Music Journal - May/June 2022

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A subject in peril? The ISM report on music education

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May/June 2022

Music: A subject in peril?

10 years on from the first National Plan for Music Education March 2022

Crisis in Ukraine: The musical world responds

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Spring 2022 www.classical-music.uk

Insight and inspiration for music professionals Classical Music offers insight and inspiration for all industry professionals and lovers of classical music. Our daily subscriber newsletter brings breaking news and developments direct to your inbox each weekday morning, while our quarterly magazine and website are packed with in-depth features and opinion – from interviews with leading musicians and senior arts figures; coverage of festivals, competitions, courses and concerts; to expert guidance on funding, touring, venues and more.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022

Welcome This edition of Music Journal will reach you just days ahead of the ISM’s Member Consultation meeting and Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 7 May at the Royal Over-Seas League in London. The day includes sessions where we will be asking you for your thoughts and ideas about a wide range of issues, all focused on what the ISM offers members and what you want from us. We have run these types of meetings before and it is always really positive to hear your ideas. For this event to work we need as many ISM members to attend as possible. There will be free refreshments and lunch will be provided so please do see if you can make time in your diary to attend and be part of this important event.

Above: Deborah Annetts Photo: Emile Holba

We are aware of how difficult things continue to be for those working in music.

COVID-19 is still causing lots of problems. But of course now there is no consistent guidance from the various governments across the UK as to what we should all be doing. We will continue to offer advice in this complex area.

We will also be looking at the services we offer to see what else we can do to assist members with the cost of living crisis. If you have any specific ideas then please do drop me a line or come to the Member Consultation and AGM on 7 May so you can share these with the ISM staff team.

Front Cover Paul Whittaker OBE Photo: PBGstudios See feature on pages 20-23 Insert images: ISM Music Education Report See feature on pages 8-11 One of the musicians who played Ukrainian music in a Trafalgar Square flashmob performance in March Photo: Matthew Johnson

Lastly, at the time of writing we are still waiting for publication of the refreshed National Plan for Music Education. We have heard from those involved in the Plan (but not from the Department for Education (DfE)) that it will be published after the local elections. At the time of writing the ISM has not been involved in the drafting of the Plan, so we do not know what it contains. We do know from the ISM’s recent report Music: A subject in peril? that there are worrying levels of inequality in music education. The challenge for the Plan is whether it can make good on the Government’s promise to promote ‘equal music opportunities’.

The ISM Report also highlights the significant underfunding of music in our schools, and the continued adverse impact of accountability measures such as Progress 8 and the EBacc. One respondent, summarising the views of many, said these issues ‘have done huge damage to music in schools ... resulting in courses not running and music departments shrinking’. And of course the music teacher workforce not surprisingly wants to be consulted on the draft refreshed Plan, as was promised by the DfE back in February 2020. You can learn more about the report in our feature on page 8 and read the full ISM report at ism.org/music-in-peril So please do come to the ISM Member Consultation and AGM on 7 May at the Royal Over-Seas League in London. I look forward to seeing you there.

Contents 4 7 8 12 14 18 20 24 26 27 36

News & campaigns Professional development ISM Music Education Report Legal & business: Teachers’ Pension Scheme Crisis in Ukraine IAMA Guidelines for engagements Music and deafness News from our members Classified advertising News from our corporate members Ask me a question

Volume 89 / Number 1 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

Design: cogdesign.com Typography: marcmarazzi.com Advertising: Ruth McPherson, Senior Business Development & Events Manager T. 020 7313 9316 E. Ruth.McPherson@ism.org 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.

All ISM publications are copyright Printed by Optichrome, Woking GU21 5HX

deborah@ism.org

ISSN 0951 5135

See feature on pages 14-17

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

News & campaigns ISM releases Music: A subject in peril?

For more information about the report, see our feature on page 8

The ISM’s education report Music: A subject in peril?, published as we await the government’s refreshed National Plan for Music Education (NPME), presents the findings from a survey of music teachers across England. In the absence of any meaningful consultation with teachers on the contents of the refreshed NPME by the Department for Education (DfE), the ISM invited teachers to share their experiences and views with us directly.

More than 500 primary, secondary and peripatetic music teachers from all types of settings responded to our survey. Their responses tell a heart-breaking tale of the neglect and marginalisation of music in schools over the past decade. The report also makes recommendations based on its findings about what the government must do to address these issues.

Launching the report, ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts said: ‘I cannot overstate the importance of the ISM’s new report, Music: A subject in peril? Hundreds of music teachers took the time to tell us their experiences in the classroom and this report is an honest reflection of their experiences.

What is clear is that our music teachers are dedicated and passionate and they know what good music education is. The Department for Education must commit itself to a full consultation on the refreshed National Plan for Music Education before implementation.’

APPG for Music Education: First Session of 2022 The first session of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Music Education of 2022 took place virtually on Tuesday 1 March.

The meeting was well attended by politicians and the music education sector with just under 90 attendees in total. It was chaired by The Earl of Clancarty.

Presentations were delivered by: • Georgina Burt, England Development Manager, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) • Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive, Incorporated Society of Musicians • Phil Castang, Director of Creative Learning & Engagement at Bristol Beacon, Chair of the Music Education Council (MEC)

This is a critical time for music education, with the Read all of the speeches from the APPG on our website: refreshed National Plan for Music Education due any ism.org/news/appg-music-education-firsttime now. Although the Plan has an important part to play in the future of music education, it will not be able session-of-2022 to fix the issues which the report uncovers. We call on the DfE to adopt the recommendations of the report.

In particular we need to address the huge inequalities in music education which are rooted in inadequate funding, and there needs to be a fundamental overhaul of the accountability measures in particular Progress 8.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

Music Education Solutions conference ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts was invited to deliver the keynote speech for the recent Music Education Solutions conference on Friday 18 March at the Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham.

She covered topics including the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on music education; the upcoming refreshed National Plan for Music Education; and the need to reform accountability measures such as Progress 8. The wide-ranging speech, which was delivered to the busy conference and streamed to an online audience, also spoke of the ISM’s campaigning work and its results, up to the most recent ISM music education survey.

In conclusion, Annetts said: ‘We should remember that the creative industries are now worth more than £116 billion to the UK economy and the music industry is worth £6 billion. These industries rely heavily on the pipeline of creative talent from schools. Investing in music education ultimately results in investment in the economy, and young people deserve every opportunity to develop as musicians and join this pipeline.

Music must be central to the recovery curriculum, playing a vital role in schools helping their students to explore and express the varied emotions and challenges that they will have experienced during the pandemic, building stronger relationships and communities within schools and with families.’

Read the speech in full: ism.org/blog/ dca-keynote-mes-conference

A solution for cabotage?

The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently consulting on a solution to mitigate the cabotage rules introduced by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement in January 2021. These limit hauliers over 3.5 tonnes to a maximum of three internal movements, which is causing immense difficulties and additional costs for UK orchestras and other touring ensembles.

The DfT’s proposed solution will allow specialist events haulage companies who have established bases in both the UK and the European Union (EU) to temporarily transfer their vehicles between their respective operator licences.

The ISM has submitted a response to the consultation to explain that this solution will not assist orchestras and other touring ensembles who use a single purpose-built vehicle and their own driver for tours (called operating on ‘own account’). Instead, we have called for the UK to negotiate with the EU a cabotage exemption for the cultural and creative industries, and, as a minimum, to negotiate an exemption for specialist hauliers operating on ‘own account’.

Jacob Rees-Mogg looks for Brexit opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg was appointed as the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency on 8 February this year. The ISM is writing to ReesMogg to ask him to focus on easing the red tape that touring musicians now face post-Brexit, including merchandise rules, ATA carnets, CITES certificates and A1 forms. All these areas could be made more efficient, including streamlining the processes for producing documentation and creating much clearer government guidance for musicians touring in the EU.

Read our feature on page 18 to learn about IAMA’s international guidelines for engaging artists

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

See how the music sector has responded to the crisis in Ukraine on page 14

Spring Statement ‘missed opportunity’ to support musicians

Invasion of Ukraine Recent events in Ukraine are deeply concerning.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak delivered his Spring Statement mini-budget to the House of Commons on 23 March. It came against the backdrop of rising inflation and the fastest rising price increases for 30 years.

As a member of the ABO, the ISM supports its recent statement on the invasion, which begins:

Disappointingly, the Chancellor failed to abandon his planned VAT hike from 12.5% to 20% on ticket prices from April, which many in the industry had called for.

individuals with known allegiance to the Kremlin, and we commend their decision and endorse this approach. We do not believe it is right for the Putin regime to use art and culture to legitimise its actions.’

‘The ABO and its members are united in their condemnation of the Putin regime’s invasion of Ukraine and its violation of international law. We wish to Despite the difficulties caused by Brexit and the COVID- express our support for the people of Ukraine in their struggle to maintain the independence of their nation, 19 pandemic, the statement did not provide targeted and for the many Russian artists and leaders of cultural support for the music industry. There were no new institutions who have dared to express their concern at initiatives to support creative freelancers beyond the the aggressive actions taken by the Putin regime. changes to the point at which people start paying National Insurance. Many freelancers fell through ‘Many ABO members have already suspended or the gaps of government financial support during the discontinued cooperation, both of an artistic and COVID-19 pandemic. financial nature, with Russian institutions and

ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts said: ‘As the music sector tries its hardest to recover from Brexit and COVID-19, the Chancellor’s budget is a missed opportunity to support musicians and the music industry at this crucial time.’

Read details and full statement: ism.org/news/ spring-statement-missed-opportunity-tosupport-musicians-says-ism

The ISM sponsored ‘A Celebration of Women in Music’, a concert in support of humanitarian aid in Ukraine organised by the Federation of International Women’s Associations in London (FIWAL) and the Ukrainian Cultural Association in the UK (UCAUK), which took place on 4 March.

Ukrainian pianist and composer Alla Sirenko, ISM member and President and Founder of the UCAUK, wrote a blog about what the UCA-UK is doing to support Ukraine. Sirenko was also interviewed for Channel 4 News about organising the concert.

