fund Wales, Sinfonia Cymru and Presteigne Festival.

Since 2016, Keyser has been CEO of Ty^ Cerdd, the national agency for promoting the music of Wales.

The name means ‘House of Music’ and the organisation has a very wide remit, working with composers and music-creators, societies and performing groups across Wales, offering them artistic expertise and promotional support, and helping them to connect with composers and audiences.

Does Keyser’s role at the head of this organisation feel like a natural culmination of her career, drawing on all the skills and knowledge she has gained in a range of jobs, involving many different musical genres and allowing her to support participation at every level in her home country?

‘Yes, it absolutely does,’ she says. ‘This opportunity came up at a time when I wasn’t particularly planning on moving on, but I was working with theatres and arts centres and music was just part of their programmes, it wasn’t the focus. I realised that actually music was the place I really wanted to be, and I haven’t looked back, it’s brilliant.’

Previous experiences are proving to be invaluable, such as an unforgettable collaboration between the Brunel Ensemble and pop band The Divine Comedy.

‘That gave me a glimpse of working on the other side of the tracks, if you like, which has been very useful for Ty^ Cerdd and also my ISM work, because increasingly musicians are not putting themselves in one box.

Continued overleaf È

11

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | PRESIDENTIAL HANDOVER

Read our annual review of the ISM, ISM Trust and ISM Members Fund on pages 16, 22 and 24 respectively

Younger artists in particular now have incredibly diverse careers; most of them are probably working not just across musical genres but in a range of art forms. At Ty^ Cerdd we are very aware of that; our artist development work, central to what we do, has become very artist-led.’

What this means, Keyser explains, is that while sometimes they will offer an opportunity that is primarily for, say, composers working with notated music, more usually they issue a much more open invitation, offering music creators from any background a chance to develop their craft. ‘It’s been a wonderful lesson for us at Ty^ Cerdd, watching how musicians with very different training, sometimes no formal training at all, collaborate and learn from one another; finding out that if you give artists the power they will make their own way. We’re putting many fewer boundaries and descriptions around artists and work.’

The organisation is a marriage between the Welsh Music Information Centre, a repository of scores and information originally housed at Cardiff University, and the Welsh Amateur Music Federation. It is now based at the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. Not long before Keyser took up her post, Arts Council Wales (ACW) changed the nature of lottery funding for nonprofessional organisations to make it more strategic; the pandemic necessitated another recalibration.

‘We now have three really clear opportunities for which people involved with any genre of music can apply: making new work; engaging with audiences and participants; and Inspire, supporting work with under-26s. They are small grants, really accessible, and we now deliver just under £150k worth a year.

That’s double what we used to deliver before the pandemic and we’ve got a much more diverse and interesting range of organisations making use of it.

‘Alongside that, our chair Steph Power and I decided that having a membership organisation felt wrong, it was jarring with our purpose and mission; so three years ago we dissolved the membership, obviously took a loss of income, and became an open network. Anyone can sign up to be part of it, we’re just here to work with artists and audiences.

Right: Artists in workshops for CoDI Lead, Ty^ Cerdd’s new disabled-led composerdevelopment pathway Photos: Matthew Thistlewood

12

We still have our hire library, our research facility, a recording operation that people can hire and which we use to produce our own recordings of music by Welsh performers and composers, and our recital space with its beautiful piano. But we have opened things up for the board and staff to engage with a new community of music-makers, some of whom may have been excluded from support and engagement in the past.’

Keyser herself lives in the small town of Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, and is keenly aware of the needs of rural communities. As an example of Ty^ Cerdd’s work beyond the capital she enthuses about Tapestri, a new programme of work which is intended to be a digital living music archive: ‘Our archive and the archive at the National Library of Wales are remarkable, but also remarkable for what they don’t contain – they are pretty monocultural. This will be loads of threads of different communities and languages and people and their music across Wales.

‘We’re currently in the pilot phase of three threads, including working with learning-disabled musicians, helping them to express their creativity, in a beautiful project inspired by Sonic Bothy in Glasgow – our partners for that are the William Mathias Music centre in Caernarfon and Touch Trust in Cardiff; Affricerdd, which involves commissioning artists of African descent based in Wales to create new work, including songs in any language which we translate into Welsh and English; and Perisgop a project where composer Gareth Churchill and writer Kate O’Reilly, both of whom have sight loss, worked with the sight loss community in Wales on making a film about their experiences during COVID-19.

‘There have been misconceptions about our remit,’ she adds, ‘especially among young people, who perceive Welsh music as being all about dead people, mostly white and mostly male, harps and male voice choirs, and not for them. We’re aiming to disprove that and embrace different cultures and genres.

‘Ty^ Cerdd’s slogan is, “If you’re making music in Wales, it’s Welsh music”.’

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | PRESIDENTIAL HANDOVER

Vick Bain Vick Bain currently combines freelance consultancy with PhD research into women’s careers in music at Queen Mary University, London. A former CEO of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, (BASCA) now the Ivors Academy, she is an expert on all aspects of diversity in the music and creative industries. She was enrolled into the Music Week Women in Music Roll of Honour in 2017 and in 2018 featured on the BBC Radio Four Women’s Hour Power List of Women in Music.

Bain is the author of Counting the Music Industry, a gender gap analysis of over 300 music publishers and record labels in the UK. This research reveals that just over 14% of writers currently signed to publishers and just under 20% of acts signed to labels are female.

The gender gap is surprisingly large and Bain believes it is indicative of widespread discrimination against women in the music industry , especially in the crucial early years after they leave university. She is also the founder of The F-List for Music, an online directory of the UK’s female and gender-expansive musicians, and is a trustee of Parents and Carers in Performing Arts (PiPA) and a board director of music-collaboration platform Delic.

Growing up in the north-east of England, Bain’s primary musical enthusiasm was for singing.

Her musical horizions were expanded by a period living in Florida, where she attended high school and had her first professional acting and singing roles. Returning to the UK she found her American high school diploma was not accepted by British universities, so rather than embark upon an A-level course she did a BTech in Performing Arts and then a Higher National Diploma in classical music at Newcastle College, followed by a degree in Music and Performing Arts at Gateshead College.

‘Nowadays that area is totally transformed and there is a whole ecosystem between the Sage Gateshead, Newcastle University, Northumbria University and Gateshead College, but at that time there was very little regional infrastructure to support a career in music, so as soon as I graduated I packed all my bags into a van and moved to London.’

Bain developed an interest in experimental music as well as singing and expected to make a living as a full-time performer, or perhaps in music therapy; but as a student she began to realise that her primary skills were in organising and managing other people.

‘I ended up directing all the shows that we put on; I was also President of my Student Union, so right from my early 20s I had that campaigning side to me as well, and by the time I graduated I had realised that probably my strengths would be in the business side of things. In London I realised that I was not going to be able to earn enough money to support myself fully from performing, so I set about understanding the music business. I got a job in the classical music department of the Royal Festival Hall (RFH) and

thought, this is it, I can see my career path! One day I’ll end up running the RFH! That was my initial ambition – I’ve always been very ambitious.’

Fate then intervened as Bain found herself the single parent of twins, and was forced to take a temporary step back from her career. With no local family support, she initially found it impossible to juggle childcare with work. ‘That was very tough,’ she says. ‘After two years I was desperate for work.

‘Luckily a friend was setting up his own business, an audio-visual company doing visuals for bands on tour, and asked me to do light-touch office management.

That was enough to enable me to get my kids into the Margaret MacMillan Nursery School in Crouch End – the headmistress said felt sorry for me! As soon as I had my foot in the door again I very quickly built up my freelance work and my hours, and then I was away.

It just took that one step.’

Above: Vick Bain

Unlike some new parents, Bain didn’t feel any loss of identity or confidence in her own skills during those years that were dominated by childcare. On the contrary, she says the experience gave her confidence: ‘I knew that bringing up twins on my own was the hardest thing I would ever do, so I thought to myself, if I can do this, I can do anything.’

She trained in bookkeeping and set up a freelance company, the Creative Support Agency – the CSA acronym an intentional ironic reference to the Child Support Agency – and ended up building up a roster of clients in the creative industries. ‘I helped them with finance management, bookkeeping, troubleshooting, setting their systems up and then bringing in other staff to look after them. I was really busy and very surprised that I turned out to be good at this sort of thing.’

One of her clients was BASCA; Bain’s role with them developed into a part-time job as Financial Controller, then when the organisation invited her to become full-time Chief Operating Officer she persuaded them to let her do a part-time MBA. She had just graduated when the CEO left and Bain was asked to take on the role.

Over six years at BASCA she launched a high-profile campaign to get better remuneration for song-writers from digital platforms and was part of the team that defeated the government, overturning the private Copyright Exemption legislation, before focusing on her passion: diversity in music.

Alongside her burgeoning professional life as a businesswoman, Bain stayed in touch with her musical roots by singing with the London Bulgarian Choir.

‘As soon as I was able to arrange a regular babysitter I would go off and rehearse with them. I am very interested in world music and was intrigued by their unusual sound. We did very well one year in the BBC Choir of the Year Competition and when we did a tour of Bulgaria I brought my children with me … that was an experience to remember!’

Continued overleaf È

13

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | PRESIDENTIAL HANDOVER

Right: Vick Bain (second from right) taking part in a panel discussion with Girls I Rate, a platform for women to empower one another Photo: Carla Marie Williams @ GirlsIRate

the four nations: ‘I was keen to connect with people outside Wales, which can sometimes become a bit of a silo; we work very closely together as organisations but can get a bit wrapped up in what is happening in our country. I was really interested to keep the flow of information going across the border, and the ISM is good at doing this.’

Bain has been on the board of the ISM for two years.

‘The ISM is my main voluntary commitment; I wanted to give something back to the industry, and when I realised that the ISM is open to people who work in all sorts of roles in the music industry, not just performers, I wanted to join. I totally believe in collective action, help and support, and when you are Her MBA dissertation was on equality and diversity, working as a freelancer in the music industry, either exploring attitudes in the music business. Gender as a creative or on the business side of things, where diversity is one particular focus, she says, ‘because else do you get good insurance, good advice, a sense I’m a cis woman, but also, because I came from a of community – all those really important things? It felt working-class background in the north-east, social really natural to me to join the ISM, and it’s been such class. That has informed my entire career pathway, a positive experience.’ and in London I see the effects of differences in social Both Bain and Keyser are also unique in that they class a lot, especially in the creative industries, where research published last year demonstrated that people have witnessed the ISM in action pre – during – and soon to be post-pandemic times. Since its founding in from privileged backgrounds are more than twice as likely to get jobs. Those are my chief concerns, but for 1882 the ISM has existed to serve the music profession my PhD I’m looking at all the factors that impact upon and has evolved as an organisation in tandem with the changing needs of members. It is arguable that women’s career progression in the music business; this has never been tested more than during the last it’s very intersectional research.’ few years. Since joining Council, Bain has admired Her own experience as a single parent working how Deborah Annetts has led the organisation and its in the music industry drew her to PiPA, which was membership through the pandemic. Bain became a created by actor Cassie Raine and director Anna board member just before the first lockdown and saw Ehnold-Danailov in 2015, to address a lack of provision the ISM pivot to providing different types of support for parents and carers in the performing arts. ‘They to members throughout the pandemic. Keyser, who are doing wonderful work, because it is so difficult was ISM President-Elect from April 2020, recalls the to be a parent or a carer in the creative industries. importance of adapting as an organisation.

Careers are so precarious, work is not guaranteed, it’s ‘The pandemic hit just as I was going into my such unsocial hours; all of those structures can form period as President-Elect, and I was absolutely insurmountable barriers, and it is primarily women staggered at the way the ISM navigated through it – who can be negatively impacted, especially if they are the unashamed focus on just supporting the sector, single parents (90% of single parents are women). It lobbying, getting information out there and making was amazing to me to see this group of people coming it open access.

