ISM AGM Minutes

ISM AGM, Saturday 7 May 2022. Held in the Princess Alexandra Hall, Royal Over-Seas League, Over-Seas House, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR at 11:00am

Read our previous feature to learn more about our thoughts for the future of the ISM and about members’ feedback to the work we do INTRODUCTION Deborah Keyser (President) opened the AGM and welcomed members to the event. Before the start of the formal business, the President invited the ISM’s Chief Executive (CEO), Deborah Annetts, to introduce the day’s activities. The CEO stressed how important members are to mapping out the future work of the ISM and its direction of travel. So we had organised two focus group sessions to dig deep into key areas such as Music Journal, advocacy and campaigning, member benefits, services, the ISM brand and a possible name change. The contributions from members in these focus groups would then feed directly into the business plan for the next financial year. The President then introduced the AGM panel: Vick Bain (President Elect) Professor Chris Collins (Past President) Ivor Flint (Treasurer) Deborah Annetts (Chief Executive) Sabrina Taylor (Director of Finance & Facilities) Apologies for absence for the meeting were recorded and all members present had a hard copy of the apologies to hand for information. The President asked for two minutes of silence to remember colleagues who had died during the past year. The names of those ISM members who had passed away were distributed to attendees. 1. Minutes of the AGM held on 13 November 2021 The President asked if there were any amendments to the minutes of the AGM held on 13 November 2021. There were none. The resolution to approve the minutes was proposed by Eugene Monteith and seconded by Alain Brumby. The resolution was approved.

2. To receive the Annual Report of the Council of the Society for 2020-21 The Chief Executive gave the annual report for the financial year from 1 September 2020 ending 31 August 2021. The Chief Executive spoke to the ISM’s response to the COVID rules and regulations, which changed over the course of the 20/21 year, and the financial impact on musicians. The ISM submitted evidence to the Treasury Select Committee and played a leading role in lobbying the Treasury for financial support for musicians during this phase of the pandemic. The ISM coordinated an open letter which led to an extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). The Chief Executive covered the ISM’s support for research by Middlesex University into live streaming and Coventry University’s research into business models for creative freelancers. The ISM also welcomed the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee inquiry on streaming. The Chief Executive spoke to the key campaign priority of music education. The ISM launched, with Music Mark and the Music Teachers’ Association, the #CanDoMusic campaign. The ISM corresponded with Schools Minister Nick Gibb, highlighting the delay in the National Plan for Music Education and calling for sustained funding for music education. The report entitled The heart of the school is missing was published following a survey with over 1,300 responses. This report revealed the detrimental impact of COVID19 and set out policy recommendations for music education in the short-term and in a post-COVID-19 world. The ISM organised the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Music Education meeting in May 2021 to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on music education, the Model Music Curriculum and other key issues. The Chief Executive covered the work conducted on the possible adverse impact of the UK leaving the EU on musicians. The ISM continued to lobby the government on visa arrangements to allow musicians to continue earning through touring and engagement in Europe. A comprehensive guide to visa and work permits was published by the ISM at the start of 2021 and remains the most comprehensive and accurate guide available. The ISM worked with legal experts to produce a draft bespoke visa waiver agreement (VWA) which was shared with all relevant government departments. The ISM’s work in this area was recognised when the Chief Executive gave evidence to the House of Commons DCMS Select Committee as well as being invited to join the government’s touring working group. The ISM worked collaboratively with the Musicians’ Union on Brexit issues. The Chief Executive reported the success that the ISM had with media coverage over the course of the year, along with continued growth in followers across the ISM social media channels. A wide range of speaking engagements were noted as well as the two digital conferences which were held: The Empowered

Musician 2020 in December and Building for the Future in April 2021. The Chief Executive highlighted the outstanding services provided by ISM to the membership which had grown to 10,650 by the end of the year. The in-house legal team remained busy with casework arising from COVID-19 as well as keeping the government guidance under review and ensuring changes. A total of 1,606 cases were opened on behalf of members and almost £170k was recovered for members in unpaid fees and compensation. The Chief Executive reported that Errollyn Wallen CBE was awarded the Distinguished Musician Award and Professor Keith Swanwick was awarded the deferred 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award. ISM local groups continued to operate, albeit at a reduced level and held six events across the year. In terms of governance, Alice Nicholls and Dr Kirsty Devaney were elected to the Council for three-year terms and Mahaliah Edwards and Dorine Sorber were appointed to the Council. The Chief Executive expressed the thanks of the Council to Dr Jeremy Huw Williams, Professor David Smith and Dr Bushra El-Turk who retired as Council members in April 2021. The Chief Executive closed her report by thanking members for giving their time as members of the ISM Council, as well as those who take part in Local Groups. She also expressed her thanks to the fantastic ISM staff team and those many volunteers who have supported the ISM activities during these challenging times. The resolution to receive the annual report was proposed by John Perrin and seconded by Margaret Lion. The resolution was approved.

3. To receive and approve the Accounts of the ISM for the year ending 31 August 2021 and to receive the Auditor’s Report The Treasurer spoke to the accounts for the ISM and reported that the Society’s finances remain strong as a result of the continuing growth of the ISM membership. During the year the membership grew by 5% with a net growth of over 500 members, a superb achievement as the sector continued to face disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic. Income finished the year 17% higher at £2.02m. This significant increase was largely attributable to an uplift in the value of our listed investments which increased by £277k and was a result of the stock market’s recovery from the significant drops seen in the previous year. Membership subscription income increased by 4% during 2020/21; this is due to the continued growth in members, as subscription fees were frozen for the year and it was ensured that no member paid more in fees than they had during the previous year. However, income from cable royalties, namely the BBC, continued to decrease year on year with a reduction of 8.6% against 2019/20. Expenditure finished the year at £1.70m, largely in line with the 2019-20 financial year. As of 31 August 2021, reserves were very strong and stood at a healthy £4.51m, an increase of 5% on the previous year. The Treasurer said the ISM had a very successful year financially, finishing with a substantial surplus of £229.4k in 2020/21 versus a small deficit in the prior year of £3.5k. This surplus was largely due to the increase in the value of investments but gave thanks to the ISM members and staff team for managing the finances diligently. The Treasurer finished his report by thanking the Director of Finance & Facilities, the auditors, Lindeyer Francis Ferguson and investment brokers, Investec. The resolution to receive and approve the accounts was proposed by Veronica Henderson and seconded by Jill Colton. The resolution was approved.