Read more and watch a Channel 4 news clip of the concert here: ism.org/news/ukraine ISM External affairs team, 020 7313 9312

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2022 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional development ISM Trust Teach Meets We are delighted to have had more than 200 music educators from around the country register for the ISM Trust’s recent Teach Meets. Across two sessions, we enjoyed in-depth and inspiring discussions focused on music education in early years, primary, and secondary school settings.

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.

We also heard great presentations on topics such as sustainable development, teaching techniques, composition resources, pandemic recovery, and more.

If you couldn’t attend, or want to re-watch the sessions, you can access the recordings and download the presentations at ism.org/seminars

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | ISM MUSIC EDUCATION REPORT

Music: A subject in peril?

10 years on from the first National Plan for Music Education, the ISM has published a new report providing a snapshot of the sector revealed by our recent survey and highlighting crucial issues that need to be addressed in the Plan’s much-delayed second iteration. Jodie Underhill tells us more It has been more than 10 years since the National Plan for Music Education (NPME) was published, 12 years since the introduction of the EBacc, and seven years since the introduction of Progress 8, all of which follows years of cuts to education spending.

Above: Jodie Underhill, ISM Research Associate

See the next feature to learn more about the Teachers’ Pension Scheme

Against this backdrop, the ISM has published its latest music education report. The report takes stock of music provision in England’s secondary schools and looks at what must be done to improve it. The report collates and analyses the findings from the ISM’s recent survey of music teachers in England.

Their accounts paint an honest and often sobering picture of decline and inequality in music provision across our schools. They also highlight the many wider policy issues beyond the scope of the refreshed NPME (due in Spring 2022) that need to be addressed by government if they want to ‘level up’ in music education.

falling teacher recruitment numbers and a continuing decrease in the uptake of Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 music examination courses are all contributing to an overall decline in music education.

Underpinning all this is the issue of funding.

Music is a curriculum subject and should be funded accordingly, yet real-term education spending per pupil fell 9% in the decade from 2009 to 2019, the largest cut in over 40 years4. In order to address the wider issues surrounding music education, which are outside the scope of the NPME, it is essential that the government provides adequate funding for music education to schools.

A recent report by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), Cost of the school day5, found that: ‘The cost of participating fully in musical opportunities at school is preventing pupils in low-income families from flourishing. Limited and stretched household incomes Music plays a valuable part in young people’s lives, are directly having an impact on engagement and both in the intrinsic value of studying music for its own achievement in music for young people in England.’ sake, and in its wide-ranging extrinsic benefits. As the The only way to achieve equity, accessibility and inclusion in music education is by ensuring equality of needs of employers change in the 21st century, and funding. Without this, the government’s Levelling Up businesses look for broader skills and characteristics agenda cannot succeed. such as resilience, communication, and problemsolving1, the importance of music in our schools Although beyond the scope of the refreshed becomes even more clear. Music education is also a Plan, it is vital that the government reverses the vital part of the creative pipeline that supports our devaluation of music as a curriculum subject, by world-leading creative industries, worth £116 billion to addressing the accountability measures that have the UK economy in 20192, and a valuable source of soft impacted both primary and secondary music provision. power internationally. In the challenging post-Brexit Reforming these accountability measures would go a era, soft power will be more important than ever for long way to re-establishing music’s status in schools, the UK. even without additional funding.

Yet music education in our schools has been steadily eroded over the past decade, as highlighted in the ISM’s Music Education: State of the Nation3 report in 2019. This report highlighted the significant negative impact of government policy on music education, through factors including accountability measures in secondary schools, and statutory English and maths tests in primary schools. Widening gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students, Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | ISM MUSIC EDUCATION REPORT

The refreshed NPME The NPME expired in Autumn 2020, and the refreshed NPME was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. The government carried out a Call for Evidence6 in 2020 to inform proposals for the new Plan. A press release launching the Call for Evidence on 9 February 2020 stated that the new NPME would shape the future of music education and that it would be the blueprint that would promote equal music opportunities.

A Report on the Call for Evidence7 was published in 2021. Of over 5,000 responses received from individuals and organisations, 37.9% were from parents and 35.3% were from individuals who were ‘a teacher or someone working in a school, college, music education hub or other music service’. The report showed that over a third of all respondents had not previously heard of the NPME, with the same number saying it had been ineffective in meeting its original vision.

There has been a lack of transparency surrounding the drafting of the refreshed NPME. Indeed its exact remit is unclear, although we do know from the Call for Evidence that it is unlikely to address wider policy issues such as funding and accountability measures.

We also know that an expert panel, including representatives from academies and free schools, Music Hub leaders and the wider industry, has been working on it with the Department for Education (DfE), and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). There has been no official update on the work of the panel since its announcement in August 2021.

The ISM is deeply concerned about the lack of meaningful consultation with music teachers on the contents of the refreshed NPME. This is especially important given that none of the teaching members of the advisory panel are obliged to teach the National Curriculum. In addition, the questions in the Call for

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Evidence had a narrow focus and failed to ask teachers how the NPME could be revised, ignoring the wealth of experience at their disposal from both the classroom and the peripatetic music workforce. Most importantly, the government press release of 9 February 2020 states: ‘The responses [to the Call for Evidence] and experiences put forward will help inform changes to the plan which will then be fully consulted on.’8 We have asked the DfE repeatedly to keep their promise and consult with the workforce on the refreshed NPME, and hope that they will reconsider their position urgently.

Summary of the ISM findings In order to establish the current situation of music education in our schools and to seek the views of teachers both on the impact of DfE policy and on how the NPME should be refreshed, the ISM ran a survey of classroom and peripatetic music teachers between November 2020 and January 2021.

Over 500 primary, secondary and peripatetic music teachers from all types of settings responded to the survey. The findings lay bare just how bad the situation is in our schools. They confirm that inequality in music education in England, which the NPME was meant to address, still exists – in classroom and instrumental provision, in Senior Leadership support, in the type of schools pupils attend and, most starkly, in funding.

Nearly 100% of respondents thought that music teachers should be consulted on the draft refreshed NPME before publication as originally promised by the DfE. Teachers shared their thoughts on how the NPME should be refreshed, with several themes emerging: • provide increased and ring-fenced funding for music departments and instrumental and vocal tuition • reverse the narrowing of the curriculum and reform the EBacc

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | ISM MUSIC EDUCATION REPORT

Overall, the responses provide a heartbreaking account of the neglect and marginalisation of music in schools. The report shows clearly, in teachers’ own words, what the profession wants: consultation on the contents of the refreshed NPME, increased and ring-fenced funding for music in schools, and reform of the accountability measures that have damaged their subject so badly. These findings echo those of the DfE’s own Call for Evidence and demonstrate what needs to be addressed.

1

CBI (2019) Getting young people ‘work ready’ cbi.org.uk/ media/2960/cbi_work-readiness.pdf

2 Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (2021) DCMS Economic Estimates 2019 (provisional): Gross Value Added gov.uk/government/statistics/ dcms-economic-estimates-2019-gross-value-added/ dcms-economic-estimates-2019-provisional-gross-value-added

• support the workforce • raise the status of music • make provision diverse and accessible • ensure the NPME is realistic to deliver The results also show that music education provision varies greatly, with some schools offering the bare minimum, and others offering a wealth of both classroom and extra-curricular experiences.

COVID-19 is still having a negative effect on some musical activities, mostly within primary settings, with extra-curricular ensembles and choirs still not having resumed in some schools.

3 Daubney, A., Spruce, G., Annetts, D (2019) Music Education: State of the Nation. London, UK: All-Party Parliamentary Group for Music Education, University of Sussex, Incorporated Society of Musicians. ism.org/images/images/State-of-the-Nation-Music-EducationWEB.pdf 4 Farquharson, C., Sibieta, L., Tahir, I. and Waltmann, B. (2020) 2021 annual report on education spending in England ifs.org.uk/publications/15858 5 Child Poverty Action Group (2022) The cost of the school day in England: pupils’ perspectives cpag.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/ policypost/The_Cost_of_the_School_Day_in_England_Pupils_ Perspectives_0.pdf 6 Department for Education (2020) Music education: call for evidence gov.uk/Government/consultations/ music-education-call-for-evidence 7 Department for Education (2021) Music education – Report on the call for evidence conducted February – March 2020 assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/Government/uploads/system/ uploads/attachment_data/file/1006059/Report_on_the_call_for_ evidence_on_music_education.pdf

Teachers reported that the Key Stage 3 (KS3) curriculum continues to be narrowed, mostly in academies, either through placing music on a carousel 8 D epartment for Education and Gibb, N. (2020) or rota system with other subjects, or through a New National Plan to shape the future of music education shortened KS3. They also told us overwhelmingly gov.uk/government/news/ new-national-plan-to-shape-the-future-of-music-education that accountability measures such as the EBacc and Progress 8 have caused harm to music education, both in relation to KS3 provision, KS4 subject uptake and You can download the full report Music: A Subject post-16 options. in peril? 10 years on from the first National Plan for Lack of funding for music departments came across Music Education from the ISM website here: strongly in the data. Overall, 61% of respondents said ism.org/images/images/ISM_Music-a-subject-ofthat their budget was insufficient. Our survey data peril_A4_March-2022_Online2.pdf showed that the mean yearly departmental budget in maintained schools was £1,865, while in academies See page 7 to learn how you can watch back the and free schools it was £2,152 and in independent ISM Trust’s recent Teach Meets focused on music schools £9,917. education in early years, primary, and secondary Teachers reported low per-pupil spending school settings. (in one case as low as £1 per pupil per annum) and significant budget cuts, which they felt was limiting the learning of pupils and stifling department growth.