Not making money a barrier to up with solutions. PiPA started off in theatre and now membership, was so important, exactly what was they are moving into dance and music. needed; it was the right call and I was really proud ‘They are doing some research right now into what to be involved with the ISM at that moment. I know life is like for classical musicians who have caring that in the Welsh sector people have gone to the ISM responsibilities, not just for children but for sick or pages to find out about guidelines and regulations. elderly relatives. There is a survey on their website Then my term as President started last April, and which we’ve encouraged anyone working in this we’ve been focusing on trying to be as effective sector to complete.’ as we can be. We learned so much from COVID and Brexit about musicians’ needs and we have been reflecting on what this means for the ISM, what it is ISM’s first consecutive female has become, and how it can best serve the sector. presidents It’s pushed us to challenge ourselves and our thinking For the first time in the ISM’s history the current with some big questions.’

President and the President Elect – are both female.

Keyser also reflected on the way in which the ISM Keyser joined the board of the ISM in 2019 and is about operates and noted that one of the ISM’s strengths as to complete her presidential year. She recalls joining an organisation is its independence – both politically the organisation to connect with members across and financially – which is advantageous to the way

14

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | PRESIDENTIAL HANDOVER

in which the organisation is run. The pandemic highlighted how valuable that independence is, as it enabled the interests of the profession to be kept front and centre throughout the pandemic. ‘I think the public affairs operation has been extraordinary. It’s an independent organisation, so it’s not tied by anything other than members’ fees and its membership, and I think that’s freeing.’

Bain echoes this sentiment: ‘I particularly like the fact that it’s politically independent, not connected to one political party or another, and that’s a very strong point when it comes to its lobbying work, it is one reason why it is so effective. As an organisation it has doubled in size under Deborah’s leadership which is amazing; yet there are definitely more people out there who could benefit from membership. People like me, freelance music professionals, to whom we could reach out by emphasising our modernness and our independence – and not just classical musicians, but people in other genres. We’re doing really well in jazz, but we could be drawing in more people across all pop, rock and non-western sectors.’

The ISM’s membership demographic changed during the pandemic as members diversified their portfolio of work to make ends meet and new recruits came from an ever-broader range of backgrounds, all of which raises questions about how the ISM operates post-pandemic to meet the needs of members and the wider profession. The ISM is open to all those who work professionally in the music sector and it’s vital that all musicians know the ISM is here for them. Anything that makes the ISM less effective in achieving that goal needs to be addressed.

One such barrier that Bain highlighted is the name, and particularly the word ‘Incorporated’, which says nothing about the organisation or its values.

‘The Board is looking very carefully at that, we’re looking how we can be better … there would be real benefits in having a name that reflects who we are as an organisation. Watch this space. I’m looking forward to it all, and so proud to be involved with this unique organisation.’

Keyser also looked forward to the future of the ISM: ‘I think it is really exciting that the ISM is growing and changing, not standing still … it’s a really, really interesting time.’

As Bain plans for the year ahead, meeting ISM member needs is on her mind. ‘There are lots of challenges that the music sector is facing … COVID recovery, obviously, ensuring that as many musicians as possible can get back to work and back to performing in a safe way; Brexit which is, goodness me’ – Bain sighs deeply – ‘just such a nightmare.

There’s so much government could be doing that they are resisting. I hope when we get to the other side of everything that is going on at the heart of government right now, some of them will begin to see sense in terms of visas, touring around Europe and so on, and

bring some of those barriers back down. This is an advantage that the ISM has as an independent organisation: it can respond quickly to any issue that faces musicians or the music sector.

‘We will also be focusing on education,’ she adds.

‘Coming from a working-class background myself, I can see how music lessons have been taken away from so many working-class kids, it’s a great concern to me that music shouldn’t become the preserve of the middle classes. The ISM is fighting to keep music in the classroom as the only certain way to ensure that every child has access to music education.

‘Access to music lessons is only part of it. What I’d particularly like is to help support the ISM in its work around diversity – who is it who gets to work in music and why? I think music should be for all and if it’s just certain groups that can participate and flourish in music, that reduces the talent pool. The ISM is concerned not only with ensuring students have access to music education but also that the workforce is treated fairly. The work of the legal team in supporting ISM member Lesley Brazel in bringing a legal case against her employer, The Harpur Trust, around holiday pay to the Supreme Court reflects the tenacity the ISM is renowned for.’

Bain also plans to build upon the work that the ISM has already started, particularly in addressing inequalities within the profession. ‘The ISM has done some fantastic work in this field, such as the Dignity at Work report published in 2018. That was really great work, in an area that has not really been researched.

It was followed up by creating and launching the Code of Practice with the MU, to help eradicate bullying, harassment and discrimination in the music sector, which organisations are continuing to sign up to today.

This shows that the ISM are really leaders in this area and there needs to be more of it.’

See ism.org/news/ brazel-case-reachesthe-supreme-court

As she enters her presidential year, Bain says she is very aware that the ISM is nearing its 140th anniversary. ‘That is just amazing. The musical universe was a very different place when it was founded, but there were women joining the organisation from very early on, which is extraordinary when you think that it was at a time when they weren’t even allowed to study music at university. But despite its age it’s incredibly modern, it has kept up with modern trends and I’m looking forward to being part of this journey over the next year.’

Deborah Keyser tycerdd.org Vick Bain Vbain.co.uk The F-List for Music thef-listmusic.uk Parents and Carers in Performing Arts: Pipacampaign.org

15

COVID-19 advice for musicians

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM ANNUAL REVIEW

ISM Annual Review We summarise the Annual Report which has been submitted to Companies House for the year ended 31 August 2021

The Incorporated Society of Musicians (‘ISM’) is the UK’s professional body for musicians, established in 1882 to promote the art of music and to protect and support the interests of musicians and the music profession. The ISM is registered under company number 36882.

Introduction COVID-19 has continued to have an adverse impact on all aspects of the music sector affecting everyone from performers and composers to those working in music education and music organisations themselves.

The ISM continued to take steps to provide support not just to its members but to the broader sector.

See page 26 for minutes of our AGM held on 13 November 2021

Through the course of the financial year the rules and regulations relating to COVID-19 across the four nations of the UK continued to change. We were conscious of the need to be able to provide up to the minute and accurate advice on all aspects of the ever-changing requirements so that musicians could continue to work as they best they could.

COVID-19 and lobbying for musicians The financial plight of musicians during 2020-21 continued to be clear for all to see. The economic study published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in August 2020 found that the arts, entertainment and recreation was the sector worst affected by COVID-19.

Photo: Deborah Keyser and Dr Jeremy Huw Williams Credit: Tyler George

In September the ISM submitted evidence to Treasury Select Committee ‘Tax after coronavirus’ inquiry, outlining our policy proposals including the introduction of a new creative sector tax reliefs for music. The ISM played a leading role in the sector lobbying the Treasury for financial support for musicians. In October, as part of #MakeMusicWork campaign the ISM coordinated an open letter signed by over 200 organisations and nearly 2,300 professional musicians which led to the Chancellor announcing in November an extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and SelfEmployment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

The ISM also lobbied the government for

a government backed insurance scheme for performances which were cancelled due to the pandemic. A Scheme was announced in September 2021 but unfortunately on closer scrutiny it became apparent that it would not cover many types of live performances which were cancelled.

With live performance decimated, COVID-19 highlighted that the current economic model for music streaming was not fit for purpose, and the ISM welcomed the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee holding a streaming inquiry. In March the ISM responded to the PRS for Music consultation on their intention to introduce a new tariff for Online Live Concerts. The ISM also supported Middlesex University with their research into live streaming and Coventry University with their research into business models for creative freelancers.

Music Education Music education continued to be a key campaign priority. The ISM remained deeply concerned about the continued marginalisation of music education within schools in England.

In August 2020 the ISM, alongside Music Mark and the Music Teachers’ Association launched a UK-wide campaign, #CanDoMusic in response to the devastation to all aspects of musical learning caused by COVID-19.

With universal access to music education at the heart of the ISM’s advocacy work, the ISM campaigned for music lessons to continue in and out of school settings as well as clear guidance on private teaching.

In late September 2020, the ISM wrote to Nick Gibb highlighting the delay in the National Plan for Music Education and calling for sustained funding ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review, which was signed by more than 25 organisations.

In early November 2020 the ISM spearheaded a joint letter to Education Ministers alongside Music Mark, the Music Teachers’ Association and the Musicians’ Union requesting clarification on out of school hours provision.

To understand better what was happening to Continued overleaf È

17

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM ANNUAL REVIEW

music provision across the four nations the ISM undertook a survey on the impact of COVID-19 on music education and received over 1,300 survey responses. The report entitled ‘The Heart of the School is Missing’ revealed the detrimental impact of COVID19 and set out policy recommendations to address the challenges facing music education in the short term and moving forward into a post-COVID world.

Important political developments occurred in England with the Westminster government publishing the Model Music Curriculum (‘MMC’), which has been the subject of debate. The ISM published a detailed review of the MMC. The ISM liaised regularly with civil servants in the education policy space and submitted written responses to all relevant Ofqual, Department for Education (DfE) and Office for Students consultations.

A significant milestone for the ISM was when the Chief Executive gave evidence to the House of Commons DCMS Select Committee, warning that musicians faced an ‘extraordinary crisis’ due to costly new barriers to performing in Europe. This session had significant impact and was reported across the world.

The ISM has worked with a broad coalition of parliamentarians, creating opportunities to scrutinise the new rules and bring these issues to the attention of government.

Our partnership with the Musicians’ Union has been fruitful. Key outputs from this partnership include responding to crucial government statements made in Parliament, publishing our joint ‘Professionally Paralysed’ report and Brexit impact survey findings.

In May 2021 the ISM organised the APPG for Music Education meeting to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on music education, the Model Music Curriculum, and ways to approach decolonising the music education curriculum. 110 people attended including 10 MPs and Lords.

In addition, the Chief Executive has given numerous speeches on Brexit as part of our efforts to influence key opinion formers and to promote the ISM.

Brexit

Communications

The ISM was aware of the possible adverse impact of the UK leaving the European Union (EU) on musicians.

The ISM continued to lobby government for reciprocal visa-free arrangements for short-term work purposes to enable UK and EU musicians to continue earning through touring and engagements in Europe without unwieldy bureaucracy and expense.

In April 2021, we organised a Brexit joint letter in The Times for which they also ran a comment piece. This was covered by over 30 outlets in six countries.

On 24 December 2020, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement was published outlining the future trading relationship between the UK and the EU. What was notably absent from the 1,200-page text were any provisions for creative workers.

In the run up to leaving the EU, ISM staff worked very hard to put together a comprehensive guide to visa and work permits across the whole of Europe accessible to everyone. This document remains the most comprehensive guide available and has been used not just in the music sector but across the whole of the performing arts.

The ISM’s core campaigning objective is for the government to negotiate a bespoke visa waiver agreement with the EU exempting creative workers from needing to obtain a visa when seeking paid work.

The ISM has worked with legal experts to produce a bespoke draft and shared this with all relevant government departments as a workable proposal and we will continue to campaign on this issue.

The ISM coordinated an open letter to the government, which was signed by over 300 creative organisations and artists and featured on the front page of The Times in April 2021.

18

One key outcome was the invitation for the ISM to join the government’s touring working group, organised by the DCMS. We are now part of a select group of sector organisations working with the Minister of State for Digital and Culture.

In August 2021, our response to the DCMS claim that short-term visa-free touring would now be possible in 19 EU member states was covered in The Independent, The Stage, Classic FM, Classical Music and Private Eye to name a few.

Social media continues to play a key role in promoting ISM’s brand and communicating with our members and the wider music sector. Compared to

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM ANNUAL REVIEW

Two new Brexit services were launched: a new visa and work permit advice service was opened in January 2021 in partnership with Viva La Visa, and in February 2021, a discounted carnet scheme launched in conjunction with the London Chamber of Commerce.

Left: Errolyn Wallen Photo: ISM / John Blaikie 2021 Left: Professor Keith Swanwick Photo: Marc Gascoigne

The formation of a working group drawn from Council to work with the senior leadership team in understanding and addressing the barriers, real or perceived, to membership was another step forward in the ISM’s equality, diversity and inclusion work.

Events and partnerships The postponed AGM from April 2020 was held virtually on 17 December 2020. The April 2021 AGM was postponed and reconvened on 13 November 2021 at the Royal Over-Seas League in London. last year’s figures, the ISM social media channels have grown by almost 10,000 users in the last twelve months. A notable achievement was also surpassing 20,000 Twitter followers in 2021.