4. To receive the report on the ISM Members Fund and ISM Trust 2020/21 The Chief Executive spoke to the report of the Members Fund for the period ending 31 August 2021 which was for information only. It was reported that face-to-face counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy had been added to the 24-hour personal support and advice line and that a pilot physiotherapy service had been launched. Demand for these services grew over the year. However, the intended launch of a service to support hearing health had been postponed due to the COVID19 pandemic. The Fund continued to prioritise support for members through the pandemic and through a partnership with Help Musicians distributed over £141k in hardship grants to 438 members. The Chief Executive reported on the resources which had been produced by the Fund and the debt advice hub which had been created in partnership with StepChange. During the reporting period income was £102k and expenditure was £258k meaning there was a deficit of £156k before realised and unrealised gains/losses on the revaluation of investments. Expenditure via direct charitable activities increased by £112k to £243k largely due to the introduction of the Fund’s Coronavirus Hardship Scheme which ran from February to August 2021. On 31 August 2021 free reserves totalled £243k, which was well above the target range, and the total funds held were £4.08m. The Chief Executive then provided a short report on the ISM Trust activities for the period ending 31 August 2021 for information only. The Trust’s activity throughout 2020/21 centred around continuing to support musicians to navigate the ongoing challenges to the profession. Teach Meets were held in May and June 2021. There were 74 attendees across three events for primary,

secondary and music hub teachers. The Trust was commissioned by the National College to produce six bespoke webinars on curriculum music at primary and secondary level. The Trust also extended its partnership with ABRSM to renew the inclusion of two Trust webinars in its Becoming a better music teacher course on Future Learn to spring 2022. Across the year the Trust delivered 19 webinars. Through a partnership with Scottish technology startup Delic, the Trust embarked upon a series of webinars on topics such as using merchandise to diversify your revenue. This will continue into 2021/22. The Trust embarked upon a four-year partnership with NMC Records to support its Discover hub on the newly relaunched NMC website. Sales of the Trust’s publications Play and Performance Anxiety continued to perform strongly with 40 and 57 sales respectively across the year. The Friends of the ISM Trust membership was overhauled to make the member benefits more relevant and accordingly the price was reduced to £25 per annum. This resulted in an increase in members with membership standing at 117 as at 31 August 2021. During the reporting period, total income fell to £59k and expenditure fell to £51k providing a surplus of £8k. The ISM did not provide a donation to support the work of the Trust as the Trust had sufficient reserves to carry out its charitable activities. The Trustees acknowledged with thanks a legacy from the estate of the late Thomas Johnstone Prentice which made the work of the Trust possible. Total donations and legacies received during the year were £50k. As at 31 August 2021 the Trust had £90k of unrestricted reserves to carry forward. The Chief Executive closed her report by setting out that the Trust would continue to offer information to support the sector around key issues such as music education, how to navigate Brexit and the ongoing impact of COVID-19.

5. To reappoint Lindeyer Francis Ferguson Limited as Auditors for the ISM and to authorise the Council to fix their income The resolution to reappoint Lindeyer Francis Ferguson Limited as auditors and to authorise the Council to fix their income was proposed by Christopher Tinker and seconded by Margaret Lion. The resolution was approved.

6. To note the retirement of members of the Council ISM members were asked to note that the following Council members retired at 7 May 2022: Dr Marius Carboni, Beth Fagg, Dr Michelle Castelletti, Trevor Ford, Professor Steve Goss, Reg Fletcher and Alice Nicholls. The Chief Executive thanked all the Council members for their contributions during their terms on the ISM Council and the President expressed her thanks as well.

7. To note the election of the elected Members of Council and the appointment of Appointed Members of Council ISM members were asked to note the following appointment and elections to Council as of 7 May 2022. Three members filled the Elected vacancies. Stuart Beattie for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Dani Howard for the South and Vijay Prakash for the East. With regards to the Appointed vacancies, Miranda Harmer and Dr Jeremy Huw Williams were appointed to Council. Pauline Black was appointed by Council as President Elect.

8. To confirm the time and place of the next AGM The next AGM will be held in April 2023 and more details will be released to the membership in due course.

OPEN FORUM The President opened the discussion and invited members present to ask any questions or raise any matters for discussion. Members raised concerns about music education in the state sector compared with the private sector particularly with the disparity in the funding levels and how music was viewed and used in those schools. The benefits of teaching music to children in terms of wellbeing, how to manage emotions, and listening and focusing skills were raised. It was suggested that a map of where music provision was weakest should be published. The question of how to bypass policymakers was also raised. Members also raised diversity in music with continuing examples of bad practice when dealing with such matters. The Chief Executive in response to the discussion around music education indicated that such conversations were vital and urged members to read the latest ISM report entitled: Music: A subject in peril? She further noted that there were many places in the state sector where music was thriving but that the ISM would consider writing to school governors, multiacademy trusts and local authorities where it was not. The production of resources by the ISM Trust was also a method by which the ISM could ensure that high quality music teaching was taking place. The President concluded the meeting and closed the Forum at 12.10.