They often had to raise additional funds through Print copies are also available from concerts, in order to provide resources for their membership@ism.org students, and in some cases paying for smaller items like drumsticks themselves.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | LEGAL & BUSINESS

Teachers’ Pension Scheme Stuart Darke and Nerys Owen look at the Teachers’ Pension Scheme for England and Wales, and how participants, including many music teachers, may be affected by recent changes to government funding for the scheme The ISM cannot give pensions advice, since it is a regulated activity, but our legal team regularly offers guidance and support in many other ways relating to pensions.

Above: Nerys Owen, Senior Legal Adviser

Above: Stuart Darke, ISM Director of Legal Services

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The Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) for teachers in England and Wales is a defined benefit scheme, based on salary and service. Unlike a defined contribution scheme, where the final amount depends on the value of investments, placing all the risk as to the eventual size of the pension pot on the prospective pensioner, TPS participants receive a guaranteed pension based on their final and/or a career average salary. There are similar schemes for teachers in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Visiting music teachers (VMTs) and peris face a unique set of challenges in relation to the TPS, stemming from their variable hours and pay and the precarious nature of their working conditions.

Problems include employers demanding that VMTs and peris enter into contracts of ‘self-employment’, shifting responsibility for pension provision entirely onto the teacher and away from the school; failure to supply accurate data to the TPS, resulting in prolonged under-payment that is difficult to track or quantify; the categorisation of VMTs as ‘tutors’ or ‘support staff’, so as to exclude them from the TPS altogether; and very low wages, often combined with working for multiple employers, resulting in inadequate retirement provision.

TPS in the independent sector Changes to the landscape of music teaching mean that VMTs and peris are disproportionately represented in the independent sector, where teachers are currently facing a particular threat, stemming from government changes to TPS funding. From September 2019, employer contribution rates under the TPS rose from 16.48% of salary to 23.68% following the 2016 TPS actuarial valuation.

The government agreed to fund the full cost of these increased contributions for state schools, local authorities, music services and music hubs, leaving independent schools to fund the increase from their own resources. By January 2022, almost 300 independent schools (around one quarter of all participating independent schools) had either already left the TPS or had informed the Department for Education of their intention to withdraw, jeopardising the pension arrangements of thousands of teachers.

Independent schools continue to consider whether to remain in the TPS especially as the fallout from the COVD-19 pandemic lingers and schools assess their finances. Some schools have told their teachers that if they are to remain in the TPS they will have to accept cuts to their current pay. Such schools have argued that they only have a finite pot of money and that the only way of remaining in the TPS is to lower pay levels for teachers. Naturally the ISM would not recommend that any music teacher offers to reduce their current pay as this will have an impact on their pension in the future, as well as meaning a pay cut during these hard financial times.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | LEGAL & BUSINESS

Phased withdrawal In another significant change to the law, since 1 August 2021 independent schools have been free to carry out a ‘phased withdrawal’, opting out of TPS participation for future staff, while allowing existing staff to remain as members. TPS participation in these schools will wither on the vine as staff change jobs or gradually retire. This change further destabilises the working conditions of new entrants to the music teaching profession, creating a two-tier workforce. It is also likely to impact on job moves between schools, as participation in the TPS becomes an increasingly premium contract term. However, there are a very small number of schools that have asked for a phased withdrawal from TPS, which shows that this might not be an option in many places.

Challenges to the TPS TPS members have a contractual right to maintain their existing pension arrangements. Just like any other contract term, pension rights can only be changed by agreement, following meaningful consultation (the employer should explore all ideas reasonably put forward by the employee’s representatives to avoid making the changes, including finding other savings). Under pensions law, that consultation must last at least 60 days. Schools have used ‘fire and rehire’ tactics where contractual changes have not been agreed. This has been countered in some schools by teachers’ trade unions taking strike action.

In most independent schools, there is no recognised trade union, and instead the employer must arrange elections for employee representatives to participate in the consultation. The employer must give employee representatives all the relevant background information they need, including accessible financial information so they can fully understand the employer’s proposals and their implications for members, and the business case as to why change is necessary.

Read our previous feature to learn more about the ISM’s education report Music: A subject in peril?

As part of such consultations ISM has seen schools propose that they should remain in the TPS until a certain date and then withdraw. Sometimes this is associated with the 2020 valuation of the TPS which may mean changes to contribution rates from April 2024. However, it is too early to say that employer contributions will increase or what an employer’s financial situation will be in two years’ time. Members would be well advised not to accept arguments that a decision should be made now about what the TPS or a school’s financial situation might look like in several years’ time.

The employer must conduct the consultation in the spirit of reaching agreement. An employer that has already made its mind up, or that seeks to limit the scope of the consultation, risks a financial penalty, known as a ‘protective award’, plus the threat of a £50,000 fine by the Pensions Regulator.

If you hear that your pension is under threat, get in touch with our legal team at legal@ism.org as soon as possible.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | CRISIS IN UKRAINE

Crisis in Ukraine Clare Stevens looks at how the musical community has been affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its aftermath ‘What is more opposite to music?’ asked the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in a speech recorded in a bunker in Kyiv and broadcast as part of the Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on 3 April. ‘The silence of ruined cities and killed people,’ was his answer to the question. ‘On our land, we are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence.’

Zelensky described how in Ukraine, ‘our musicians wear body armour instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals; even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway.’

While millions of refugees stream out of war-torn Ukraine, those who have stayed behind to defend their country against the Russian invaders include countless musicians. Song-writer and guitarist Sasha Boole told Rolling Stone magazine how he had expected to be starting a UK tour on 1 April with the folk and blues band Me and That Man, but instead found himself putting the military training he undertook as a student into practice, swapping rehearsal schedules for the discipline of army life. Ivan Kozakevich, lead singer of Ukrainian heavy metal band Sectorial, told a similar story of joining up on the day of the first Russian attack, and being sent to help defend Kyiv, meeting several fellow musicians in his military unit.

Kozakevich found room in his army kit for a few instruments, and described the relaxing or cheering effect of playing his favourite music in off-duty moments; by contrast Boole said he had tried in vain to write new songs and at first did not miss music, he missed peace. Me and That Man’s concert dates have been rescheduled until later in the summer and he was looking forward to getting back to performing after the war and, he hoped, to a surge of interest in Ukrainian music.

Left: Kharkiv Music Festival Photos: O.Osipv / Kharkiv Festival

Watching the ever more shocking pictures of genocide and destruction emerging from Ukraine, it is difficult for the rest of us to comprehend what its citizens are enduring. Many musical organisations around the world have been showing solidarity with the Ukrainian cause by performing the country’s national anthem, a setting by Mykhailo Verbytsky of

Pavlo Chubynsky’s patriotic poem ‘Shche ne vmerla Ukraina, ni slava, ni volya’ / ‘The glory and freedom of Ukraine has not yet perished’. In early March, for example, the European Concert Hall Organisation put together a film featuring the orchestras of cities throughout Europe performing the anthem, from Birmingham, Liverpool and Gateshead in the UK, to Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Stockholm, Hamburg, Lyon, Barcelona and Katowice; and the orchestra and chorus of New York’s Metropolitan Opera performed it on the opening night of Verdi’s Don Carlos.

Keen to enable performances by student and amateur musicians, ISM member Sharon Jane Sullivan has made simple arrangements for several instruments including violin, cello and viola with chord symbols for optional piano/guitar accompaniment, which are available through Sheet Music Direct with profits going to relief work.

The patriotic hymn ‘A Prayer for Ukraine’ has also been a popular choice for performance by musicians wishing to support the Ukrainian community. It was composed and published in 1885, during a time when Ukrainian language was suppressed by the government of Imperial Russia. The text was written by poet and interpreter Oleksandr Konysky and the music by composer, pianist and conductor Mykola Lysenko, who is regarded as the founder of the Ukrainian national school of composition.

ISM member Nicholas Daniel performed an instrumental version of Lysenko’s prayer with the Britten Oboe Quartet in two concerts at Hellens Manor in Herefordshire on the first weekend in March; fellow ISM member Pamela White, chairman of Hereford Choral Society, heard the performance and arranged for an a cappella version to be sung at the start of her choir’s spring concert in Hereford Cathedral the following Saturday. Singers and orchestra alike wore ribbons in the now familiar yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag, and a bucket collection at the end of the concert raised nearly £1,900 for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal.

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | CRISIS IN UKRAINE

Above (from left): English National Opera shows support for Ukraine at its London Coliseum home Cellist Lukas Stasevskij plays Bach and Penderecki in the ruins of a Kyiv suburb One of the 200 musicians who played music by Ukrainian composers in a Trafalgar Square flashmob performance in March Photo: Matthew Johnson

A few weeks later a Come and Sing performance of the Fauré Requiem at St John the Evangelist Church, Iffley Road, Oxford, livestreamed by the Positive Note film company, raised more than £9,000 via Just Giving for three charities working in Ukraine. Conductor David Crown, organiser of the concert, spoke for many when he said: ‘This war has challenged me on so many levels and I felt I wanted to do what I can do, which is make music, as my offer of help and support to those poor people caught up in this senseless war,’ and quoted the composer Leonard Bernstein’s moving words: ‘This will be our reply to violence – to make music more intensely, more devotedly, and more beautifully than ever before.’

Still to come is a community concert for Ukraine in St Helen’s Church, Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, organised by ISM member Claire Partington, featuring intermediate to advanced piano and violin students playing solos, duets and ensemble pieces in a range of styles.

On a very different scale was the Concert for Ukraine held at the Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, with a huge live audience, and broadcast on ITV, STV and by Livewire Pictures, sponsored by Marks and Spencer. Snow Patrol, Camila Cabello, Ed Sheeran, Gregory Porter and Emeli Sandé were among the acts taking part in the event, which combined performances with short films about the plight of the people of Ukraine and the efforts to help them.

Sandé said she sang ‘to try to help every innocent human being forced to flee their home and in solidarity with those being racially discriminated against even within this humanitarian crisis’.