Other external engagements The ISM spoke at a wide range of high-profile events and conferences during this financial period. These events were hosted by Westminster Media Forum, Bangor University’s International Conference on Women’s Work in Music, BECTU’s conference, Society of Authors SEMINAR, Exeter University and the International Theatre Company.

Business development The ISM met all its recruitment and retention targets and overall, the membership grew, finishing the year with 10,650 members as at 31 August 2021.

Composer Errollyn Wallen CBE was awarded the Distinguished Musician Award 2020 in June 2021.

The deferred 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Prof. Keith Swanwick.

Legal services and governance A total of 1,606 new cases were opened by the in-house legal team in 2020-21. As well as providing advice to individual members the in-house legal team kept the government provided guidance under review and ensured that changes were quickly reflected on the website.

The Supreme Court decision in the Uber case led to attendance at consultation meetings where changes to contracts were being proposed for members who were music teachers in schools or music hubs. Advice was given to members on whether they should be classified as workers rather than self-employed. Changes to IR35 also generated the need to provide advice to members. The economic consequences of COVID and Brexit manifested in a number of redundancy consultations.

The ISM held its first ever digital conference in December 2020. The Empowered Musician 2020 took place over two days with a range of inspiring speakers including Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason and David Lammy Work was carried out in preparation for the MP. There were 760 registrants for the conference.

Supreme Court hearing concerning holiday pay on behalf of a music teacher member. Judgement is A second digital conference, Building For The expected in the first quarter of 2022.

Future, took place on 24 April 2021 and centred on equipping musicians with the latest information, professional development and practical advice to support the sector navigate its way out of the pandemic and post-Brexit.

The capacity of the in-house legal team was strengthened with the addition of an external copyright legal advisor.

Through the in-house legal team and the legal Throughout the year, ISM Local Groups continued to expenses insurance almost £170,000 was recovered operate, albeit at a reduced level. There are currently for members in unpaid fees and compensation 19 Local Groups in operation. during 2020-21. Members continued to be able to access the 24-hour legal and tax helpline, provided Across the year the ISM produced a wealth of

by Law Express. advice and information on both COVID-19 and Brexit.

For members, this was supplemented with resources on risk assessments as well as resources including the second iteration of the new style member handbook, a Digital Performers Pack and the next instalment of the How To… series on teaching adult learners.

Continued overleaf È

19

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM ANNUAL REVIEW

Financial results ISM membership continued a path of growth during 2020-21 and by 31 August 2021 membership had risen to over 10,600 members. During the reporting period, total income grew by 16.5% over the previous year to £2,017,774. Within the overall income figure, membership income improved by 4.3%. This was accounted for by a growth of 4.4% in members.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on its members income the ISM froze membership fees for the year for all levels of membership. In the area of nonsubscription income, royalties from the Educational Recording Agency fell by 6.3% to £242,440 and income from Cable Royalties continued to decline with a fall of 8.6% to £137,142.

During the financial year, the COVID-19 outbreak continued to negatively affect our investment income which fell a further 8% during the year as companies continued to withhold dividend payments. With the markets however rallying during the year, the value of the ISM’s investments grew by 12.2% to £1.35million and these investments generated income of £28,269.

The change in fair value of the ISM’s investments was a favourable £212,310.

Total expenditure before taxation fell by 0.5% over the previous year to £1,704,729. Expenditure increased in a few areas, namely staff costs, administration, The ISM continued to take active steps to ensure and professional fees. Staff costs increased largely compliance with the General Data Protection because of the COVID-19 pandemic as additional staff Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (‘GDPR’) and the Data were recruited to meet the additional demand for Protection Act 2018. our services. Expenditure reduced in a few areas too, namely membership services, marketing and external Governance affairs and charitable donations. The ISM did not There were two vacancies for Elected Council Members donate to the ISM Trust during the financial year as the (North and the Midlands). Nominations were received Trust had sufficient reserves to cover its operational from Alice Nicholls (the North), and Simon Chalk, costs, this led to an almost 100% fall in donation costs.

Dr Kirsty Devaney, David Glossop, Helen Marcus Taxation for the period was £83,613, 272.8% higher and Rachel Maby (Midlands). Alice Nicholls was than the previous year, partly due to higher deferred elected unopposed and following a postal election tax being recognised relating to the increase in value Dr Kirsty Devaney was re-elected as the Midlands of the ISM’s investment portfolio. representative. There were two vacancies for The increase in income and overall reduction in pre-tax Appointed Council Members. Seven members came expenditure yielded a significant surplus after taxation forward. Mahaliah Edwards and Dorine Sorber were of £313,045 which brought our reserves to £4.51m at appointed to Council. Council would like to thank the the year-end of the reporting period. following Council members who retired from 24 April 2021, Past President Dr Jeremy Huw Williams, Professor Conclusion David Smith and Dr Bushra El-Turk.

Council would like to thank the ISM staff team and the ISM’s many volunteers working across the UK who continue to show a high level of commitment in supporting the ISM’s activities during these challenging times. Council thanks everyone who has helped to further the work of the ISM and offers its gratitude to all retiring members of Council and volunteers for their services.

Compliance

Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive, ISM

20

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM ANNUAL REVIEW

Summarised income and expenditure account

2020–21

Total income

2019-20

2,017,774 Subscription fees Other income

1,377,191 640,583

Membership services Governance and administration Property and equipment Staff Marketing and external relations Professional costs Irrecoverable VAT Charitable donations

294,153 46,575 126,017 1,092,571 94,045 33,093 18,225 50

Total Expenditure

1,731,872 1,320,839 411,033

1,704,729

Surplus / (Deficit) before Taxation

313,045

18,882

83,613

22,430

229,432

-3,548

Taxation Surplus / (Deficit) for the year

Summarised balance sheet Fixed assets

1,712,990 322,232 39,371 134,775 939,596 148,984 22,385 20,597 85,050

2020–21

2019–20

4,485,316

4,385,905

Current assets

506,833

300,562

Liabilities and Provisions

-481,110

-404,860

4,511,039

4,281,607

ISM net reserves

Summary accounts The information provided here is not the full statutory accounts but a summary of the information which appears in the full financial statements.

These summarised figures may not contain sufficient information to allow for a full understanding of the financial affairs of the Society. For further information the full annual accounts, including the auditor’s report, should be consulted. The full annual accounts, including the auditor’s report, are available to members in the members’ area of the company’s website (ism.org).

The ISM financial statements to 31 August 2021 were approved by the Council on 16 February 2022. The financial statements include an unqualified audit report signed by senior statutory auditor Amy Healey FCA CTA DChA, on behalf of the auditor Lindeyer Francis Ferguson Limited.

21

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM TRUST ANNUAL REVIEW

ISM Trust Annual Review We summarise the ISM Trust activities for the year ended 31 August 2021

The ISM Trust was incorporated on 5 November 2014.

The objectives of the ISM Trust are to: advance education; advance health; and promote the arts, particularly music. Professional development work is delivered by the ISM Trust, by itself and in partnership with other organisations or respected practitioners in their field. Professional development was delivered by the ISM Trust through webinars, webcasts, regional seminars and training events, and resources.

The ISM Trust’s Company number is 9296727 and Charity number is 1160261.

Achievements and performance The Trust’s activity throughout 2020-21 centred around continuing to support musicians navigate the ongoing challenges to the profession – whether from COVID19, Brexit or the pressures facing teachers and those working in music education.

In the education sphere, the Trust also held its first series of Teach Meets in May and June 2021.

Sessions were held for primary, secondary and music hub teachers. Consisting of presentations from teachers followed by discussion on topics, there were 74 attendees across the three events.

22

The Trust was commissioned by the National College to produce six bespoke webinars on curriculum music at primary and secondary level. The Trust also extended its partnership with ABRSM to renew the inclusion of two ISM Trust webinars, Setting up your business and Looking after your hearing health in its ‘Becoming a better music teacher’ course on FutureLearn to spring 2022.

The webinar programme continued to flourish with 19 webinars being delivered across the year.

Themes running through the programme included SEND, Brexit, transitioning to online teaching; and exploring issues around equality, diversity and inclusion. The last work-strand looked at ways for musicians to increase or diversify their income through webinars on topics such as online realtime music making, and through a partnership with Scottish technology start-up Delic, the Trust embarked upon a series of webinars on topics such as using merchandise to diversify your revenue. This will continue into 2021-22.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM TRUST ANNUAL REVIEW

Although COVID-19 restrictions meant that most of the Trust’s in person activities, such as the seminar programme, were severely curtailed, three in-person events took place, one at Milton Keynes Music Hub and two events for Cornwall Music Hub. The Trust embarked upon a four-year partnership with NMC Records to support its ‘Discover’ hub on the newly relaunched NMC website. Sales of the Trust’s publications Play and Performance Anxiety continued to perform strongly with 40 and 57 sales respectively across the year.

The Friends of the ISM Trust membership was overhauled to make the member benefits more relevant and accordingly the price was reduced to £25 per annum. This resulted in an increase in members with membership standing at 117 as at 31 August 2021.

There have been approximately 58,780 visits to the Trust’s website across the financial year. The most popular was the Primary Music Toolkit page which had 8,153 views.

The Trust’s social media as at 26 August 2021 stands at 2,189 users.

Compliance The ISM Trust is registered as a data controller in its own right at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The Trust was also registered with the Fundraising Regulator and in accordance with Charity Commission guidance further training in trustee duties and charity governance was provided to Trustees in 2020. New Trustees received guidance in relation to trustee duties and charity governance during the year.

Financial Review During the reporting period, total income fell by 39.5% over the previous year to £59,004 (2020: £97,569) and expenditure fell by 54.5% to £51,009 (2020: £112,127).

During the year under review, the Trust generated a surplus of £7,995 (2020: £14,558 deficit). The ISM Trust derives its income from three main sources: membership subscriptions, income from events, and donations and legacies.

late Thomas Johnstone Prentice. Total donations and legacies received during the year were £49,853 (2020: £86,555). The Trustees are most grateful to all individuals who made donations or organised fundraising initiatives during the reporting period.

Expenditure on charitable activities fell by £62,082 to £48,320 (2020: £110,402), a fall of 56.2% largely due to the funding costs of £40,000 recognised during 2019-20 regarding the partnership with NMC on the project called Discover. Other costs fell as expected due to an overall reduction in activities within the Trust this year.

Reserves The ISM Trust’s Reserves Policy is to maintain a sufficient level of reserves to enable normal operating activities to continue over a period of up to four months should a shortfall in income occur and to take account of potential risks and contingencies that may arise from time to time. On 31 August 2021, the Trust had £90,153 (2020: £82,158) of unrestricted reserves to carry forward, the equivalent of 21 months (2020: 9 months) of the 2020-21 annual expenditure which is well above the target range.

Plans for Future Periods The Trust will continue to offer information to support the sector around key issues such as music education, how to navigate Brexit and the ongoing impact of COVID-19. In particular it will building on the very successful music education conference held in November 2021. The Trust will continue its partnership with NMC Records to support its ‘Discover’ hub on the newly relaunched NMC website.

Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive, ISM

Income from membership subscriptions fell during the year with £3,236 recognised in the reporting period (2020: £5,377), a decrease of 39.8%. At the start of the financial year, the Trust redesigned the membership offer and reduced the membership fee by 59.7% which resulted in the fall in income. £5,915 (2020: £5,637) has been generated as a result of professional development work an increase of 4.9% over the previous year.

This ISM did not provide a donation this year (2020: £85,000) to support the work of the Trust as the Trust had sufficient reserves to carry out its charitable activities this year. The Trustees acknowledge with thanks a legacy to the Trust from the estate of the

Left: Yogesh Dattani Photo: Mark Allen Group

23

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM MEMBERS FUND ANNUAL REVIEW

ISM Members Fund Annual Review We summarise the ISM Member’s Fund activities for the year ended 31 August 2021 The ISM Members Fund is the working name of the Benevolent Fund of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, registered charity number 206801.

Objectives and activities During 2020-21 the Fund continued to prioritise activities to support ISM members through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Through a partnership with Help Musicians, £141,300 was distributed in hardship grants to 438 members. Help Musicians assessed applications and administered grants to the value of £300.

The Fund also produced a number of resources to support the prevention of poverty.

An online debt advice hub was created through a partnership with StepChange debt charity.

Fund from the estate of the late Miss FJ Robson.

