ISM AGM: Thoughts about our future

The ISM held its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 7 May at the Royal Over-Seas League in London. We were joined in person by over 50 ISM members, the ISM Board and musician Aleph Aguiar, who provided live music for attendees to enjoy. Deborah Annetts looks back on the AGM and shares her thoughts about the day.

All photos were taken by Noah Da Costa

To read the AGM minutes see the next feature When we were putting together the AGM which took place on 7 May we wrote to all members and said that this was going to be a very important day for the future direction of the ISM. As well as the usual business of the AGM, there would be two intensive focus group sessions where members would be asked for their thoughts across a number of different areas. Members’ insights and contributions would then be fed into the next business plan and would directly shape the future direction of the ISM.

The staff team were delighted that over 50 members were able to attend the AGM and focus group sessions. It was particularly pleasing that they came from all parts of the music profession, were all ages and had travelled from across the UK to make the event. Having such a breadth of members meant we heard a wide range of views and it was incredibly helpful to us that members were so open in sharing their thoughts and insights. We had a fantastic day, where the ISM staff team learnt a great deal and came away with lots to think about.

When founded on 7 May 1882 the ISM’s name was the Society of Professional Musicians. The Society was set up to do two things, to be the representative body for the music profession in the same way as the Law Society is for solicitors, and to promote the art of music. These objects have not changed over the years and still lie at the heart of the ISM. However, within a few years there was the desire to give the Society greater influence with the Board of Trade which meant changing the name to Incorporated Society of Musicians. This change was opposed by some members who did not like the word incorporated but despite opposition the name was changed in 1892.

We will be 140 years old this year. The ISM has survived through recession and depression, world war and pandemics. The ISM is totally independent. It is member-centred with members being the only people who can serve on its governing body, the Council. The ISM has continued to grow over the past two years, and we now have over 11,000 members. The pandemic highlighted that our independence is of huge importance, as is our ability to reach all kinds of

musicians. Throughout our history as an organisation we have evolved and adapted, and I am immensely proud of all the work we all do. And now with over 11,000 members we need to make sure we have all the building blocks in place for the future, so that we can serve musicians and the Society well for the next 140 years. It was at the virtual AGM in 2020 that an ISM member raised concerns about the current name not reflecting the dynamism and forward-looking nature of the ISM. He said that the problem was the word Incorporated - it means nothing and risks us looking old fashioned when we are anything but.

The member’s comments chimed with views held by the staff team and Council and we began to explore the idea of changing our name further. This has gathered momentum in recent months and the strong possibility of the ISM changing its name was covered by the President and President Elect in the March/April edition of Music Journal.

Since then, Council and the staff team have been reflecting on what should be the next stage in the development of the ISM. Should the name change, and if so, what are the alternatives? Is Music Journal still relevant, and if not, how should it be brought up to date? What about its frequency? And what about the website, member communications, our campaigning? On 7 May, after the AGM, we asked members for their thoughts on these issues. Over the course of two focus group sessions we asked many questions and we gathered a mass of data which will be fed directly into the next business plan. The top lines from the sessions are set out in the next column. Responses to focus group questions

• Members valued in particular the full range of insurances we offer and the gold standard inhouse legal services. • Members did not know much about the other benefits and services which come with membership and we need to do more to get across to members what a comprehensive range of services and benefits you get when you become a member, eg discounts, professional development, listings in our Music

Directory etc. • Member email communications are well read, but few members engaged with the ISM on social media. When it came to Music Journal there was a strong feeling that it should be reduced to four editions per year. • Members liked our campaigning. They certainly did not want our campaigning to be any softer, particularly when it came to music education, which was seen as a priority. • On the current name, members felt a strong attachment to the initials ‘ISM’ but less to the word Incorporated. We will be taking this forward. • The services provided by the ISM Members

Fund such as counselling and physiotherapy were particularly valued.

So – many, many thanks to all of you who attended the AGM and the focus group sessions on 7 May. It was wonderful to see so many of you, and your contributions and insights will shape what we will be doing over the next three years. Thank you.

Attendee feedback

Attending our AGM is the chance to not only connect with your fellow members but it’s also the opportunity for you to learn more about the ISM, including the services we offer, what we have achieved in the previous year, discover our future plans and to make your opinions known to us. We would like to see as many of you as possible at future AGMs, and here we share some of our attendees’ feedback:

‘It was great to have a meeting face to face with members. It was also rather nice to catch up with friends whom one had not seen because of lockdown restrictions.’

‘I was astounded to find the ISM such a radical, campaigning organisation at heart – this is not what comes across in MJ – and I’m heartily in favour of this.’

‘Thanks for the event, it’s been really helpful as a beginner musician to learn from those who are already established in the music industry.’

‘Thank you for an excellent day. It was very well managed throughout, and a great opportunity to feel really involved in the ISM and be part of its future planning. The chance to chat and have a lovely lunch listening to fabulous music was absolutely marvellous!’

‘Really enjoyable day. Good to be listened to. Good to network with like-minded people.’

‘The discussions have stimulated me to ask more questions. I am contacting friends in education and music to discuss what we mean by education and the contribution made by the arts and also religious studies. Subjects which are not purely academic and feed other sensitivities within us. I am also looking at the age demographics of local choirs and bands – groups very much based in the community and entertaining the community at events. COVID-19 has interrupted a lot of activities, but I have noticed for a while that gaps in music provision in schools are affecting previously thriving groups as people move on, and there is nothing ready to replace them. I don’t know where this will lead but I am asking the questions and we’ll see how it turns out.’

Our discussions on the day revealed that some of our members are not fully aware of the breadth of services we offer. See our feature on page 27 to learn about the professional development that you can access via the ISM Trust, and read our feature on page 15 to learn more about how your employment status can determine your legal rights at work.