The Ukrainian Cultural Association in the UK (UCA-UK) was founded in the autumn of 2020 to raise awareness of Ukrainian culture, traditions and history, support charitable and humanitarian efforts, showcase the work of Ukrainian artists and advocate for women’s equality and cultural collaboration. Prior to the current emergency its programme had included concerts in memory of the victims of the Chernobyl disaster, a celebration in words and music of the poet Taras Shevchenko, and, ironically, a ‘Celebration of

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Freedom’ in October 2021 commemorating 30 years of Ukraine’s independence, featuring professional musicians and artists with Ukrainian, Greek, British, Asian and Polish backgrounds. On 4 March this year the UCA-UK’s planned concert showcasing women in music, presented with the Federation of Women’s Associations at St Philip’s Church, Kensington, and sponsored by the ISM, unexpectedly turned into a fundraising event that was featured on Channel 4 News and raised more than £3,000.

The concert included a recital by violinist Kamila Bydlowska and UCA-UK’s founder and president, ISM member Alla Sirenko. Sirenko studied piano in Kyiv, composition in Lviv and organ in Tallin and now works as a composer and pianist based in London.

As the crisis in her home country has unfolded over the past few weeks, Sirenko has been doing as much as she can individually and with UCA-UK to help ease the pain of her fellow Ukrainians. She hopes to arrange more fundraising concerts in the future and has been helping to coordinate efforts to offer accommodation in the UK to refugees from the conflict, particularly musicians.

‘It is such a tragic and challenging time for my beautiful, beloved Ukraine and its people,’ she says.

‘Families are fleeing their homes, children are living through the sounds of gunfire and bombing, and the people of the Ukrainian diaspora do not know whether they will see their families ever again.

‘However, in this time of crisis, a beautiful unity has unfolded across the globe. The international community has come together to support Ukraine; instilling sanctions, supporting through humanitarian aid, and rallying together around the community to offer emotional support and solidarity.’

More information and contact details for Ukrainian emergency appeals can be found in Sirenko’s blog post on the ISM website ism.org/blog/musicin-a-time-of-crisis and at the Ukrainian Cultural Association in the UK’s website usauk.com

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | CRISIS IN UKRAINE

A more controversial issue arising from the war has been how to represent Russian music on the concert stage and on air, and how to negotiate working with Russian performers. In the first few days after the Russian invasion classical music news websites were full of posts about cancelled concerts, repertoire changes, the dismissal of conductors from artistic directorships and the voluntary resignations of others who no longer wanted to be employed by organisations associated with Putin’s regime.

Audience members threatened not to attend performances if the advertised Russian musicians were taking part; the Dublin Piano Competition drew widespread criticism when its administrators told nine Russian pianists they would not be eligible to compete; and the amateur Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) was vilified on social media for removing military-themed works by Tchaikovsky from its spring concert.

Following a roundtable discussion that included representatives of the ISM, on 3 March the Association of British Orchestras (ABO) issued a statement outlining a set of principles to support its members in their responses to the situation. In addition to condemning the invasion and expressing support for the people of Ukraine, the statement commended the decision of many of its members to suspend or discontinue the engagement of Russian artists with a known and declared link to the Putin regime. While supporting Russian artists who publicly condemn the actions of their country’s government, the ABO said that no musicians should be compelled to do so if there was a risk that it would endanger their lives or the lives of their families.

With regard to repertoire, the ABO states that ‘works by Russian composers are intrinsic to the canon of Western classical music. We do not support a blanket boycott of these works, just as we do not boycott works created by composers in other countries at other times that were also subject to international condemnation … Our members will, however, take steps to place Russian compositions in their historical context, if relevant, and communicate this to their audience.’

The full statement from the ABO is here abo.org.uk/news/2022/ invasion-in-ukraine-abo-statement An all-Russian programme by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in the same week, broadcast on BBC Radio 3, was preceded by a speech to the audience by its chief executive, Stephen Maddock, expressing a similar philosophy. After condemning Putin’s aggressive invasion, he said: ‘We feel it is important to emphasize that none of these terrible events is the fault of the Russian people, nor of the many Russian artists who have bravely criticized the actions of their government.

‘Equally, none of it is the fault of Tchaikovsky or Stravinsky, whose music we are about to play. Indeed as we listen to the Romeo and Juliet overture, we might very well hear a plea for peace, a statement of defiance against the destructive urges of ancient, pointless grudges … The international language of music can, perhaps, speak more powerfully to us than any mere words.’

Amidst the horrendous images of slaughtered civilians, burned out tanks and devastated buildings that were emerging from the war zones as this issue of MJ was in preparation, there are others that illustrate those words about the power of music very vividly.

Among the saddest are the photographs tweeted by Dalia Stasevska, the Finnish principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, of her cellist brother Lukas Stasevkij playing Bach and Penderecki amid the ruins of bombed buildings in Kyiv, an eloquent commentary on the destruction.

More optimistic, however, are the pictures of musicians who had been booked to perform at the Kharkiv Music Festival playing to spellbound audiences in bunkers and underground stations. Performances in the city’s Philharmonic Hall were replaced by ‘Concerts between Explosions’, such as the programme of works

by Myroslav Skoryk, Schubert, Bach and Dvorak plus new arrangements of Ukrainian folk songs by Vladimir Bogatyryov, performed by a string quintet on the steps of the Historical Museum Metro Station. A small gesture, perhaps, but an eloquent message of hope amid the gloom.

From left: ISM member Alla Sirenko’s fundraising recital was featured on Channel 4 News Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams at a fundraising concert for Ukraine at London’s Southbank Centre Kseniia Nikolaieva at a fundraising concert for Ukraine at London’s Southbank Centre Photos: Pete Woodhead

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | IAMA GUIDELINES FOR ENGAGEMENTS

IAMA: Creating new guidelines for engagements Atholl Swainston-Harrison, Chief Executive of the International Artist Managers’ Association (IAMA), explains how experiences in the pandemic have informed IAMA’s new guidelines for engagements

Above: Atholl Swainston-Harrison

Read our feature on page 20 to learn about Paul Whittaker and the challenges of being a deaf musician

The unwelcome arrival of COVID-19 impacted the music sector for far longer than we could have anticipated. It also brought to a head the fault lines in our fragile music eco-system, as we witnessed contracts being shredded, whether through force majeure or cancellation. We learned that the concept of force majeure does not exist in every country – and how undefined it really is in legal contexts. We have also witnessed some truly wonderful examples of presenter generosity, contrasted with presenters who moved to protect themselves without regard for the artists who were left high and dry. The vulnerability of the artist in such a situation was clear, and so too their artist managers, whose commission income comes after completion of a contract.

Early in the pandemic, the sector gathered to examine the business model that had become somewhat flabby in its over-reliance on simple agreements and erratic income streams. Questions emerged. Would a deposit payment for booking an artist offer more security? What would secure the artist’s contractual position? The nub of the problem is risk. While we all agree it is a shared risk in theory, in practice the current model does not support this.

The core discussion areas were an improved model of business, along with all the other pitfalls in the timeline up to a performance. And questions such as would use of deposits stop presenters loading their ‘shopping baskets’, only to toss the pencilled engagements later on; would a deposit make an artist think twice about cancelling an engagement; and what value does the digital world have – and has too much been given away for nothing? – were discussed intensely.

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High profile presenter members and experienced artist managers formed a business committee which looked at several scenarios, beginning with the idea of a deposit on booking an artist. While this sounded like a good idea at first, artist managements pushed back after realising they might become bankers in some situations – holding onto money that they could not commission. Clearly there will always be cases whereby an advance on fees would be reasonable and acceptable depending on the circumstances of the presenter. Some countries have legal frameworks that prevent any form of payment until the ‘service’ has been delivered and that includes expenses which the artist covers until the contract is complete.

The ‘flabbiness’ referred to earlier often arises from a lack of timely communication, for example: the artist might be presented with unexpected media plans at the last minute or contracts arriving so late that it is almost impossible to do anything about querying them. Both presenter and artist manager must do more to discuss scenarios and details, and if one cannot offer enough information, there should be an acknowledgement of what areas remain unclear.

Given that our members are spread around the world, it is evident that it is challenging to address some of the inconsistencies and give both artist manager and presenter confidence in approaching a negotiation. It is hoped that the following approved IAMA guidelines outline a useful set of values and practical considerations that will help that process and secure a better future for the artist. The document has also been adopted by our sister association, the Association Européenne des Agents Artistiques (AEAA).

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | IAMA GUIDELINES FOR ENGAGEMENTS

Guidelines for engagements The COVID-19 pandemic has created a global shockwave, with artists and the whole music business ecosystem severely affected. The mass postponement and cancellation of performances has necessitated a review of how we do business, with the result that the IAMA community has come together to debate a better and more robust framework for the future.

We recognise that: 1. The central focus in our business should be on the recovery of music life and fostering fairness and sustainable values throughout the sector. Rebuilding trust is one of our crucial tasks.

2. Shared targets should include improved security in each party’s commitment to an engagement; clarity in the terms of engagement; transparency and fair cancellation policies within the postCOVID environment.

2. Media exploitation

6. A clear postponement policy

Media exploitation has emerged strongly over the course of 2020/21, with the result that there is a new reality to discuss in many scenarios. Sometimes media plans are late in the planning so it is essential that the option is discussed at the earliest opportunity and not overlooked as a secondary concern. This includes a transparency on any exclusive media deals that may compromise the contract.

Agreement on a postponement policy whereby an alternative period/engagement date is envisaged within a reasonable time – ideally not more than two seasons following the postponed event, but this may be case specific. In such a situation, it could be reasonable that part of the engagement fee is paid at the original time of the engagement, as a non-recoupable advance on the full fee, the balance of which is paid when the engagement actually takes place.

It might be that the postponed engagement is subject to a new contract too.

3. Are the cancellation terms clear?

A thorough and open discussion of cancellation terms is strongly recommended.

Recent history has revealed the legal and mutual understanding of force majeure/ frustration of contract/ circumstance exceptionele to be inadequate and it is an area likely to present difficulties in the future.

Cancellation terms, however, are within the scope of the contracting party’s control and therefore should be thoroughly discussed.

The cancellation terms agreed may be suitable for inclusion in an HoT.