Total donations and legacies received during the year were £8,867 (2020: £2,306). The Trustee is most grateful to all the individuals who made donations or organised fundraising initiatives.

Investments During the financial year, the COVID-19 outbreak continued to negatively affect our investment income which fell a further 30% during the year. With the markets however rallying during the year, the value of the Fund’s investments grew by 7.0%.

Charitable activities

Expenditure on direct charitable activities increased by £111,601 to £242,778, an increase of 85.1% largely due The Fund supported two resources within the to the introduction of the Fund’s Coronavirus Hardship ISM’s How To… guide series around aiding performers transition into a teaching career: How to…Begin teaching Scheme which ran between February and August 2021. music: An overview of the profession and How to…

Begin teaching music: A practical guide to becoming an Reserves instrumental teacher launched in December 2020.

The Fund’s Reserves Policy is to maintain a sufficient level of free reserves to enable normal operating activities to continue over a period of up to six months should a shortfall in income occur and to take account of potential risks and contingencies that may arise The physiotherapy service paused during government from time to time.

The total funds held as of 31 August 2021 were lockdowns but resumed operations later in the year. £4.08million (2020: £3.77million). Of these funds, In total, eight individuals received assistance by £314,625 (2020: £396,336) were held in an expendable way of charitable grants. endowment fund and £3.55million (2020: £3.15million) in funds held for restricted purposes in our permanent Financial Review endowment. The remaining unrestricted funds amount During the reporting period, total income fell by 24.6% to £218,822 (2020: £223,167). over the previous year to £102,061 (2020: £135,364) and expenditure grew by 75.9% to £258,413 (2020: £146,934).

Compliance During the year under review, the Fund generated a The Fund is registered as a data controller in its own deficit of £156,352 (2020: a deficit of £11,570) before realised and unrealised gains/losses on the revaluation right at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). of investments. The net gains on investments were Future plans £465,325 (2020: losses of £245,575). This led to the financial year yielding a surplus after investment gains The Fund will review the physiotherapy service in of £308,973 (2020: a deficit of £257,145). the upcoming financial year. It is also hoped that the The Fund continued to provide an outsourced 24-hour personal advice and support telephone helpline and associated counselling services available to all ISM members and their dependants.

Donations and legacies The Trustee acknowledges with thanks a legacy to the

24

development of a hearing health service, paused due to COVID-19, can be resumed.

Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive, ISM

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM MEMBERS FUND ANNUAL REVIEW

Summarised statement of financial activities

2020–21

Unrestricted income

2019–20

102,061 Quoted investments Interest received Legacies Donations

93,169 25 1,000 7,867

TOTAL INCOME

135,364 132,685 373 500 1,806

102,061

TOTAL EXPENDITURE

135,364

-258,413

Charitable activities Investment management fees NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

-242,778 -15,635

-146,934 -131,177 -15,757

-156,352

-11,570

Gains/(Losses) on investments

465,325

-245,575

Net movement in funds

308,973

-257,145

(before movement on investments)

Summarised balance sheet

2020–21

Long term investments

2019–20

3,836,638

3,586,830

Current assets

257,689

191,900

Liabilities

-15,013

-8,389

4,079,314

3,770,341

Net reserves Reserves distribution

4,079,314 Permanent endowment Expendable endowment Unrestricted funds

3,545,867 314,625 218,822

3,770,341 3,150,838 396,336 223,167

Summary accounts The information provided here is not the full statutory accounts but a summary of the information which appears in the full financial statements. These summarised figures may not contain sufficient information to allow for a full understanding of the financial affairs of the Fund. For further information the full annual accounts, including the independent examiner’s report, should be consulted. The full annual accounts, including the independent examiner’s report, are available to members in the members’ area of the website (ism.org).

The Fund’s financial statements to 31 August 2021 were approved by the Trustee on 16 February 2022. The financial statements include an unqualified examiner’s report signed by independent examiner Amy Healey FCA CTA DChA, on behalf of the auditor Lindeyer Francis Ferguson Limited.

Set up a Direct Debit to save money Take the hassle out of renewing your membership by setting up an annual Direct Debit. Your membership will automatically renew every year and you won’t have to contact us unless you wish to cancel or change your payment method.

If you are a full member, you will get £10 off your membership fee if you pay by annual Direct Debit.

It’s quick and easy to set up Direct Debit payments.

Simply log in at ism.org/direct-debit, call us on 020 72213499 or email membership@ism.org

25

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM AGM MINUTES

ISM AGM Minutes Minutes of the ISM AGM, Saturday 13 November 2021 , held in the Princess Alexandra Hall, Royal Over-Seas League, Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR at 2:30pm

INTRODUCTION Deborah Keyser (President) opened the AGM and welcomed members to the event. Before the start of the formal business, the President covered the COVID19 mitigations for attendees to adhere to during the AGM. The President then introduced the AGM panel: Vick Bain (President Elect) Professor Chris Collins (Past President) Ivor Flint (Treasurer) Deborah Annetts (Chief Executive) Sabrina Taylor (Head of Finance & Facilities)

the last twenty months as the pandemic had been incredibly difficult for those in the music profession.

Across the music sector the ISM had engaged with numerous stakeholders. This included lobbying the Chancellor for support schemes for freelance musicians and furlough for those who are employed, including casual workers. In March 2020, the ISM staff team had had to change the focus of its work entirely to focus on COVID-19 advice and support across the four nations. It became clear just how great the need was for guidance and in all a total over 40 advice pages were produced.

The Chief Executive also covered various reports The President also said a special thank you to ISM that were published during the financial period. member and official harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales The ISM published two reports called the Global Alis Huws for her performance on the harp during the Literature Review, looking at the impact of COVID-19 lunch reception. on education and performing not just in the UK but Apologies for absence for the meeting were recorded globally. The ISM also undertook two large scale pieces and all members present had a hard copy of the of research in 2020 in connection with touring and apologies to hand for information. The President asked musicians. The first report was titled ‘How Open is the for two minutes of silence to remember colleagues UK for the Music Business?’ and the second report was who had died during the past year. The names of the called ‘Will Music Survive Brexit?’ and is the fifth Brexit ISM members were distributed to attendees. report produced by the ISM. The ISM is continuing to 1. Minutes of the AGM held on 17 December 2020, lobby on the devastating impact Brexit has had on UK via Zoom musicians. Membership during this financial period The President asked if there were any amendments to saw strong growth with the ISM membership now currently standing at over 11,000 members. the minutes of the virtual AGM held on 17 December 2020 via Zoom. There were none. The resolution to approve the minutes was proposed by Beth Fagg and seconded by Joy Norman. The resolution was approved unanimously.

2. To receive the Annual Report of the Council of the Society for 2019-20 The Chief Executive gave the annual report for the financial year from 1 September 2019 ending 31 August 2020. The Chief Executive welcomed everyone to the reconvened AGM, which was supposed to be held virtually on 24 April 2021 but was subsequently cancelled as the government did not extend its regulations enabling virtual AGMs to take place.

The Chief Executive spoke to the resilience shown by ISM members, the ISM Board and the staff team over

26

The Chief Executive spoke to the major impact the pandemic had on ISM services and the frontline team. Since the pandemic, calls and e-mail enquiries had increased by 250%. The legal team also saw a significant spike in cases.

The ISM has tried hard to ensure that no member feels they must leave the ISM because they do not have enough funds to pay the subscription fee and offered a holiday from paying the subscription for those in financial difficulties. Four percent of the ISM membership took up this offer. With the Board’s approval, the ISM made hardship grants available through the ISM’s Members Fund for those members who were in serious financial need. The grants were administered through Help Musicians UK and over 400 members received financial support.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM AGM MINUTES

The Chief Executive closed her report by thanking the Board for their full support throughout this period.

The resolution to receive the annual report was proposed by Roger Carter and seconded by Jonathan Gregory. The resolution was approved unanimously.

3. To receive and approve the accounts of the ISM for the year ending 31 August 2020 The Treasurer spoke to the accounts for the ISM and was pleased to report that despite the negative impact of COVID-19 has had on the economy, the Society’s finances were robust as a result of the continuing growth of the ISM membership. Total membership finished at 10,200 at the 31 August 2020 which is a growth of 8.5% on the previous financial year.

Income finished the year 2.8% lower at £1.73m, a decrease on the 2018-19 financial year. This small drop was attributable to a fall of 4% in the value of our listed investments and was a direct outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the investments saw a strong recovery in the 2020-21 financial year which has just ended.

Membership subscription income increased by 5.7% during 2019-20, this is due to the continued growth in members, and a small increase in the subscription fees for the year. However, income from cable royalties namely the BBC decreased against 2018-19 overall by 4.1%. Expenditure finished the year 2.9% higher at £1.71m, an increase on the 2018-19 financial year. As of 31 August 2020, reserves were very strong and stood at a healthy £4.28m, which is in line with the prior financial year.

The Treasurer said the ISM had a successful year finishing with a small deficit of £3.5k in 2019-20 versus a surplus in the prior year of £88.4k. This small deficit was directly due to the fall in the value of investments but gave thanks to the ISM members and staff team and credited them with ensuring the ISM finished the year close to break even.

The Treasurer finished his report by thanking the Head of Finance & Facilities, the auditors, Lindeyer Francis Ferguson and investment brokers, Investec.

The resolution to receive and approve the accounts was proposed by Gillian Spragg and seconded

by Michelle Nova. The resolution was approved unanimously.

4. To receive the report and the accounts of the ISM Trust and ISM Members Fund 2019-2020 The Chief Executive spoke to the report of the Members Fund which was for information only.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted the music profession. As a result, the Fund has paused work on the pilot hearing health scheme to reorientate its focus towards providing support through the crisis.

The Fund continued to provide an outsourced 24hour personal advice and support telephone helpline

available to all ISM members and their dependants.

The number of people accessing the service increased by 46% compared to the previous year. Expenditure on direct charitable activities increased by £10,294 to £131,177, an increase of 15.5% largely due to the introduction of new services such as physiotherapy and counselling.

The Chief Executive said the Trustee acknowledged with thanks a legacy to the Fund from the estate of the late Anne Allan. Total donations and legacies received during the year were £2,306.

During the reporting period, total income fell by 14.3% over the previous year to £135,364 and expenditure grew by 4.9% to £140,113. During the year under review, the Fund generated a deficit of £11,570 before realised and unrealised gains and losses on the revaluation of investments. The net losses on investments were £245,575 due to the markets having a very turbulent period in the last 6 months of the financial year. During the year, the value of the Fund’s investments fell by 6.8% to £3.59million in line with general market trends but the portfolio is expected to recover over the long-term.

The Chief Executive then provided a short report on the ISM Trust activities for the period September 2019 to 31 August 2020 for information only.

Work in the early part of the year centred on the implementation of legacy plan from The Empowered Musician, the one-day conference attended by 400 musicians in October 2018. As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold the Trust pivoted to disseminating information and advice through webinars to support the music profession through the crisis. Subjects ranged from moving to online teaching, safeguarding online and risk assessments.

Across the year the Trust delivered 15 webinars in total, two of which were collaborations with The Amber Trust. The Trust also developed closer ties to ABRSM through the licensing of two webinars for inclusion in its ‘Becoming a Better Music Teacher’ course available on the FutureLearn platform. The course ran five times across the financial year with Setting up your business viewed 3,058 times and Looking after your hearing health 3,562 times. There is a real appetite for learning digitally across a range of areas and the ISM Trust will continue to provide a high-quality offer to all those engaged in the music sector.

In March 2020, imminently before lockdown, the Trust launched Indian Takeaway! Rag and Tal basics ,a major new online resource by Indian music specialist Yogesh Dattani, which had its official launch at the Music and Drama Education Expo in London.

During the reporting period, total income grew by 1.3% over the previous year to £97,569 and expenditure fell by 6.4% to £112,127. During the year under review, the Trust generated a deficit of £14,558.

Continued overleaf È

27

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | ISM AGM MINUTES

The COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting lockdowns around the UK led to the cancellation of all planned face-to-face events in the last six months of the year which is largely the reason for the reduced income in the reporting period.

The Chief Executive closed her report on the ISM Trust by mentioning the upcoming online music education conference hosted by the ISM Trust on Saturday 27 November and encouraged all members to book their place and attend.

