Music Journal - Spring 2024

ISM AGM

Arts Council England

Nicky Spence

with music A life

Welcome

Af terthe success of last year ’sin- personAGM and Em powered Mus icia n conference,I am delighted to announce details of our nextAGMandMembers’ Day.

We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday 16 April 2024, 9. 30am-5pm , at Six Park Place for a stimulating day where you will be able to have your say on various important issues, network with fellow members, attend an ‘in-conversation’ with the next ISM President, Nick y Spence OBE, and Katie Derham and speak to ISM staff and Council. Music will be provided by Filkin’s Drift and Brixton Chamber O rchestra

Of fi cial business of the ISM will be carried out at the ISM AGM, and if you cannot attend do make sure to fi ll in your proxy voting form, which was sent out with your 2024 Ha n dbook , to ensure that your vote is counted.

In our spring issue of Music Jou rnal , we look back at the work of the ISM and our sister charities, the ISM Trust and ISM Members Fund . We have again provided our review of the past year as a separate publication to MJ , so you can easily see the work we have carried out on your behalf from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023

This issue of MJ , though smaller in size to accommodate the review, is packed with our regular updates from our External Affairs team in News and Campaigns, member news in our Community section and legal advice from the ISM legal team on the important subject of holiday pay. We also say goodbye to our outgoing President, Pauline Black, and talk to our incoming President Nicky Spence OBE who plans to focus on the selfesteem of the music sector during his tenure as President.

Other features include Juliet Fraser telling us more about her inspiration for the eavesdropping festival and what to expect at the next festival. We also look at Arts Council England (ACE ) as the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Lucy Frazer, orders a full scale independent review of ACE.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our AGM and Members’ Day.

04.News & Campaigns

06.Presidents

08.ISM Members’ Day 2024

09.New rules on holiday pay

10. ArtsCouncilEngland:Is it fitfor purpose, or has it lost its way?

14. Eavesdropping

16.ISM Community

20.Member spotlight

Photo: Emile Holba

ISM welcomes Music

The UK parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee recently published its thorough an d hard-hitting Misog yny in Mus ic rep ort.

The committee, whose role is to hold the government to account on equality law and policy, found that gender discrimination, sexual harassment, power imbalances and unequal pay are entrenched in the music industr y. Further, it found a culture of silence and a lack of accountabilit y for perpetrators of abuse. The fi ndings align with those that the ISM has been warning of for years. ISM research, including 2022’s Dignity at Work 2 , is cited throughout the report and last year ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts gave evidence to the committee, calling discrimination in music ‘endemic’. The committee made some welcome recommendations to government and the music industry, including amending the 2010 Equality Act to protect freelancers, extending the amount of time after the event that sexual harassment or discrimination claims can be made and prohibiting the use of non- disclosure agreements in certain circumstances. Welcoming the publication of Misog yny in Music, Annetts said the report should be a moment of real and lasting change, and said of the Minister ealadlasgcage,adsadoeseofor Women and Equalities, ‘Now is the time for her to act’.

solutionsformusicians

The ISM is a signatory to the new UK Code of Good Practice on Transparency in Music Streaming that has been agreed by the UK music industry and published by the Intellectual Property Office. It is hoped that the voluntary framework will begin to tackle the lack of transparency in music streaming This lack of transparency is a longstanding concern for musicians and with new business models released by streaming services without consultation with musicians, the lack of transparency has been increasing in recent years. The ISM will provide more information for members ahead of the code coming into force in mid-2024.

The Parliamentar y Partnership Assembly (PPA), which is composed of parliamentarians from both the UK and the EU, has called on the EU Commission and the UK Government to work together to change rules to allow ‘artists and their teams to tour freely in the EU and UK’. The ISM worked closely with members of the UK deleegation to support their discussions with colleagues, and we are pleased the assembly has taken these issues for ward . This progress comes shortly after the Domestic Advisory Group made similar recommendations.

the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and provide inflationary-linked uplifts in funding for Music Education Hubs. An initial response from Schools Minister Damian Hinds stopped short of any concrete commitments. We will be contacting the minister again; much of this work has been undertaken in collaboration with Music Mark and the Musicians’ Union.

ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts has written to Schools Minister Damian Hinds to reiterate ongoing concerns with the Music Hub Investment Programme. The comprehensive letter highlights multiple factors to be considered regarding the process. These include the lack of a published rationale, funding and workload. The ISM has asked for the process, which will see the overall number of music hubs slashed to almost a third of the current number, to be paused to allow an ‘urgent investigation’ to take place.

The latest of fi cial statistics from the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) Initial Teacher Training Census show that just 27% of the government’s target for secondary trainee music teachers was met in 2023. The DfE has struggled to meet its recruitment targets in music in recent times but never as dramatically as this. The target for trainee music teachers has only been reached once in the last 10 years (in 2020/21). Before this year, the previous low was 64% in 2022/23. The ISM said that the recruitment was ‘not good enough’.

ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts and members of the ISM Council have urged Oxford Brookes University to reconsider its ‘deeply concerning and disappointing ’ decision to close its music department. The letters to management asked for a pause and said the decision was ‘hard to fathom’.

Pauline Black

As she prepares to leave office at our AGM in April, the ISM’s outgoing President reflects on her year in the spotlight

No year in the music world could ever be described as ‘normal’, especially not at the moment, but 2023/24 was certainly less normal than most for the ISM as we undertook the massive task of rebranding, changing our name and building a new website. This complex process was immensely time-consuming for the Board as well as for the executive team in the ISM office, and dominated Pauline Black’s Presidential year.

The result, she feels, is ver y successful and does what it set out to do in presenting a more up-to-date and engaging representation of the ISM; she enjoyed learning to understand the rebranding process and felt that she and her colleagues on the Board had plenty of input.

More generally, Black feels pleased that during her year in of fice she was able to fly the flag for the ISM in her native Scotland, and also to help members understand that the organisation is for everyone in the UK and for people working in all genres of music and music education. It is not ‘English’ and is not just for classical musicians. ‘It was really great to attend the national conference of jazz promoters in Birmingham as the face of the ISM!’ she says.

Other highlights of her year included the ISM Board’s awayday, a hugely stimulating exchange of ideas. Black says she has gained a new understanding of how musicians can support one another, and feels the ISM is particularly good at this, both in the context of Board members supporting one another, and the organisation supporting its members. ‘ I’ve been so impressed by the hard work that goes into reports and campaigns such as Dignity at Work … it’s so important for the profession.’

we undertook the massive task of rebranding… The result is very successful and does what it set out to do in presenting a more up-to-date and engaging representation of the ISM.

As she passes the baton to Nick y Spence she is pleased that, as the face of opera, he will be well placed to help with campaigns to champion his colleagues who face such threats to their livelihoods; and she looks forward to continued involvement in the work of the ISM.

‘ I’m particularly keen to promote access and inclusion, especially for children,’ she says. ‘ Whether a young person discovers live music or not shouldn’t be a matter of a postcode lottery. If a child is inspired as a five-year-old in primar y school, no matter where they live, I want them to be able to get the training they need to one day stand on stage as a musician themselves.’

Photo: Flash Photography

Nicky Spence OBE

opposed to back in the day when we could plan things a bit better. I like the ISM’s analogy of a funnel, where the things at the top are the most pressing issues.’

The ISM needs to send flares up into the sky saying “we exist, we are here for you”, and I hope to be part of that.

Your President Elect looks forward to his new role

In the summer of 2020 tenor Nicky Spence spoke eloquently to MJ about the impact of COVID-19 on performers. He had just joined the Board of the ISM, and was doing as much as he could to support colleagues, get online activity going and draw attention to the plight of the arts community.

Since then, he has presented engaging TV programmes about singing for Sky Arts and hosted English National Opera (ENO)’s podcast Opera, Actually. He won both the BBC Music and Gramophone magazine awards in 2022 for his critically acclaimed recording of Janáček’s The Diary of One who Disappeared with Julius Drake; was BBC Music’s Personality of the Year in 2022; and last year he was made an OBE in the King’s inaugural birthday honours.

Spence is now fully back in the swing of performing; current projects include his début in Thomas Adès’s The Exterminating Angel at the Paris Opera. But he is still committed to supporting his fellow musicians in whatever way he can, including as an ambassador for Help Musicians in addition to his role with the ISM.