3. A range of businesses/organisations of varying size and legal structures make it impossible to set any single set of binding 4. Covering the artist’s expenses in case rules. Therefore, a set of guidelines is set of cancellation out for consideration in each negotiation. How are the costs already accumulated by the artist to be refunded, if the presenter needs to cancel the agreed event? This also Checklist of options: may be suitable for inclusion in an HoT. 1. How to clarify and secure in advance a mutual commitment to the engagement? 5. Would a separate fee guarantee and/or cancellation compensation be Even when a full contract is not yet possible applicable? to draft, a written confirmation of basic terms should bring clarity. Many contracts are Once a booking is confirmed, it should be recognised that the artist is making a drafted very late, contributing to insecurity. commitment to be available and to prepare This could be addressed by a policy of for the engagement. Advance payments sending a booking confirmation or a concise are an option but may cause complexities Heads of Terms (HoT) document, made and can be difficult to handle, but case by as soon as basic terms (date, repertoire, case there may be grounds for agreeing fee) are agreed. This should be a short, a non-recoupable advance. In the case of concise document or written confirmation cancellation by the presenter an agreed of the booking, leading to a more detailed compensation formula could be more contract to be signed later in the process. straightforward to establish up front.

Parties should endeavour to be clear in their positions by the time the season is published, irrespective of the contract delivery date.

7. Preparation fees in advance There might be a case for a ‘preparation fee’ – an advance payment when work is clearly being undertaken such as in the case for music directors, chief conductors, artists-in-residence, opera directors or a new commission. This ‘preparation fee’ might be part of the whole negotiated fee.

8. Heads of Terms Members have often asked IAMA for a standard artist contract but this is of course impossible given the very wide range of demands artists and presenters have on an international scale – and made more difficult as artist managers do not act as principals.

Similarly, a standard HoT, although tricky in some legal systems, cannot be boilerplate wording, but if required, needs to be a basic confirmation note between artist/ artist manager and presenter. If there are outstanding issues at the point of agreement before the contract arrives, those points should be stated in writing to be dealt with at a later stage rather than left unattended until too late. If this is done, there will be fewer surprises and greater awareness that risk is a mutual concern for all involved. iamaworld.com

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | MUSIC AND DEAFNESS

Music and deafness Paul Whittaker OBE tells Clare Stevens how he surmounted the challenges of being a deaf musician and how he has spent his career trying to create more musical opportunities for hearing impaired people of all ages The word ‘allegedly’ crops up a lot in the motivational talks given by Paul Whittaker OBE to business gatherings, education conferences or community organisations. Addressing the elephant in the room almost immediately, he admits that most people who read his biography or hear him speak very clearly and fluently wonder how he can describe himself as a deaf musician. Surely that is a contradiction in terms?

Above: Clare Stevens Photo: Bruce Childs

Left : Paul Whittaker OBE Photo: PBGstudios

In response, Whittaker explains that he most certainly is profoundly deaf, and has been all his life, as a result of premature birth and jaundice. But as a child growing up in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, his musical instinct was apparent from an early age and he was keen to learn to play the piano. Bemused as to how they might teach a child who could not hear what he was playing or what they were telling him, most turned him down. But eventually his family found someone who was prepared to teach him.

Persuading the school to let him include music in his O-level choices proved to be a challenge, and Whittaker was rejected by 12 universities on the grounds that a deaf person couldn’t possibly do a music degree, before winning the only available place that year at Wadham College, Oxford. ‘Oxford really looked at my ability rather than my disability – as far as they were concerned, I could read music and I could talk about music, and that was enough for them. Both the college and the music department were incredibly helpful and supportive. I was appointed as the college organist; and as the only undergraduate music student in my year in Wadham I had to learn how to talk to and get on with other people in my college who were studying different subjects. I really came out of my shell.’

Studying for a postgraduate diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) proved to be a less satisfactory experience. Whereas at Oxford his ‘My understanding of music is based entirely on tutors and examiners had been happy to judge a short what I see on the score; it was a case of me saying “well, show me what you want me to do, and I’ll watch dissertation on music and deafness on its merits as a piece of research and writing, accepting that they you and copy it”,’ he explains. ‘So you could argue did not have the expertise to assess the content, at that from a very young age I’ve been working with teachers, helping them how to work out how to teach the RNCM Whittaker had bruising encounters with examiners who did not understand the issues he was pupils who are deaf.’ describing. His negative experiences strengthened From the age of seven he sang in his local church his resolve to try to change things for succeeding choir, absorbing musical theory and learning to generations of deaf and hearing-impaired students. sightread by osmosis while having fun making music An early campaign was to try to get exam boards with friends. His primary school did not know how to find new yardsticks for assessing the musicality to support deaf pupils, but his musicianship was of deaf candidates that were more appropriate than encouraged by inspiring teachers Duncan Saint at conventional aural tests which they cannot possibly his middle school and then Hedley Teale at Belle Vue pass.

‘It is intrinsically wrong when you are given a School in Bradford. Whittaker played in the school certificate marked, “did not complete the course”, wind band and regularly played the piano for which is essentially what happens. You want the same school assemblies. qualification, the same achievement, as everybody By this stage he also played the organ, an else, no matter what sort of disability you have, you instrument that is more difficult for a deaf person, don’t want it watered down and made easier. They he explains, because of the variations between one need to find other ways of sorting that out.’ instrument and another and the distance between the After graduating from the RNCM Whittaker spent sound source and what comes back to the performer. some time working independently, contacting On a piano, by contrast, he can sound a note and feel schools that had deaf pupils and offering to run music the vibrations travelling up his arm, enabling him to activities for them. ‘When deaf children attend a articulate it expressively.

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | MUSIC AND DEAFNESS

Above (from left): Paul Whittaker signing Bach Choir concert Photo: Stephen Heselton Paul Whittaker working with musicians

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concert or participate in a workshop they discover – hopefully – a whole new world of emotion, colour and excitement. When they try playing or feeling different instruments they find something that can become an extension of themselves and a medium for selfexpression, thus beginning a lifelong musical journey.’

impaired, so they need to find ways of improving access for them. This could be 25% of their audience.

If they can change their mindsets, they will be able to help retain those people.’

In 2010, he gave the first ever signed BBC Prom – Sondheim at 80 – with performers such as Judi Dench Eventually the opportunity arose for Whittaker to and Bryn Terfel. Pre-pandemic he visited 13 countries fulfil his longheld dream and set up a charity to focus with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra on their ‘Feel on this sort of work, not just in schools but in the wider The Music’ project. Passionate about signed song, in community. The result was Music and the Deaf (MatD), 2017 he set up SiBSL – Songs in British Sign Language which he ran for 27 years. During that time, he says, (BSL), a website dedicated to raising standards and the charity’s achievements included making a huge awareness of the art form. He runs four signing choirs number of people in the arts world and the education in the North of England, plus two online; is currently sector aware that deaf people can enjoy music and can working on projects with the National Youth Choir of be musicians.

Scotland; and recently gave a signed performance of Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise, in Leeds, with ‘I’m proud of the way we changed attitudes and mezzo-soprano Katherine Broderick and pianist perceptions towards music and deafness, which is an Katherine Stott. When we spoke – coincidentally incredibly difficult thing to do; we created resources including a guide to making music all the way through in Sign Language Week – he was excitedly looking from Reception to Key Stage 4; and we offered advice forward to making his debut with the Royal Liverpool and support which people found immensely valuable.’ Philharmonic Orchestra, signing their performance of Bach’s St John Passion.

Seven years ago Whittaker left MatD, keen to have Whittaker has strong opinions on issues to do a more flexible schedule and explore other avenues. with inclusivity, which he is not afraid to express. He These include his hugely successful motivational is cynical, for example, about ‘the Rose effect’: the speeches, which he delivers with the confidence and success of deaf actor Rose Ayling-Ellis in last year’s razor-sharp timing of a stand-up comedian.

Strictly Come Dancing. ‘Historically, deaf people have ‘If you’d said to me when I was young, you’re going always enjoyed dancing, because they can feel the to stand up in front of 2,500 people and entertain vibrations on a sprung floor. You don’t need to be able them I would have said no, I’m shy, I don’t do things to hear music to dance, what you need is to be able to like that,’ he admits. ‘Now I’m different, I love having count a sequence. Yes, lots of people enrolled in sign an audience. Partly it’s my enthusiasm to share my language courses as a result of seeing those involved experience of deafness and music and spread a bit of in the show communicating with Rose, but how long deaf awareness. The incidence of hearing loss is about will they keep it up?’ one in five, getting nearer to one in four in the elderly He is critical of some aspects of the British Sign community, so in talking about it, perhaps I may help Language Act currently passing through parliament, someone to communicate with their aging parents.’ explaining that a similar act in Scotland which became Another important part of Whittaker’s work is law a decade ago has actually diminished the number giving signed performances of opera, music theatre of deaf people in work, because encouraging hearing and concerts. ‘Orchestras and concert halls need to people to learn to sign means they are taking jobs and recognise that they have to work much harder to keep roles that should be given to deaf people. ‘For instance, their audiences, especially their older audiences, at this year’s BAFTAs where Aled Jones’s daughter an increasing proportion of whom may be hearing

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | MUSIC AND DEAFNESS

sang a song with a BSL signer … so what? If the BAFTAs And he is a passionate advocate for older really wanted to make an impact they should have had musicians in both professional and amateur a deaf singer and a deaf BSL signer on the show, not a environments who may be losing their hearing. ‘They hearing person.’ have had decades of experience, they know the pieces inside out, they can follow a conductor, they can still Not only that, he adds, but ‘it’s very important to hold a line – why should they lose their jobs or be me that whoever they get to interpret these events should be musical. If they can also be a deaf person, so forced to leave the choirs they love? You may have to much the better, because that’s a role model for a deaf find ways of getting round communication, you might child. Lots of hearing musicians do fantastic work with have to change where they sit, but they shouldn’t be excluded.’ deaf people, but they will never, ever be the same as a deaf person doing that work. In the past two years or so there’s been a lot of awareness of cultural appropriation, and that’s a factor in our sector too.’