8. To confirm the time and place of the next AGM The next AGM will be held in April 2022 and more details will be released to the membership in due course.

OPEN FORUM The President opened the discussion and invited members present to ask any questions or raise any matters for discussion.

Members were very positive about the ISM and everything it had done over the past year. However, much concern was voiced in connection with both 5. To reappoint Lindeyer Francis Ferguson Limited music education in England and also the impact of The resolution to reappoint Lindeyer Francis Ferguson Brexit on the music profession. Concerns were also Limited as auditors. was proposed by Joy Norman raised by younger members about the restrictions and seconded by Marek Maryniak. The resolution was imposed on them because they held a student visa. approved with one abstention.

As a follow-up action, the ISM is going to increase the 6. To note the retirement of members of the Council advice around immigration provisions, since this is clearly a matter for concern.

ISM members were asked to note the retirement of the following Council members at 24 April 2021; Past The Chief Executive in response to the discussion President Dr Jeremy Huw Williams, Professor David around music education asked everyone to Smith and Dr Bushra El-Turk. respond to the current ISM music education survey.

The report which will be put together from the The Chief Executive thanked all the Council members survey will be published and the findings shared for their contributions during their terms on the with the Department for Education.

ISM Council and the President expressed her thanks as well.

7. To note the election of the elected Members of Council and the appointment of Appointed Members of Council ISM members were asked to note the following appointment and elections to Council as of 24 April 2021. Two members filled the Elected vacancies.

Dr Kirsty Devaney was re-elected as the Midlands Representative via postal vote and Alice Nicholls was Elected as Representative of the North.

Further points were raised on social prescribing and the Head of Business Development will take this forward.

The President concluded the meeting and closed the Forum at 15.38.

A full recording of the AGM event can be found on the ISM website here ism.org/videos/ism-agm

With regard to the Appointed vacancies, Dorine Sorber and Mahaliah Edwards were appointed to Council.

Vick Bain was appointed by Council as President Elect.

Save the date ISM Annual General Meeting

Become a green member

We are pleased to announce that we will be holding the next Annual General Meeting in person on Saturday 7 May at the Princess Alexandra Room at the Royal OverSeas League in London, SW1.

WIf you’re an ISM member, you can reduce your impact on the environment by choosing to receive our bimonthly members’ magazine, Music Journal, and annual Members’ Handbook in digital format, as well as opting not to receive our annual printed Diary.

We look forward to seeing many of you there. Further information on timings and the agenda with proxy forms will be circulated to members in the coming weeks. If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to e-mail membership@ism.org

28

Email membership@ism.org to update your preferences.

Read our new blog on being an environmentally-friendly musician at ism.org/blog/reduce-climate-impact

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional development The ISM provides you with opportunities to build up your skills in the digital arena with our advice pages and webinars. We also have a collection of professional development videos and resources available to members and the wider music sector through our sister charity, the ISM Trust.

Upcoming webinars

Catch-up webinars ism.org/professional-development/webinars PRS series: PRS for Music pays its members when their work is performed, broadcast, streamed, downloaded, reproduced, played in public or used in film and TV.

2022 Music Education Teach Meets

Find out how this system can work for you by watching our two webinars:

• Primary and early years: 7 March 2022, 4-5.30pm

• Copyright, royalties and PRS for Music

• Secondary: 8 March 2022, 4-5.30pm

• PRS for music: An introduction for members

Once again, we are facilitating online Music Education Teach Meets. These free events are for teachers and led by teachers, embedding joint practice development and collaboration at the heart of your work. We will hear 10-minute presentations from colleagues, which will offer new perspectives, ideas and a chance to engage in rich discussions.

They are inclusive and open to all. To sign up visit: ism.org/professional-development/webinars

NEW LCME DRUM KIT HANDBOOKS Master all the skills you need to become a well-rounded drummer with London College of Music Examinations’ new Drum Kit Syllabus and Exam Handbooks. In-person and digital exam options on offer for all ages and abilities.

Order now lcme.uwl.ac.uk

020 8231 2364

lcm.exams@uwl.ac.uk 29

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | LEGAL & BUSINESS

ISM annual fees survey Statistician Alix Naylor of Naylor Research Partnership provides a summary of this year’s findings Sample overview This year’s survey of fees charged or earned by ISM members for teaching, accompanying and examining was open from 16 September 2021 until 17 December 2021. There was an increase in the number of respondents compared to the previous year, most likely due to the relaxed lockdown measures, though the submissions were still well below pre-pandemic levels, suggesting that the profession has yet to recover from the impact of COVID-19 restrictions.

Above: Alix Naylor

As with previous years, more than 40% of the sample is from London and the South East of England, so the results from the survey are likely to be overrepresentative of the situation in this area.

Respondents’ teaching experience was similar to previous years, with the majority of people having been teaching for more than 15 years. The trend of recent years for a reduction in the proportion of teachers with less than five years’ experience continues. This might suggest a drop in the number of new teachers entering the sector, though it is possible that there may be less of a propensity for younger teachers to respond to the survey.

Piano or organ is once again the most common instrument. As might be expected there were fewer woodwind teachers, though vocal teaching has maintained its popularity.

Private Teaching The number of private teachers able to do some face-to-face teaching recovered almost to pre-pandemic levels (89%), with a corresponding reduction – to 70% – in those doing remote teaching.

Median rates for face-to-face and remote teaching are now the same. It appears the concept of online teaching is now firmly established with both teachers and pupils, despite the reported difficulties in providing remote teaching such as poor connectivity and sound quality.

30

The overall median rates for private teaching increased by 6%, well above the official UK inflation rate which was 2.9% to the year ending September 2021.

In regional terms, London as usual has the highest median rate, but there has been no increase on last year’s £40 per hour. Regions outside London have caught up to varying degrees, with the West Midlands up by nearly 8% and the East of England enjoying a 13% rise. More than a third reported that they had increased rates, but many teachers did not do so due to the impact of COVID-19. Although rates are rising, some respondents noted that the pandemic had resulted in fewer opportunities, a reduction in students, or both, with a concomitant reduction in overall income.

Teachers Employed in Schools A quarter of respondents had taught as an employed teacher in a school or other educational establishment since September 2021. This was almost the same as the previous year, maintaining the 6-7% reduction on pre-pandemic levels.

The most common employer remained independent schools, still markedly higher than in pre-pandemic surveys at 42%, but there was a notable increase in the proportion of state school employees, bringing this figure back to pre-pandemic levels.

Around a third of employed teachers reported a pay rise this year. The overall median rate increased by more than 10% to £33.85 per hour, although this figure may be explained by the large increase in proportion of respondents working in London. As expected, rates continue to be higher in independent schools than state schools, by around £6 per hour, and rates remain lower in music services and hubs. 36% expect their rates to increase over the next year.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | LEGAL & BUSINESS

In terms of pupil numbers, the majority taught between 12 and 50 children with a median of 26. These figures are almost exactly the same as in the last survey, which in turn was similar to 2019, suggesting that the pandemic has not had a long-lasting impact on pupil numbers, despite a number of comments about fewer opportunities for music lessons at school, restrictions on groups and more time being needed between individual lessons to sanitise equipment.

Self-employed Visiting Teachers 185 respondents had worked in schools as selfemployed visiting teachers since September 2021, 34% of the total number of people completing the survey, slightly up on last year. Of those, 40% had worked in independent schools and 40% in state schools. Fees in independent schools were much higher, with a median rate of £40 per hour with state schools at £33 per hour. The median rate across all establishments was £36, an increase of almost 6%.

About half of visiting teachers were located in London and the South East of England, with no other region having more than 10% of the total. Just under half of self-employed teachers had conducted teaching remotely, either instead of or in addition to face-to-face teaching. Almost all charged the same rate, regardless of the delivery method.

Just over 35% of self-employed teachers reported an increase in hourly rates. Where given, pay uplifts were fairly modest, at £1 per hour median increase.

34% expect rates to increase in the next academic year and it is notable that approximately half of those who expect to see a rate increase are those who also received an increase this year. In contrast, about two-thirds of those whose pay stalled this year are pessimistic about an increase by September 2022.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic The results suggest that for some teachers, rates have increased above inflation. Others did not feel able to increase their fees during the pandemic, citing concerns about suppressing demand at a time when many people were struggling financially. 193 people answered the question about payment if a student in an educational establishment was required to isolate.

Of these, 69% were still paid. 118 people responded to the question about payment if a whole class was required to isolate – of these 55% were still paid.

In terms of pupil numbers, the majority of school-employed teachers taught between 12 and 50 children with a median of 26, with self-employed visiting teachers a median of 18. These figures are almost exactly the same as in the last survey, which in turn was similar to 2019, suggesting that the pandemic has not had a long-lasting impact on pupil numbers, despite a number of comments about fewer opportunities for music lessons at school, restrictions on groups and more time being needed between individual lessons to sanitise equipment.

Comments indicated that other restrictions on teaching in education establishments were as might be expected. Some teachers conducted their own risk assessments and implemented changes to their routine accordingly. No one reported that they were obliged to take lateral flow tests or confirm their vaccination status.

For more information on our survey and to read the full report visit our website at ism.org Alex Naylor will be presenting a webinar on the fees survey, see ism.org/professional-development/ webinars for more information.

As with teachers employed by schools, the figures show that the median number of pupils remains steady at 18, despite some comments about loss of pupils by teachers.

Accompanists and examiners As last year, opportunities for accompanying work were restricted at times due to lockdown and other measures, with remote options less feasible than for teaching. Less than 20% of survey respondents reported that they had done accompanying work and just 5% had worked as examiners. Median rates ranged from £33.50 per hour for grades 1-4, up to £50 per hour for organists in church.

12% of the sample – the same proportion as last year – had work streamed online, with only half of those reporting that they had received a fee.

31

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS We welcome your brief news (max. 150 words) and high-res images. Please email mj@ism.org The next deadline for copy is 28 March 2022 for the May/June 2022 issue

Anthony Gilbert, who will be 88 this year, has just self-published, via LifeBook, a short autobiography firstly roberthowardmusic.co.uk dealing with his early life, then the subsequent 60 years as a published Despite the ongoing limitations imposed New approach to a musical composer – a lesson in survival, by the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Robert love affair perhaps? Some works are discussed Howard had a productive 2021. in some detail, but not analysed in Trio of Devotion, a novel by Back in June, the Prescot Festival of depth, so only one musical example Christopher Morley FISM about the Music & the Arts (of which Robert is (his first piece) is shown, but quite a relationship between Robert and Artistic Director and Founder), took few photos illustrate his life. Funding Clara Schumann and Brahms, has place in hybrid form, with a mixture for this project was generously made recently been published by Brewin of in-person events and online arts available by the Ida Carroll and the Books Ltd (£6.95). Founded on all the and music.

Pitfield Trusts. Copies can be obtained factual details Chris has researched, it free of charge from gilbertcomp@ In August, Robert was interviewed begins with Robert’s courtship of Clara btinternet.com, though meeting the as part of the Prescot Makers and under the more than disapproving eye postage cost would be welcome.

Players project, in association of her father Friedrich Wieck, continues The title is Kettle of Fish, a categorisation with Imaginarium Theatre and through the Schumanns’ fecund sometimes offered to his idiom.

Knowsley Council. The resulting marriage, its happiness increasingly short film features clips of Prescot blighted by Robert’s mental condition, Parish Church Choir, of which Robert and then, after his death in an asylum, Some news from the South East coast is associate director, singing his Clara’s increasing dependence upon choral work For Mary, Mother of Our Robert’s favourite student, Johannes Lord, with conductor David Kernick.

Brahms. The legacy of Clara’s own The film is available to view at pupils is explored, reaching well into imaginariumtheatre.co.uk the 20th century. Interest has already been expressed in expanding Trio of September saw several performing Devotion into a film. All profits from groups resume – Robert returned this book will be donated to the to conducting the Phoenix Concert Gwyn WIlliams Bursary for young Orchestra, giving monthly bassoon string players. performances with the Liverpool Bach Collective, playing principal Anthony Gilbert puts his bassoon with the Liverpool Mozart musical life into words Orchestra and directing a variety of choirs, orchestras and live events at St Edward’s College (Choir School to Tenor Greg Tassell writes: ‘I recently Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral). put on two charity recitals with the marvellous pianist John Harper to raise In December, South Liverpool Orchestra money for the Afghanistan appeal, celebrated its 45th anniversary and I’m pleased to say we raised over and Robert’s 10th anniversary as £600, all of which was donated to the conductor. Prescot Festival held its first Bridge to Unity charity, formerly called large-scale event since March 2020, Ems4Afghans, which helps provide with the Mayor of Prescot’s Charity refugees with clothes, equipment and Christmas Concert. Tenor David Kernick everyday items which they cannot premiered Robert’s new setting of Ave afford. St Andrew’s Church, Deal and Maria, with the composer at the piano.

St Andrew’s Church, Broadstairs were Robert’s compositions (nearly 200 the two venues and rather splendidly a

Productivity despite the pandemic for Robert Howard

32

titles) are available for perusal and purchase via sheetmusicplus.com

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

local artist, Andrew Feltham, sketched a live drawing mid-recital of the two of us in action. The concert included previously unperformed music by the now sadly deceased composer (and former pianist to Harry Secombe) Robert Docker. His daughter came to watch and gave me a copy of a carol she found in the attic, which I used in my Christmas concert later that month with Thanet Chamber Choir.

On the back of this we have been invited to perform at the Deal Festival this summer which we are very much looking forward to.

Contemporary Grooves for Guitar Ensemble Mucky Herbert Music has published Contemporary Grooves for Guitar Ensemble by James Bradford, in its Quintessence series.

James, a guitar teacher with many years of experience, has written these exciting guitar ensemble pieces specifically for students.

Book 1 is currently available as a digital download from muckyherbertmusic.com/product/ quintessence-contemporarygrooves-for-guitar-ensemblebook-1/ Alternatively, printed copies can be pre-ordered by email at info@ muckyherbertmusic.com muckyherbertmusic.com

Compose Yourself!

The UK online composing festival for young pianists has launched for the second year. Its aim: to encourage and support creativity in our young music students!

Winners in the competitive category will receive music books and gift vouchers.

Each set comes with a full score for the teacher and a set of individual parts.

The latest resource for I Can Compose is a Women’s History Month Listening Calendar celebrating the music of 32 diverse female composers (the Boulanger sisters share a day!), writes director Rachel Shapey.

At the heart of this resource is a vision to get students discovering and listening to a range of composers – the calendar features a variety of nationalities, musical styles, eras, LGBTQ+ and disabled musicians.

A QR code or weblink directs listeners to the dedicated Spotify playlist where all the suggested pieces can be found in one place.

Co-founded by composer Alison Mathews, and supported by Trinity College London and Editions Musica Ferrum, we invite entries in the competitive or non-competitive categories from pianists aged five to 18 by 1st July.

Every entrant will receive an encouraging comment sheet from our Book 1 (Intermediate) contains panel of adjudicators, a certificate, four pieces, written in modern, and a digital Trinity Theory Workbook. contemporary styles, including blues, rock and world music. These pieces are To inspire them further, all entrants ideal for end-of-term school or college will be able to download a piece of music from a selection of leading concerts! educational composers.

James Bradford says: ‘These pieces are tried and tested, not only to engage students but also to teach important ensemble-playing skills.’

New resource from I can Compose

composeyourself.net has information on registration and entry, as well as free, engaging resources to support teachers and inspire students.

Please do visit and follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

The A4 calendar is free to download from icancompose.com/WHM and an A2 full colour poster is available to order (UK only).

MÉTIER releases Edward Cowie’s Where song was born Edward Cowie is one of the most notable voices in contemporary music and considered by many to be the greatest living composer directly inspired by the natural world.

A recording of the second of his Bird Portraits cycles, Where song was born, for flute and piano, performed

by Sara Minelli (flute) and Roderick Chadwick (piano), will be released on the Métier label on 11 March.

Featuring 24 iconic birds of Australia, it is another important addition to the Continued overleaf È

33

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

contemporary chamber repertoire.

Sara Minelli and Roderick Chadwick are exceptionally gifted performers, in tune with the music of today, and perform with magnificent dexterity and virtuosity, with Sara’s extended breathing techniques wonderfully evoking the highly varied sounds of the beautiful birds featured.

aspects of conducting (with interactive elements), case studies which spotlight a wide range of genres from the Classical period to Contemporary Music and Jazz, and advice from early career conductors, established conductors, and industry specialists like orchestral leaders and agents.

ConductIT can also be integrated by tutors into existing conducting programmes.

Conductit.eu

This new release will benefit from the success and glowing reviews of previous Cowie albums, including these remarks on Bird Portraits:

November 2020, and performed it live in June 2021 in Birmingham Town Hall with Hayagriva for ensemble. BCMG programmed Wheeling Past the Stars again in Birmingham Hippodrome in November 2021, and filmed Hayagriva for an online launch on 19 December 2021 conducted by Geoffrey Paterson.

BCMG Artistic Director Stephan Meier and Param Vir discussed Hayagriva in an online interview before the YouTube premiere. BCMG will perform Hayagriva in April at the Weiwuying International Music Festival in Taiwan. bcmg.org.uk

New YouTube films promote Music for Mind, Body and Soul Film premiere of Param Vir’s Hayagriva with BCMG

‘A major composition ... a musical language that is unique. Revelatory.’

MusicWeb International ‘Highly original … vivid evocations.’

New Classics divineartrecords.com edwardcowie.com

Geraldine Allen and Sarah Rodgers have been commissioned by a Norfolk-based arts and wellbeing organisation, Home Stage, to produce a four-part series on Music for Body, Mind and Soul. Together with pianist Brenda Blewett, Geraldine performs a range of clarinet works starting with Spanish Sonata composed for her by Sarah and including music by Bliss and Edward German.

Free international resource to support conducting studies ConductIT, an online resource to support the study of conducting, was launched at the end of November 2021. It is completely free thanks to €436,000 of Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership funding, writes Alexander Webb, conductor, arranger and PhD Student at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), one of the content authors for the resource.

A collaboration between the RNCM (UK), University of Stavanger (Norway), University of Aveiro (Portugal), and the Open University (UK), it contains more than 200 webpages, over 1000 PDF downloads, 200+ specially created videos and is the most comprehensive resource of its kind for conductors at all stages of their career. The material is organised into four key areas which provide information on the technical

34

Composer Param Vir has had a long and fruitful creative relationship with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group since they commissioned and toured his The Theatre of Magical Beings in 2003. Constellations followed in 2010. BCMG cocommissioned and premiered Raga Fields, his concerto for Sarod and ensemble, with Klangforum Wien (Vienna) and Fulcrum Point New Music Projects (Chicago) in 2014. BCMG livestreamed Vir’s song cycle for soprano and cello Wheeling Past the Stars in

Music for Body, Mind and Soul promotes the benefits of deeper listening or whole-person listening. The series goes out as Youtube premieres on the four Fridays through February at 7.00pm and is available for catch-up on YouTube thereafter. To find out more, go to the Home Stage promotional page at home-stage.co.uk/ body-mind-and-soul

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

New music and musicianship degree in Lincoln

understanding, creativity, and the rigorous musicianship skills needed to be an effective and employable musician in the 21st century.

Dr Clare Wheat-Gooing and Jonathan Gooing have created a brand new three-year BA(Hons) Music and Musicianship undergraduate degree course at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln. The aim is to offer each music student a course that develops general musical knowledge,

A bursary of £300 is also being offered to students in their third year who wish to study for a recognised music diploma or equivalent. The course offers a firm grounding for a range of future careers and leads seamlessly on to the university’s PGCE Secondary Music qualification, should this be

Edmond Fivet CBE FISM

had only recently retired after 13 years and 40 concerts, frequently including the work of new, young composers alongside standard choral repertoire; and the Prometheus Orchestra, which he created in 2008 along with his wife Elizabeth and Pam Munks.

ISM member since 1990 12/02/1947 – 01/11/2021

Edmond Fivet CBE was Principal of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) from 1989 to 2007.

Previously he had been Director of the Helena Gaunt, Principal of RWCMD, Junior Department of the Royal College paid the following tribute: of Music, London.

‘Edmond Fivet CBE was an extraordinary man of real warmth, with a great Under his leadership the college became a member of the University of sense of humour and a lifelong commitment to the nurturing of Wales, opened a junior department, acquired and reimagined the Anthony young artists. He was a dynamic principal whose vision for the RWCMD Hopkins Centre, and was awarded public funds to support the realisation established it firmly as the national of the Dora Stoutzker Hall and Richard conservatoire of Wales.

Burton Theatre in its Bute Park, Cardiff building. The college was given Royal status by HM Queen Elizabeth II and came under the patronage of HRH The Prince of Wales.

‘He passionately believed that Wales’s unique cultural diversity made it essential to have a national conservatoire, as a beacon of excellence for the arts. We, and Wales, Dr Fivet was awarded a CBE for services owe him huge appreciation for his determination in achieving this dream. to music and education in 2008. After his retirement he remained extremely His legacy will live on through the active in Suffolk as musical director of generations of artists who continue to learn, work and grow here every day.’

Aldeburgh Music Club, from which he

an avenue that students wish to pursue. The first students enrolled in September 2021. For further information please visit bishopg. ac.uk/course-subjects/music or contact the Programme Leader, Dr Clare Wheat-Gooing at Clare.Gooing@bishopg.ac.uk

Mildred Bettley ARCM, FISM 10/04/1932 – 25/12/2021 ISM member since 1976 A family tribute Mildred Bettley, pianist and teacher, passed away peacefully on 25 December 2021. Born in Warrington, Cheshire, she trained in piano and singing at the Northern School of Music (co-forerunner of the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester) from 1956 to 1961 under some of the most renowned music educators of the day. In 1978, she moved to Sidmouth in Devon and became a passionate private piano teacher, specialising in beginners and building her reputation upon encouraging all-round musicianship from the very outset. Music – her ‘golden thread’ – sustained her to the very end.

Obituaries: We are sorry to announce the deaths of the following members: Mr Lance Baker FISM of Surrey

Mr Robert Pell FISM of West Yorkshire

Mrs Mildred Bettley ARCM FISM of Devon

Angela Sellwood FISM of Gloucestershire

Miss Ann Blake FISM of Hemel Hempstead

Elaine M Smith FISM of Norfolk

Yvonne Ellis FISM of Scunthorpe

Mr Barry Waterfield MISM of Leicester

Mr Edmond Fivet CBE FISM of Suffolk

Cynthia M Watson of Lincoln

Mr Paul Frowde FISM of Surrey

35

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

LOCAL AREA EVENTS Classified advertising Full listings can be found on our website, ism.org. The next deadline for copy is 28 March for the May/June 2022 issue Sunday 24 April 2022 Oxford Music and Dyslexia 3pm, Magdalen College School, Cowley Place, Oxford OX4 1DZ

A talk by Sally Daunt (Chair, BDA Music Committee) Come and hear an expert cast some light on the problems and rewards of teaching music to dyslexic pupils.

The talk will be followed by refreshments.

Admission: £6 ISM members and concessions, £8 non-members Contact: Carolyn King 01235 522774 carolyn2king@btinternet.com

HOW TO BOOK: please send advertisement copy with payment (cheques payable to the ‘Incorporated Society of Musicians’ or T: 020 7221 3499 with credit card details) to the ISM, 4–5 Inverness Mews, London W2 3JQ or email mj@ism.org. Copy date by 28 March 2022 for the May/June 2022 issue.

PRIVATE AND TRADE 50p per word, minimum £5. Advertisements from ISM members are half-price (i.e. 25p per word, minimum £2.50).

Name, address and contact details must be paid for if included. Box numbers £2 extra. Prices include VAT. A series of six or more identical insertions qualifies for 10% discount.

French horns, several from £150.

01747 828552

Double bass Paesold concert model 590. Excellent condition cost £3k plus in 1997, £750 ONO 01747 828552

Various brass, woodwind and stringed instruments for sale and/or Double bass shipping case, VGC. Any offers. 07974 412269 rental. 07974 412269 Tuba! Besson 928 EEb. £3750.

Student cellos, mostly German, various sizes, from £100. 07974 412269 07974 412269 Bassoons several. 07974 412269

COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK

Join us at our Professional Development Days in 2022 March 20 TAUNTON Helen Porter Crossing Genres – Bel Canto to Jazz

Thank you for your continued support and assistance.