Are there more deaf musicians now equipped to interpret concerts than when he started?

‘The number of deaf young musicians is growing all the time – nobody’s got any figures –they are around, but it’s still difficult for them to break into the actual music world.’

He is concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on the deaf community, especially children in schools where the requirement to wear masks meant they were unable to lip-read. More fundamentally, he believes the move in recent decades to integrate young people with disabilities within mainstream education has actually done them a disservice, because they can feel so isolated and never meet anyone like them.

Does he have a final message for ISM members?

‘I would encourage them and all musicians to be open and honest about any hearing difficulties they have. Be honest, be open, be encouraging, be able to explore and remember that there is someone here who can help you if you need it!’

Thanks to Paul Whittaker’s interpreter Stephen Heselton for facilitating this interview Resources paulwhittaker.org Songs in British Sign Language sibsl.co.uk British Deaf Association bda.org.uk signlanguageweek.org.uk Music and the Deaf matd.org.uk

Below left: Lloyd Coleman performing with YolanDa Brown Below right: Lloyd Coleman on stage with Paraorchestra Photo: Paul Blakemore

Role model: Lloyd Coleman Another role model with hearing impairment is composer, clarinettist and broadcaster Lloyd Coleman. Coleman, Associate Music Director of Paraorchestra since 2017, has lived with visual and hearing impairment since birth. In his teens he studied at Chetham’s School of Music and was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, before moving to the Royal Academy of Music in London to study composition and the clarinet.

He says he is fascinated by the human ability to adapt and thrive, regardless of any person’s disability.

His work with Paraorchestra, the world’s only large-scale virtuoso ensemble of professional disabled and non-disabled musicians, embraces an orchestral reimagining of Kraftwerk in nightclubs; ‘exploding’ a 50-piece ensemble playing across a wide space, allowing audiences to create their own sonic adventures as they wander freely amongst the players; and headlining at Glastonbury’s Park Stage. lloydcoleman.net

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

New Media Production Facility launches in Hampshire, UK!

Above: Simon Callaghan performing with BBC Now Photo: Yusef Bastawy

Right: James Smith Photo: Jon White Photography

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Krebs harpsichord works on disc Steven Devine has released the first in a multi-disc survey of the complete harpsichord works of Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713 -1780). Although a favoured student of J.S. Bach, Krebs didn’t see any substantial success in his own lifetime. More recent assessments have discovered a highly educated, enlightened and openminded musician who was clearly highly accomplished as a performer, demonstrating a fascinating synthesis of Baroque, Galant and Classical forms. Krebs’ music is well-crafted, quirky, and – by turns – profound and playful. Using a fine copy of a German h harpsichord made by Colin Booth, t recording has been described by this B Music Magazine as ‘a felicitous BBC p programme, meticulously realised, t sheds light on Bach’s talented that p pupil’ and awarded five stars. Johann L Ludwig Krebs: Keyboard Works, V Volume 1 is available from Resonus C Classics as RES10287.

Light music delight from Simon Callaghan and BBC NOW Pianist Simon Callaghan, conductor Martyn Brabbins and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) have released a new recording which draws on the lighter side of musical life in repertoire which cannot fail to provoke a smile! Smaller concertos for piano and modest orchestral forces were a feature of British composition in the first half of the 20th century, often written for a special occasion. As is often the case with first performances, these works were typically destined to vanish into oblivion thereafter, and this new recording seeks to re-establish their place in the repertoire as exciting and vibrant pieces which will bring joy and intrigue to the listener. The album includes works by Addison, Benjamin, Geoffrey Bush, Maconchy, Rubbra and Searle. For further information please visit simoncallaghan.com

Deer Park Studios is a brand new music production facility specialising in music production for film, television and library music. Based in Southampton UK, and spearheaded by the relentless composer James Smith, Deer Park Studios has come to life straight out of the gates. We have already gained numerous clients and contracts all around the world since our launch in February 2022.

From being signed to production libraries in LA, providing music to the BBC, gaining international award nominations and recording our music at the home of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra we are thrilled to be setting out into this industry.

‘As a new production studio we are looking to provide our directors with high quality music that resonates with their films and captures the imagination of viewers.’

Join us for this exciting first year: instagram.com/deerparkstudios deerparkstudios.org

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

Left: Noah Max – first rehearsal of Vignette back in 2019

Noah Max releases debut album

The Inclusive Voice course with Vocal Health Education

My debut album Songs of Loneliness has just been released by Toccata Classics, writes Noah Max. It is produced by Andrew Keener and features a number of ISM members.

Singing teacher and vocal health expert Jenevora Williams and her colleagues at Vocal Health Education have launched The Inclusive Voice course, for singing teachers and choral leaders who want to learn about inclusivity and working with special needs and disabilities.

When the UK was locked down in March 2020 I began writing new solo and chamber works. Collaborating remotely became a lifeline, giving my colleagues and me a sense of hope.

The most ambitious project to emerge from lockdown is my debut album Songs of Loneliness which brings together first recordings of seven of my works. It combines music written during the pandemic with earlier pieces including the Clements Prize-winning string trio Sojourn.

The spirit of chamber music is at the heart of everything I do and imbues all the music I write; this runs in contrast with threads of introspection and loss which weave through the disc.

‘It is so important for us to include everyone in our community in healthy voice use, so we have included 10 hours of specialised, expertly delivered content for you,’ writes Jenevora. ‘This course information is applicable whether you work in mainstream education settings, community groups, or the 1-2-1 studio.

There are a wide range of special needs and disabilities covered by experts in the field, providing useful resources and tips to inform your teaching. Learn what to consider when taking on a new student, how to optimise your learning environment for their needs, communication skills, learning theories, incorporating creative technology, and more! We also hear valuable contributions from people about their own experiences of a variety of additional needs.’ vocalhealth.co.uk/inclusive-voice/

Songs of Loneliness – Solos, Duos and Trios is available from music retailers and from Toccata Classics, Naxos, Amazon – why not share your review!

Performance materials available from United Music Publishing: ump.co.uk/ composer/noah-max/

Obituaries: We are sorry to announce the deaths of the following members: Mrs Mary M Brewer of Stowmarket

Miss Christina Warner MISM of Leicestershire

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK

Classified advertising HOW TO BOOK: please send advertisement requests and copy to the Incorporated Society of Musicians, 4–5 Inverness Mews, London W2 3JQ or email mj@ism.org. T: 020 7221 3499

I have just been on the Teach Meets course (which was fantastic) – I thought the course was inspirational and some of the guest speakers have allowed me to think differently about how music can be enjoyed right from our youngest learners through to our oldest.

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.

Lauren Sykes, attendee at our 2022 Music Education Teach Meets Just had another look at my ISM member benefits and discovered that they include access to Oxford Music Online (Grove). After my library access seemingly shrank, this is ‘hurrah’ territory! Thanks, ISM! Anna Williams, ISM member since 2021 The ISM has been such a great professional body to belong to, especially with the legal side to look at work contracts etc as well as the health and all the useful advice. I have recommended it to many people over the years and will continue to do so.

ISM member The online conferences that the ISM has arranged during COVID have been wonderful.

Susan Ogden, ISM member since 2014 Greatly enjoyed the corporate members’ meeting. It is just wonderful to be able to share the news and experiences with other members and learn first-hand how the world of music continues to thrive during these challenging times.

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Connect with fellow members via our Facebook group The ISM members’ community Facebook group is a growing Join the group today and get support from colleagues, network of ISM members from around the profession and promote yourself, find collaborators, ask questions, and more! from all corners of the UK. Join the group at facebook.com/groups/myismis

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Our email updates contain the latest advice, news from the music profession, details of upcoming events, performance and funding opportunities, information on our campaigning activities, and much more.

To re-subscribe or to update your details, contact us at membership@ism.org.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Rocksteady Music School and Trinity College London In September 2021, Rocksteady Music School and Trinity College London launched a new and more inclusive music qualification for primary school children across the UK. Enrolments began in February for the new Rocksteady qualification ‘Music Performance in Bands’, awarded by Trinity College London. The music school announced that the total number of students enrolled to this qualification surpasses 6,000, which is more than 1,000 higher than the number of summer 2021 enrolments for Music A-Level.

Dalcroze UK Dalcroze UK has launched a series of Dalcroze Taster Days around the UK and Ireland. Dalcroze is much more than a unique and deep way of learning about and understanding the language of music; it is ‘a means to discovery, of developing skilfulness and of personal transformation’ (Greenhead & Habron, 2015). It is the only method that considers the relationship between sound and movement, and by connecting them we develop sensory integration, learning, communication and social skills.

Training in Dalcroze develops the capacity to apply the philosophy and the practice of Dalcroze to music teaching, performance and much more.

Historically, applications of Dalcroze included neurodiverse groups such as the deaf, physically disabled as well as music therapy. Centred on using the body to express the sound and the quality of the music heard, it necessarily involves the entire sensorimotor system – vision, hearing, touch, voice and balance. John W Harvey, a supporter of Dalcroze, said in 1912 that it was ‘… a principle that must have effect upon every part of life’ (Habron, 2016). The contemporary use of Dalcroze in the UK & Ireland – in education and performance, therapy and wellbeing – is witness to its farreaching and inclusive nature.

Come and find out where Dalcroze can take you by joining a Taster Day. Go to dalcroze.org.uk and select Taster Days from the Upcoming Events menu to find one in your area. There are days planned in Canterbury (11 April), Axminster (2 May), Limerick (15 May) Manchester (26 June), Leeds (16 July) and (dates to be decided) Guildford and Central London. Cost £100 (£90 Early Bird rate).

This revolutionary Ofqual-regulated ‘exam free’ music qualification is available in UK primary schools that offer Rocksteady. Children gain a qualification based on skills observed in lessons, rather than in a one-off exam or end of year performance.