April 3 LEEDS Jennifer John

Lise Mitchell Noble, ISM member since 2020

Riffing and Improvisation Across Genres

April 30 BIRMINGHAM Melanie Mehta S(pr)inging into Singing

Thank you for freezing the membership fee for another year.

I’m thankful for the support and community provided by the ISM, and proud to be a member.

May 15 WINCHESTER Charles MacDougall, Anne Bradley & Kate Gildea No dots? No problem!

Anna Nicolaus, ISM member since 2017

Thank you so much Paul for sharing your incredible knowledge, experiences and ideas. As always so inspiring and fruitful presentation.

Thanks so much Paul – a burst of sunshine and inspiration at the end of a busy teaching day!

Thank you, very thought-provoking Attendees at the ISM Trust webinar Unconditional Teaching

Find out more and book online at FurtherCIO details & sign up 1190787 registered number www.aotos.org.uk www.aotos.org.uk

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS We welcome your brief news (max. 150 words for platinum and gold members, max. 100 words for silver members) and good high-res images. Please email mj@ism.org. The next deadline is 28 March 2022 for the May/June 2022 issue

Music Teacher’s Board The Music Teacher’s Board (MTB) is excited to announce the launch of the ‘Have A Go’ project in partnership with the London Mozart Players (LMP). Centred around MTB’s PreGrade Introductory exams, ‘Have A Go’ is a collaborative project designed to provide support for those wanting to play a new instrument. This has been organised as part of the LMP’s 100K Challenge, aiming to give 100,000 young people opportunity to access the arts. MTB’s Pre-Grade Introductory is an entry-level exam, requiring candidates to perform three short pieces and some basic technical exercises. Players from LMP have provided guidance and tips on how to approach these grades for the instruments featured in the project, in the form of supporting videos, and the full orchestra has also recorded backing tracks for recital pieces featured on MTB’s Pre-Grade Introductory syllabuses. Learn more about the recorded accompaniments, instructional videos and instrument discounts we have provided here: mtbexams.com/2022/01/11/ lmp-mtb-have-a-go-project/

Stainer & Bell Ltd The History Express 10 songs for primary schools and yyouth choirs Time-travelling backwards from the Ti In Invention of the Internet to the Big B Bang, this upbeat new collection from St Stainer & Bell is an irresistible and jo joyful celebration of Music and History, lo loaded with extra cross-curricular

applications for STEM subjects.

With catchy music and humorous poems by acclaimed collaborators Russell Hepplewhite and Helen Eastman, this flexible book is a brilliant resource for specialist and nonspecialist teachers alike, with short notes on the lyrics, piano backing tracks (via QR codes), and suggestions for group and class discussion.

Each individual song is also available as a separate download resource, with the music, melody sheet and lyric sheet, plus additional QR codes for helpful melody teach tracks. stainer.co.uk/d113

The English Folk Dance and Song Society The English Folk Dance and Song Society is taking bookings for free National Youth Folk Ensemble Open Days in May. Instrumentalists aged 12–18 will come together in Manchester (22 May) Exeter (30 May), and London (31 May) to join a band for the day, develop creativity, play by ear and learn from inspiring professional musicians. No folk experience is required, and travel bursaries may be available. efdss.org/youthfolk

Oxford University Press An inspirational new series of pieces for TTBB voices: In the deep In the deep presents a varied selection of choral repertoire for tenors and basses, including school, college, community, and church ensembles. Featuring pieces in two to five parts, with or without piano accompaniment, the series offers authentic re-scorings of well-known works alongside imaginative material written specially for TB forces.

From traditional a cappella to modern concert material, the repertoire provides programming solutions for inspiration, refreshment, and reflection. oup.com/academic/category/ arts-and-humanities/sheet-music/ choral/

Portsmouth Music Hub Portsmouth Music Hub has launched a five-year music inclusion strategy aiming to develop equality, diversity and inclusion across the Hub and creating more diverse musical opportunities for children and young people across Portsmouth.

The Hub has received funding from Youth Music to develop its inclusion practice. Following a city-wide needs analysis, it has received some extremely useful feedback from many sectors of Portsmouth’s diverse community including what musical inclusion really means, identified barriers children and young people face accessing music and the most popular music genres for Portsmouth’s children and young people.

Continued overleaf È

37

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

The Hub is determined to raise awareness of the city’s strong historic foundations in the arts and culture to inspire today’s children and young people and its future generations to enjoy music, experience its numerous benefits and raise awareness of music as a possible career. portsmouthmusichub.org

Trinity College London This is Trinity: Arts Resources to Inspire your Teaching Trinity College London has launched a brand new, topic-based arts resource: This is Trinity. It is specifically designed to provide support, advice and inspiration for teaching and assessment in the arts.

It addresses a wide range of content from across Trinity’s product suite of music, drama and Arts Award and brings together the most relevant information on a specific theme.

individually-tailored programme for future composers, lyricists, writers, choreographers and creators. Finally, MA Dramaturgy, delivered in close partnership with Leeds Playhouse.

With collaboration and individual artistry at the heart of all the new MAs, students will leave fully equipped to adapt to the changing face of the industry, and with the skillset and tenacity required to drive that change. leedsconservatoire.ac.uk

Monthly updates

Faber Music Pioneering an inspirational new approach, leading educational author Paul Harris aims to positively transform the future of teaching.

In his new book Unconditional Teaching, Harris explores his personal experiences, encouraging transformative self-reflection amongst readers of all ages. He details that traditional methods block effective teaching flow and learning, resulting in negative experiences for all.

Following on from his successful webinar with the ISM Trust, Harris’s approach will help you to create a new environment, in which positivity prevails and your students are independently motivated. Out now from Faber Music and available to buy from all good retailers and online.

38

Every month there will be a focus on a key topic from the world of music, drama and the wider arts, such as SEND, primary music making and progression and industry development. A carefully curated collection of easily accessible resources, such as webinars, PDFs, videos and blogs will explore different aspects of the topic. In January we focused on ‘Embracing digital’.

Steinberg Dorico 4 is here to supercharge your workflow

Steinberg recently announced the release of Dorico 4, a major new version of their music notation and composition software for macOS Visit: learn.trinitycollege.co.uk/ and Windows. Every member of this-is-trinity the family, from the free Dorico for iPad and Dorico SE, through the mid-range Dorico Elements, to the flagship Dorico Pro, is refreshed with powerful new workflows. Dorico 4 is packed with powerful new features such as Key Editor in Write mode, Smart MIDI import, Polyphonic MIDI Leeds Conservatoire transcription, Insert mode scope, on-screen keyboard, fretboard and Leeds Conservatoire has launched drum pads and more, designed to a new MA in Musical Direction. accelerate your workflow and make it Starting in September 2022, the course quicker and easier than ever to go from is designed to fully prepare highlyinspiration to finished product. If you’re skilled musicians to embark upon a composer, arranger or orchestrator, a career as a musical director. With you’ll be delighted by the sophisticated tailored one-to-one classes, students new tools on offer – and there are will hone their musicianship, and will improvements across the whole also work alongside key practitioners, application, whatever your focus. To companies and industry professionals download a 30-day free trial of Dorico 4 from across the North. visit steinberg.net/dorico/trial/ The programme is part of a suite of four new masters degrees at Leeds Conservatoire rooted in the theatre industry. MA Musical Theatre Company will give performers high-quality postgraduate training.

MA Musical Theatre Creatives is an

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS) 2022 programme Our in-person Sunday Area Days are now up and running. You don’t have to be a member to come along. Prices range between £40-60 for members and £80 for non-members – if you bring a guest you each pay £40.

South West: 20 March Crossing Genres Helen Porter North: 3 April Exploring Blues, Jazz and Soul Jennifer John Central: 30 April S(pr)inging into Speaking Melanie Mehta South East: 15 May No Dots? No Problem!

Charles MacDougall/Anne Bradley/ Kate Gildea

Composers. Associate Professor in Music and Creative Industries Richard Osborne has won further funding from the Intellectual Property Office for research following up the Creators’ Earnings project reported on in September 2021. Meanwhile, music students are enjoying the return of performance activity – both internally and externally – and collaborations within and across the artforms.

Interdisciplinary collaborative projects this term include a Performance Art evening at Open Ealing arts centre (February), and a spring dance festival on campus in May. mdx.ac.uk/courses/ performing-arts/music

Middlesex University In staff successes: Jazz lecturer Nikki Iles won a British Composer Award in her category for The Caged Bird, commissioned by the International Society of Jazz Arrangers and

Left: Nicola Benedetti Photo: Simon Fowler

NCO of Great Britain launch 2022 programme

The European Piano Teachers Association

epta-uk.org

The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) welcomed the Benedetti Sessions back to Wales in February. Nicola Benedetti ran a series of her inspirational workshops, featuring some of the UK’s greatest musicians and educators supporting a range of abilities, from beginners through to instrumental teachers.

Aiming to inspire fun, enjoyment, togetherness and ‘a true abandonment of caution’, RWCMD students joined the Benedetti team to connect dance, rhythm, harmony, bass and improvisation.

National Children’s Orchestras (NCO)

NCO 2022 will bring together There is never a better time to become remarkable young musicians aged a member! Do check our webpages for 8-14 in three National Symphony Orchestras for residential orchestral all the latest information. activity and in four regional Projects aotos.org.uk ensembles for non-residential orchestral weekends.

The European Piano Teachers Association (EPTA) is delighted to announce the appointment of Aaron Shorr as the new EPTA UK Chair. Aaron Shorr is currently head of the keyboard department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and is also known for his international performing career and his work as an educator. EPTA UK is looking forward to working with its new Chair in supporting all its members.

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama

The residency weekend opened with a performance from Nicola and The Foundation Orchestra, a unique ensemble of professional musicians, instrumental teachers, and young professionals, leading into a weekend of inspirational and immersive events for young string players of Wales. rwcmd.ac.uk benedettifoundation.org

The NCO 2022 programme will provide exceptional in-person orchestral coaching and will expand and enrich musical learning with complementary digital activities.

London College of Music Examinations London College of Music Examinations’ (LCME) Drum Kit Syllabus 2022 offers drummers the chance to master the essential skills necessary to excel at their instrument.

Members will develop their playing and musical experiences, work with incredible tutors, artists and conductors, Specially commissioned pieces have make friends and have fun! been written by respected teachers In the spring, conductors include and session musicians, with a greater Jonathan Bloxham, George Jackson, focus on exploring the variety of Rob Hodge, Rebecca Miller, Chloe musical styles and challenges met Rooke, Holly Mathieson and Caroline by the developing percussionist.

Hobbs-Smith and guest artists Nate Candidates can delve into a range of Holder, Aaron Akugbo, Jess Gillam and musical genres from pop and rock to Katie Stillman.

Latin, marches and funk. Reference points, hints and tips have been nco.org.uk

Continued overleaf È

39

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

introduced in detailed guides to help with practice and preparation. With no requirement to choose pieces from set lists, the syllabus offers freedom for candidates to present a varied p g p programme of pieces.

and we offer two months free* when you take out a policy online. Find out more about our musical insurance by visiting allianzmusic.com *Two months free only applicable when you buy a policy online. For the first year you will only make 10 payments. Subject to minimum premium and not valid in conjunction with other offers.

2023. If you’re a creative musician with experience working with young people, AYM wants to hear from you. Candidates will be open to new approaches and committed to helping young people overcome their barriers in fulfilling their musical potential.

For more information: a-y-m.org.uk/ how-we-help/identifying-talent/

Charanga

Right photo: Snaprockandpop

LCME exams can be taken remotely from anywhere in the world via online and recorded assessments, which are offered alongside our inperson exams. See our website for further details: lcme.uwl.ac.uk

Music Education Solutions The sixth annual national Music Education Solutions Curriculum Music Conference takes place in Birmingham on 18th March this year, and will be available to watch online both live and on demand for 14 days after the event. Featuring sessions for early years, primary and secondary teachers, and with a keynote speech from the ISM’s Deborah Annetts, this event will inspire all aspects of your curriculum music teaching practice!

Tickets and further information can be found at: musiceducationsolutions. co.uk/our-events/

Charanga launches cutting-edge secondary school platform Charanga has launched Charanga Secondary, a new music education programme for secondary schools, featuring: • interactive resources for popular curriculum themes • an integrated, full-featured DAW and app suite to support students’ creative work

Impulse Music Consultants Let’s make 2022 a year for women in music!

As professional musicians and founders of both Impulse Music • online workspaces to extend Consultants and the online classical teaching and learning beyond music sales platform tutti.co.uk, over the classroom our careers we have both encountered Students can use Charanga’s YuStudio obstacles to progress through being DAW to record and produce music women write Geraldine Allen and online via their browser, share their Sarah Rodgers. However, it has never tracks and projects securely within the stopped us in our tracks or deflected Charanga learning platform, and more. us from our musical aims. At Impulse we welcome every musician who Visit Charanga’s website for more wants to make an impact and, in terms information and a free trial. of gender, our representation shows charanga.com a good balance; but we especially want to encourage and champion women musicians. Through our Allianz Musical Insurance consultation service we can help to Protect your instruments and bring about focus, build confidence equipment with the UK’s No.1 musical and find opportunities for developing instrument insurer. Our specialist all the sorts of skills that musicians Awards for Young Musicians in the 21st century need in order to policies protect you as a musician and your instruments, supporting you Awards for Young Musicians is recruiting support their careers as artists. Do call while you’re performing, practising, us for advice – we are happy to have 10 new Associate Facilitators to teaching and learning. a general chat before committing to expand its Identifying Musical Talent a full consultation process. Speak to As well as accidental damage, loss and and Potential programme.

Geraldine on 01760 441441 or send us theft, our policies include unlimited The programme exists to make music a message via contact@impulseprofessional use, and optional addeducation fairer. It tackles one of the music.co.uk ons. We’ve also improved our Public biggest obstacles to talented young Liability and Personal Accident cover people’s musical progress – teachers’ this year, which you can now choose ability to identify musical potential. as a standalone insurance for an The Associate Facilitators will deliver individual or a group. training in Music Education Hubs across You can tailor our specialist policies to England, reaching 1000 teachers by suit your needs, from only £33 a year

40

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Hal Leonard Hal Leonard’s Essential Elements Music Class (EEMC) is the new online solution for primary music that everyone’s talking about. Already used by thousands of schools across North America, EEMC is arriving in the UK from March 2022. Affordable, inspiring, and simple to use, Essential Elements Music Class provides a bank of learning resources for more than 500 of the best-known songs from pop, film, and musical theatre. Popular songs that children know and love, appropriately arranged and bursting with interactive tools such as lyric videos, backing tracks, and printable notation to engage school choirs, assemblies, and classroom music-making.

that covers all-round musical skills.

The new repertoire lists and Practical Grades are available for use in exams now with full details at abrsm.org/sfmt

Association of English Singers & Speakers

The Association of English Singers & Speakers (AESS) encourages young aspiring professionals, when communicating English words through songs and speech, to do so with clarity, understanding and imagination. Finals of the AESS’s Courtney Kenny award for singers aged 18 – 23 take place on 6 March, finals of the Timothy West and Prunella Scales Speech Prize on 9 April and finals of the Patricia Routledge National Singing Competition In addition, EEMC also offers readymade, fully customisable classroom on 21 June 2022. We welcome new members who are passionate about music lessons for ages 6–11 and communication. Members can advertise digital whole-class instrumental events on our website, attend our methods, as well as a host of AGM and dinner, attend all finals and interactive learning tools such as a take part in members’ events. virtual music-book library, classical Full details aofess.org.uk listening maps, and classroom playlists. With whole-school access at only £99 per year, EEMC offers Trybooking.com affordable access to hundreds of You might be starting to plan your popular song resources to enhance singing strategies, and so much more! next concert?

You can sign up for updates on EEMC’s We make online ticketing simple progress at eemusicclass.co.uk to do for any size or type of concert.

ABRSM More Musical Theatre inspiration ABRSM’s Singing for Musical Theatre syllabus now provides even more choice and inspiration for learners. The repertoire lists have been expanded with additional songs at every grade offering an exciting variety of styles and composers, from West Side Story to new shows like Hamilton and Six. Practical Grades 6 to 8 are also now available for more advanced singers looking for a face-to-face exam, with specially-designed supporting tests that reflect real-life skills. With a full range of Performance and Practical Grades on offer, learners have a choice at every level, whether they want a performance-focused exam assessed through a video or a face-to-face exam

Big Bang Music Big Bang Music are looking forward to a super-positive year, encouraging musicians worldwide to #makemusic2022!

We are delighted with the success of the ‘BOOX’ series, created in partnership with the award-winning teaching team at Hot House Music.

The team conceptualised, created, and commercialised the ‘BOOX’ during lockdown.

The ‘BOOX’ are available on Amazon stores around the world, with Kindle editions being accessible for free!

It is with great excitement that the team are working on additional ‘BOOX’, as well as publishing incredible arrangements, providing affordable instruments, producing educational videos with world-class musicians and much more in 2022!

Email: support@ bigbangsheetmusic.co.uk

Composers Edition

At Composers Edition we know that working with composers and contemporary repertoire can be incredibly rewarding for all kinds of musicians, from leisure-time choirs to professional chamber musicians.

Our system is easy to use, with very If you are at all curious about low booking fees. We are also free programming or even commissioning, to use for all free concerts.

Composers Edition’s Isa Gibbs is standing by to help you find the right Our Socially Distanced Seating Plan work and answer any questions you enables your audience and guests to might have. Email Isa at ceclub@ confidently book seats at your composersedition.com or drop her performance. No matter the size or a line via our website – she’d love to shape of the venue, our seating plan hear from you! Do also check our new is very easy to set up, and fun to create. website for inspiration and handy tips Add reserved seats, add disabled on programming and commissioning seats and block seats and rows for and our new search facility at socially distancing. composersedition.com.

You can also decide how many seats will automatically block out next to booked seats – as few as one, or up to five seats can be blocked.

All details here: learn.trybooking.com/hc/en-us/ articles/900003851466-Sociallydistanced-reserved-seating-plansblocked-seats

41

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

to consolidate learning and offer an extra layer of fun.

We are very grateful to all our corporate members for their support.

Stay tuned …

PLATINUM CORPORATE MEMBERS Sign up to our newsletter at collins.

GOLD CORPORATE MEMBERS

co.uk/music and follow us on Twitter

ABRSM

NMC Recordings

Classic FM Collins Music Henri Selmer Paris

Allianz Musical Insurance

Portsmouth Music Hub

Hal Leonard Europe Ltd

Printed Music Licensing Limited

Impulse Music Consultants International School of Musicians London College of Music Examinations Middlesex University Music Mark

Insure4Music

Lark Music

Leeds Conservatoire

London College of Music

Rocksteady Music School

The Royal Central School Of Speech & Drama The Royal Philharmonic Society

Trinity College London

Music Teachers’ Board musicteacher.com National Preparatory School Orchestras Open College of the Arts Oxford University Press Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Stainer & Bell Ltd Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH Take it away The Academy of Music & Sound The Curious Piano Teachers

Mark Allen Group

Victoria College Exams

The Piano Teachers’ Course UK Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance

Newmoon Insurance Services

Yamaha Music Europe GmbH (UK)

Tutti University of St Andrews VLT Legal Services Ltd Voice Study Centre

For further information about our different levels of corporate membership and a full list of over 180 corporate members, visit ism.org.

42

Extraordinary music Expert guides

No. 75 • September 2021 www.international-piano.com

INSIDE 12 PAGES OF

The orchestra with next level youth empowerment See page 22

EXPERT ADVICE FOR EVERY PIANO ENTHUSIAST YOUR VOICE IN MUSIC EDUCATION

VÍKINGUR

Another string to his bow

ÓLAFSSON

My struggles and success with Mozart

FREE

SHEET MUSIC

PIANO STUDIES

Moving On Together Residential Summer Conference Clare College, Cambridge 22-24 July 2022

Key courses in 2022

Sheku Kanneh-Mason on his new cello collection

Across the board

Pitting new strings exam offerings against the long-established

Time to face the music

What does the Black Lives in Music survey reveal about education?

NOBLE TRUTHS

Celebrating German pianism

PLUS PLUS

£6.50

Spanish pianist Javier Perianes on Chopin's 'Funeral March' Bach transcriptions by d'Albert from Crescendo Music Publications

SPECIAL ISSUE THE YEAR’S BEST RECORDINGS

THE WORLD’S BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC REVIEWS

A celebration of the very finest artists and albums

Est 1923 . AWARDS 2021

gramophone.co.uk

PLUS

Mary King

Roderick Williams OBE

Matthew Mills

30 9 770017 310195 UNITED KINGDOM £6.50

Many more key speakers including:

Save 20% on subscriptions with code ISM 21 ISM members can save 20% on subscriptions to leading music magazines, covering all aspects of classical music and music education.

Jono McNeil

Jenevora Williams

Richard Stokes Graham Ross Simon Toyne

Masterclasses, Vocal Health, Feldenkrais, Nutrition, Transgender Voice and so much more

MAGSUBSCRIPTIONS.COM/ISM + 44 (0)1722 716997 SUBSCRIPTIONS@MARKALLENGROUP.COM Offer includes brands published by the Mark Allen Group: Music Teacher, International Piano, Choir & Organ, Gramophone, Opera Now, Jazzwise and Songlines, plus online subscriptions to Classical Music.

Full Residential Conference now open for booking. Please join us www.aotos.org.uk

CIO registered number 1190787

Ask me a question Dani Howard Composer

I am a composer and orchestrator based in the UK, and I am really just so happy and grateful that I get to write music for a living. I was born and raised in Hong Kong, and had the most incredible range of experiences (musical and non-musical) in my childhood, and have since absolutely loved living in the UK where I completed my higher education, and have remained here to live and work. I am particularly passionate about writing orchestral music, as well as collaborating on interdisciplinary projects with artists of all kinds.

Photo: Emma Fenton

Tell us a little about yourself

What would you say is your greatest achievement to date?

It is extremely difficult to pick just one, but the first project that came to mind was the hour-long sound installation I composed Who (or what) has most influenced in 2020 for the Antoni Gaudí building in you and your career?

Barcelona, Casa Batllo. This immersive I have had a series of people I would call project was just so incredible – I feel really mentors throughout my life, starting proud to know that so many people are with my cello teacher Richard Bamping, listening to my music on a daily basis. followed by my composition teacher during It was a culmination of working with a my studies at the RCM, Jonathan Cole. number of wonderful artists, composing Both of these two individuals taught an hour of music for symphony orchestra, me nearly everything I know, and really percussion quartet and electronics, created the foundation which has allowed and having it all recorded, mixed, and me to become a musician. More recently a mastered, to create the music for their wonderful composer, Mario Grigorov, has newly launched audio-guide. [Find been a huge mentor to me, and guided out more about the building and Dani me through a range of situations and Howard’s soundtrack for public tours here: projects. It is wonderful to have people casabatllo.es/en/experience] around you who you can call with the big Who is your all-time favourite artist questions, and who give advice on areas and why? in which you simply have never had any experience. These people, among many other individuals, have really helped me navigate this extremely unique, complex, and challenging career.

I could not possibly pick a single all-time favourite unfortunately! My musical influences come from such a wide range that this would simply be impossible!

What was the last CD or music download that you purchased?

I last purchased the Hamilton soundtrack – which I LOVE. What are your plans for the future?

My big goal is to make new music more accessible to wider audiences. I would love audiences to get as excited about music by living composers as they do

by Mozart and Mahler, and I am on a mission to encourage more and more performers, organisations and promoters alike to programme more music by living composers and inspire our audiences.

Finally, what is your ISM membership to you?

ISM has been a wonderful organisation to be a part of, and it is extremely reassuring to know you have a team of people there to help if you ever need any support. I am currently working on a large contract, and it is the support of their legal team has been most useful, and it’s extremely comforting to know that my membership means I have this support.

Do you receive our email updates?

We regularly email members with the latest news, advice and guidance that music professionals need to know. If you haven’t been receiving our updates, please let us know, as it may be that we have incorrect contact details for you, or

ism.org

@ism_music

facebook.com/ISMusicians

that you have unsubscribed to our mailing list in the past.

Make sure you are subscribed by contacting our membership team on 020 7221 3499 or membership@ism.org

@ism_music

incorporated-society-of-musicians

ism_music