For more information about Rocksteady Music School visit rocksteadymusicschool.com Right: Dalcroze UK Photo: Jacqueline Vann

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

optional in-app purchase subscription.

With this update Dorico for iPad is fully caught up to the state of Dorico 4, and as a result, it has gained many new features introduced in Dorico 4, including: MIDI continuous controller editor in the key editor in write and play modes, jump bar (requires Magic Keyboard or external Bluetooth keyboard), capos for fretted instruments, player group labels and much more. If you have an iPad, and you’ve not yet tried out Dorico, do check it out. It’s the world’s favourite music notation and composition app for iPad for a reason! Download it on the App Store today or visit dorico.com/ipad to find out more

Leeds Conservatoire

Music Education Solutions

Leeds Conservatoire was the first confirmed working partner for Black Lives in Music (BLiM), and the two organisations have now been working together for over a year.

Music Education Solutions reminds ISM members that they are entitled to a 20% discount for MES courses and events, using the code ISM20.

A huge range of online and in-person training and development courses are available, which can be viewed at musiceducationsolutions.co.uk

BLiM is a vital campaign organisation that seeks to address the inequalities facing Black people in achieving careers as professionals in the music industry, through research and advocacy. BLiM has consulted with Leeds Conservatoire’s Programme Leaders on how to achieve better representation in music repertoire and visiting staff.

In the past year, BLiM has worked with teams across the conservatoire on topics ranging from improving inclusivity in recruitment approaches to diversity awareness training.

Roger Wilson, Director of Operations at Black Lives in Music, commented on the partnership: ‘It’s been great to work with Leeds Conservatoire as part of their EDI change programme.

I’m heartened by the huge amount of work undertaken by the conservatoire to lead on change and look forward to a fruitful collaboration between our organisations.’ leedsconservatoire.ac.uk blim.org.uk

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ACS Protect your most valuable asset – your Ears!

Steinberg Dorico for iPad 2.0 is now available for free download from the App Store Steinberg recently announced the availability of a new version of the top-rated music notation app for iPad, Dorico for iPad, which is now available for free download from the App Store. This new version brings many of the new features added to Dorico 4 for macOS and Windows to iPadOS, and also adds support for freehand annotations in Read view using the Apple Pencil for those users who choose to take advantage of the

The ACS PRO Series Earplugs are custom-made using soft medical grade silicone, so you get the very best in isolation and fit, allowing you to wear them for hours at a time without fatigue or discomfort. Each earpiece is manufactured to the highest standards ensuring you get a comfortable, discreet, and effective hearing protector that can be fitted quickly, easily, and securely every time.

ISM members are eligible for 15% off using ISM15 at acscustom.com/uk

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

materials ‘Youth Ceilidh Dancing’, ‘Folk Music Starting Points’ and ‘Exploring English Folk Music’. efdss.org/learning/resources

The Maestro Online

National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain The National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain (NCO) brought together more than 300 young musicians aged 8-12 in four different venues across the country in March for their spring NCO Projects orchestral weekends.

Portsmouth Music Hub celebrates female composers This year Portsmouth Music Hub is celebrating some of the greatest female composers from around the world, both past and present, and the impact they have within music.

Musicians worked with inspiring guest artists Aaron Akugbo, Jess Gillam, Nate Holder and Katie Stillman and conductors Dominic Wheeler, Chloe Rooke, Holly Mathieson and Caroline Hobbs-Smith, to explore their toetapping, finger-clicking themed programme. Particular highlights were NCO Stomp, a new body percussion piece by Ryan Linham which you can watch in a UK mash up on NCO’s YouTube channel youtube.com/user/ ncogb/, as well as the premiere of Windrush – A Cultural Journey, a new NCO commission containing spoken word quotes, brought together in a composition by Ryan Linham in collaboration with saxophonist Nate Holder.

Every day, throughout Women’s History Month in March, the Hub highlighted a different female composer across its social media platforms. The Hub has other celebratory events planned to include a summer concert with repertoire by female composers and the launch of some new Hub songs celebrating diversity, written by a female composer.

NCO will launch auditions for children aged 8-14 to join its 2023 programme in June 2022 – visit nco.org.uk for more information.

English Folk Dance and Song Society

‘It is vital for all young people to have easy access to a diverse range of composers. Our aspiration is that through raising the profile of many different female composers, young people and teachers will discover a range of new music that will inspire further exploration.’

The English Folk Dance and Song Society has been adding to its comprehensive Resource Bank. This now features 105 freely downloadable resource packs for formal and informal education settings, including ‘Folk Songs in the Model Music Curriculum’, ‘Learning by Ear’ and introductory

Schools and Hubs: Wondering how to raise the game for your pupils? How to gain that extra edge beyond where they’re at and how to supplement their existing in-person lessons? How to keep online independent learning going? The Maestro Online has the digital learning resources to achieve exactly that, making your learners’ performances and understanding more musical every day. Collaborate and request bespoke digital magazines to your specification with embedded teaching videos designed for your students’ skills development through improvisation, aural, theory, sight-reading, sight-singing requirements at minimal, or even zero cost. maestro-online.com/ music-courses-schools-collegesuniversities

Music Teachers’ Board Our piano and violin books are now available to purchase in hard copy as well as digitally from the MTB Bookshop. Our books contain everything you need for an MTB Practical Exam, including six recital pieces to choose from, scales, technical exercises, a duet and reading skills. To complement our violin books, we also have a piano parts book series available, which contain all the music you need to accompany your violin recital pieces and can be purchased in a bundle with the graded violin books.

We also have a digital book range for percussion, drums, ukulele and keyboard. We will be releasing new instrument book ranges later this year and we’ll update you when these are launched. Browse our book series on the MTB Bookshop: mtbexams. com/bookshop

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Wright will be in residence alongside our experienced Kodály tutors from UK, Hungary and Australia.

Friends of the Musicians’ Chapel The Friends of the Musicians’ Chapel AGM takes place at 2.15pm on Wednesday 18 June with the Annual Service of Thanksgiving at 5pm in St Sepulchre’s Holborn, sung by the Chamber Choir of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire directed by Paul Spicer.

Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS) Our final AOTOS Sunday Area Day is nearly here. You don’t have to be a member to come along!

South East: 15 May Winchester No Dots? No problem!

Charles MacDougall/Anne Bradley/ Kate Gildea

Working to develop quality Kodálybased music education in the UK. Our range of activities includes CPD accredited practical online courses for music teachers and for anyone wanting to develop musicianship skills; and many books and resources available through our shop.

Music includes: This is the gate of the Lord by John Joubert, Responses

by Paul Spicer, St. John’s Service by Herbert Howells and Prayer to the Father of Heaven by Ralph Vaughan Williams as this year is the 150th anniversary of his birth.

The address will be given by the Reverend Canon Adrian Daffern, Vicar of the University Church of Great St Mary’s, Cambridge.

Scottish Association for Music Education The Scottish Association for Music Education continues to support all sectors of music teaching and learning in Scotland.

Summer Conference 2022 July 22-24 at Clare College, Cambridge.

Our residential summer conference is fully open to book. Moving on Together brings a fantastic presenter line up and Roderick Williams OBE will give a masterclass. There are so many options for attending this event. We’d love to see you on site, but there will be streaming options available too.

Following many successful live conferences, both general and specific (MusTech, vocal etc) and the wellsupported 2021 online event, direction changes slightly with the development of shorter live events taken to satellite locations across Scotland. In addition, a programme of webinars continues 8 – 13 August in-person International the established trend and looks to give Summer School at the University of strong support in the primary sector.

Nottingham Music Department featuring Summer Residential Conference 2022 – Musical Fun in Primary 1 will appear on The Association of Teachers of Singing • choir Thursday 21 April at 7pm. To book, visit (AOTOS): aotos.org.uk/events/ same.org.uk/events/webinars • jazz choir summer-conference-2022/ • daily musicianship classes Other current investigations include All the news all the time here: supporting composition and music • conducting aotos.org.uk education for sensory impairment.

• singing games

British Kodály Academy Announcing our recently launched new website! kodaly.org.uk

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•

teaching topics

•

English folk music and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Renowned jazz musician Pete Churchill and popular vocal coach Allan Hubert-

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Faber Music The Symphony: From Mannheim to Mahler is a fascinating and accessible guide that considers the development of the symphony from numerous perspectives: analytical, historical and critical. Written by Christopher Tarrant – professor, violinist and conductor – and Natalie Wild – research and music director. The coalescing of differing experiences within the industry, enables a view from both an educational and performance stance. This informative book is ideal for students, music teachers and anyone wishing to learn more about the genre. Available from 11 May from Faber Music.

fabermusic.com/shop/thesymphony-from-mannheim-tomahler-p460777

mushRoom mushRoom has recently welcomed new spaces for making music in Edinburgh, Manchester and Paris to its portfolio!

The beautiful St Vincent Chapel in Edinburgh, where you can hire the space for as little as £15 includes the use of their lovely grand piano; and we can offer a magnificent living room with a Steinway not far from Montmartre, Paris. Bigger spaces for student concerts are also available now, including the October Gallery in London. mushRoom is a platform that gathers music spaces, from concert venues and churches to people’s homes.

Book your next music space with us, or join our host community!

Find out more on find-mushroom.com

Royal School of Church Music Printed Music Licensing (RSCM) Limited Hymnpact!® is a brand new resource from the RSCM, part of our commitment to the flourishing of church music. It aims to bring hymn singing into schools and singing children into churches.

Hymnpact! is an exciting, innovative approach: fresh, new songs sit alongside favourite hymns drawn from the rich traditions of the church. RSCM is working in partnership with Let’s Go Sing!, who have a successful track record in developing school music materials that are of a high quality, easily accessible, and relevant to the lives of young people of today.

For more information visit Hymnpact!

RSCM: rscm.org.uk/start-learning/ hymnpact/

Campaign launched to support composers and songwriters Every Copy Counts is urging teachers to help ensure music creators receive the correct royalties for music used in schools.

The Schools Printed Music Licence (SPML) enables schools to copy and arrange published music in hard copy and digital formats, with fees paid to PMLL being distributed to publishers and, in turn, the creators of that music.

Abigail D’Amore, music education consultant leading the Every Copy Counts campaign, said: ‘The SPML is paid for centrally by Government for State schools in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. It makes copying and arranging music for educational purposes simple but, in order to comply with the rules of the licence, teachers need to log the music they are using.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Right: Middlesex University singers under the direction of Mark Denza Photo: Middlesex University

Right: Helen Mead Photo: Awards for Young Musicians

‘Unfortunately, due to a lack of Middlesex University awareness, this data simply isn’t being Spring has sprung at Middlesex captured effectively.

University, with a plethora of public By correctly recording music copied performances. The University in schools, teachers can gain access Choir, Singers’ and Instrumental to a suite of free classroom resources.

Ensembles performed at Burgh House, Simply go to everycopycounts.co.uk Hampstead in March, with an eclectic to play your part and ensure your programme of chamber music from school complies with the terms of Purcell to Sondheim. As always, this its licence.’ event was a collaborative showcase, with varied line-ups and a standout ABRSM performance from student conductor Byron Horne.

Free Performance Grade webinars Join ABRSM Chief Examiner John Holmes for a free webinar exploring what makes a successful performance in a digital exam. Discover the essential elements of performance, how to choose repertoire and devise an effective programme, and what examiners look for when they assess the ‘performance as a whole’. Taking place between May and August, these free events will provide plenty of practical ideas to help you and your students prepare for a successful Performance Grade exam.

Check dates and book your place: abrsm.org/events

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Awards for Young Musicians Awards for Young Musicians has appointed ten new Associate Facilitators to expand its Identifying Musical Talent and Potential programme, supported by Arts Council England.

The programme will train over 1000 teachers to spot the next generation of musical talent.

In the same month, our end-of-term pop concert took place at the iconic Fiddlers Elbow in Camden, with students and staff performing, supporting and having fun. With both covers and original material on display, our regular gigs at this venue provide a platform for emerging and established artists.

Our jazz cohort continues to host fortnightly jam nights at the Chandos Arms, Colindale. These nights host student and alumni bands, and have seen much appeal beyond the music community at Middlesex, including the MDX Vocal Jazz Ensemble, directed by the fantastic Joy Ellis.

New Associate Facilitator Helen Mead commented: ‘I strongly believe that all young people should have access to quality musical education, regardless of their background or financial situation. I am looking forward to

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

spreading this message to teachers across the country and empowering them to make a difference in the musical lives of the pupils they teach.’

at music careers for women and the meteoric rise of Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.

Moreover, a new series for selfemployed musicians tackles insurance Lewisham Music CEO Charly Richardson and how to choose the right cover for added: ‘Identifying Musical Talent and you; our practical guides for touring Potential takes a holistic, child-led musicians begin with a trip to Malta; view of music education … I would the Managing Director of Cadogan Hall highly recommend it. It was one of discusses the venue’s innovative work; the best training mornings we’ve had and we meet the winners of Orchestra for years.’

Manager and Artist Manager of the Year at the Classical Music/ABO Awards.

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

The Royal College of Organists (RCO) has awarded its highest accolade, the RCO Medal, to seven distinguished musicians and scholars in an unprecedented double ceremony at Southwark Cathedral.

Alongside members of the College who were presented with diplomas and certificates, the RCO Medal was awarded to eminent practitioners from the fields of organ and choral music in recognition of outstanding achievement.

For 2021, the RCO Medal was awarded to Professor Jon Laukvik, Gareth Malone OBE and Professor Francis Pott.

For 2022, it was presented to Dr Kevin Bowyer, Professor Kimberley Marshall, Margaret Phillips and Professor Kerala J. Snyder.

Mark Allen Group Classical Music magazine is returning in print with a new quarterly publication providing insight and inspiration for all industry professionals.

The Spring 2022 issue includes an exclusive cover feature celebrating Classic FM’s 30th anniversary with Alexander Armstrong and Anne-Marie Minhall; in the first of our regular features on funding opportunities, we examine grants available from Arts Council England; plus, we take a look

Royal College of Organists

classical-music.uk ISM members save 20% on subscriptions with code ISM21. magsubscriptions.com/ism

The ceremonies on March 12 featured Ede & Ravenscroft Recitals in which Tom Winpenny, Assistant Master of Music at St Albans Cathedral, played music by Pott, Laukvik, Bach, Buxtehude, Franck, Mendelssohn and Demessieux.

From left: Dr Kevin Bowyer, Margaret Phillips, Prof Kimberley Marshall, Prof Kerala J.Snyder, RCO (l to r) Prof Jon Laukvik, Gareth Malone OBE, Prof Francis Pott Photo: Royal College of Organists

Support our sister charity the ISM Trust The ISM Trust produces a range of professional development resources and events for all musicians around the UK – from large scale conferences to webinars, seminars, digital resources, and advice packs.

If you are in a position to do so, you can support the Trust’s work in a number of ways, including through becoming a friend, donating and leaving a legacy.

Find out more at ismtrust.org/support-us

Without the continued extreme generosity shown by the ISM community, much of the ISM Trust’s work simply would not be possible.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL MAY/JUNE 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.

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London College of Music Examinations

Insure4Music

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The Royal Central School Of Speech & Drama The Royal Philharmonic Society Trinity College London

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 National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain

Victoria College Exams

The Piano Teachers’ Course UK

Yamaha Music Europe GmbH (UK)

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Newmoon Insurance Services

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

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Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance University of St Andrews VLT Legal Services Ltd Voice Study Centre

Encourage your musician friends to become ISM members and save on your subscription Given the uncertainty many musicians are facing, it’s now more crucial than ever before to have the backing and support of a professional body like the ISM. We are here for the whole music sector, so be sure to let your friends who work in the profession know about our services.

Every time someone joins the ISM after your recommendation, we’ll give you money off your membership fee: £20 off if you’re a full member and £10 off if you’re an early career member.

Pay by annual Direct Debit and save £10 Save time and money by setting up an annual Direct Debit to pay for your ISM membership subscription. Direct Debit means you’ll renew automatically each year and won’t ever have to worry about dropping out of membership and losing your insurance cover.

Full members save £10 with annual Direct Debit.

Alternatively, full and early career members can pay via monthly Direct Debit over 10 instalments.

If your renewal is due soon, visit ism.org/ direct-debit to switch. Alternatively, contact our membership team at membership@ism.org and we can arrange everything for you.

Find full details at ism.org/recommend

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

Ask me a question Photo: Moritz Küstner

Robin Haigh Composer Tell us a little about yourself In my work as a composer, I’m always trying to find something special or unique to express in music. I love working with orchestras and large ensembles because I find the expanded palette of sound really speeds up my work process. Smaller scale stuff is a great challenge too, because it forces me to search for a sound or an idea that will stand up to scrutiny and stick in people’s minds.

Who, or what, has most influenced you and your career path?

Jeremy Peyton Jones was a lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London while I was doing my undergraduate degree there.

I knew I wanted to be a composer but really didn’t know what I was doing, and Jeremy showed me a lot of kindness and support when I felt like an outsider to the world of classical music and composing.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

The biggest project is probably my piece THE DREAMERS commissioned by Britten Pears Arts for Aldeburgh Festival 2022. It’s a 20 minute quadruple concerto for four trombones and large ensemble that’s being played by Slide Action Trombone Quartet and Britten Pears Contemporary Ensemble, conducted by Jessica Cottis.

What else do you want to achieve in your career?

Accessibility is really important. I want my music to be open enough that it could introduce people to things like microtonality by embedding it in an accessible context, rather than being Equally important was Dmitri Smirnov, who compelling only to people who already was my first regular composition teacher know about those concepts. I think the and provided a technical foundation for all sound of an orchestra is super accessible. of my work that has followed. I always felt Millions of people will listen to the it to be a great privilege to be able to study soundtrack to a Marvel film, it’s not like with someone whose pedagogical lineage people are horrified and shut off by the went back to Webern and Berg. sound of violins and flutes. It’s a big ambition but I’d love to be able to write What is your greatest achievement music that can bridge that gap and get to date? people going to orchestral concerts who I was recently voted joint winner at the haven’t been to one before.

Composer Slam European Championship.

How has your work been affected by I consider this a big achievement, mainly because this was probably the first time in the pandemic? my composing career that I’ve really made a concerted effort to change my musical direction. My piece AESOP 2 felt like a very big risk because it was my first major piece to incorporate electronic sound. I also made myself a soloist, standing in front of the incredible Orchester im Treppenhaus and playing on an instrument I’ve never received a lesson on or performed to an audience with.

ism.org

@ism_music

I’ve been really lucky in not having any major pieces cancelled. There were even unexpected benefits, like having pieces streamed or recorded that wouldn’t otherwise have been. My piece No One for solo harp had its live performance at Presteigne Festival replaced with a high quality video recording that went online for free, and as a result of that, a performer in America saw the piece and will be

facebook.com/ISMusicians

@ism_music

performing some of my music off the back of it – that wouldn’t have happened if the piece just had its live premiere.

What piece of advice has helped you most in your career?

The late, great Oliver Knussen gave me some advice that changed the way I compose for ever. He listened with great concentration to the pieces I brought him, several times, and eventually concluded that my music ‘needed to dance more’. This simple statement had an incredible impact on the way I composed. Practically the next piece I wrote, a rather wild recorder quintet, was essentially my answer to his statement. That piece went on to win a British Composer Award, my first real public success, which I think shows how much my music was affected by those few words!

Is there an artist or musician that you are really enjoying listening to at the moment?

I love the Swedish metal band Meshuggah (a favourite among contemporary classical composers I think). I’m also a big fan of Dua Lipa, particularly her album Future Nostalgia.

Finally, what does your ISM membership mean to you?

It means a great deal to me to know that a respected institution like the ISM is ready to help and support me if I should ever need them to, and for this reason I have never regretted joining up. robinhaigh.com

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