Asked about the insights he has gleaned from his time on the Board, he says he has been impressed by the ISM’s flexibility and manoeuvrability, at a time when musicians are ‘constantly putting out fires and having to be reactive, as

He has valued the opportunity to meet people who work in slightly different musical genres or roles, especially, he says, educators, particularly those working with children.

‘ We need to think about how we set up the next generation in terms of actually having access to music, which seems to be a constant battle; and also with different genres of music, from country and western to electronic and pop – everybody has their specific needs and their desires to make music while having the conditions to be able to do their best work.’

As he takes on the Presidency, Spence believes that much of what the ISM needs to prioritise, and where his focus will be, relates to the self-esteem of the music sector. ‘I think we have been in a state of fight for the last ten to 15 years in terms of what it is to be a musician, having to prove why what we do is worthwhile, not only to the country as a kind of soft economy, but also in terms of what it is to make music and to feel valid as a musician. So much of what we do is being constantly challenged. It’s very difficult now I think to make a career as a musician.

We need to work on how musicians are viewed in society, so that people can find the joy in being a performer, and can see a route into the profession where they can hopefully make something which feels worthwhile in terms of performance and connection with an audience, but can also make an impact on society … and earn enough money to live!’

He is concerned about the impact of Artificial Intelligence, which also relates to the worth of musicians; about the difficult situation of his colleagues at ENO and elsewhere as they grapple with the effects of Arts Council decisionmaking; and more generally about musicians’ mental health ‘Even if you are successful, it’s a very lonely job, and you need to know that you’re not on your own. Hopefully the ISM can really continue to educate in a grander sense of the word and really be a point of refuge for musicians; it needs to send flares up into the sky saying “we exist, we are here for you”, and I hope to be part of that.’

nickyspence.com

Interviews by Clare Stevens

Ne Need ed HIGGH H R REES S & cr credediit t detetaaiils ls

Photo: Ki Price

We want to say thank you to ever yone who has already booked their tickets to this event, and we are excited to meet you there. You will join fellow musicians and ISM staff for an exciting day of networking, including meeting ISM Council members and staff, catching up with old friends, and making new connections over complimentar y lunch and refreshments.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place and of fi cial business of the ISM will be conducted . You’ll be able to take part in the open forum and focus groups, ask questions and have your say in matters that are important to you.

Music

Filkin’s Drift are a contemporar y folk duo who are dedicated to exploring innovative avenues in music creating. Last year they walked their tour of 870 miles in the name of sustainability. We are really looking forward to their performance!

Brixton Chamber Orchestra are a versatile group of instrumentalists who provide thrilling live orchestral experiences for wide-ranging audiences. We will enjoy some pop music with a twist, played by BCO’s string quartet and featuring some specially arranged pieces with

2024

‘In-conversation’ with NickySpenceOBE and Katie Derham

An exciting feature of the day will be the ‘in-conversation’ with our PresidentElectNicky Spence OBE, interviewed by newscaster and television and radio presenter Katie Derham

An opera singer with a particular enthusiasm for Janaček, Nicky Spence gives recitals internationally and records prolifically. His unique skills as a singing actor and the rare honesty in his musicianship have earned him a place at the top of the music profession. He was made an OBE in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours. Katie Derham is one of the most recognisable voices on BBC Radio 3 as the award-winning presenter of the flagship programme In Tune. As the face of the BBC Proms, anchoring the coverage from the Royal Albert Hall since 2010, she is a leading arts broadcaster.

Are you a musician looking to turn your passion for music into a sustainable business? This workshop provides you with essential insights and practical strategies for success. Led by industry experts Apollo Coaching, this empowering session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to enjoy a thriving music career!

Filkin’s Drift Photo: Tegan Foley

Ne w rules ON holiday pay

IStuartDarke, ISM Director of Legal Services, reports on changes to the law on holiday pay

n July 2022, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment in the case of The Harpur Trust v Brazel, deciding how the holiday pay of workers who work term-time only should be calculated . The case was brought by ISM member Mrs Lesley Brazel, with the support of the ISM.

The ruling signifi cantly improved the rights of visiting music teachers ( VMTs) and peris to paid holiday, but it was unpopular with employers and with the government, who, last year, undertook a consultation with a view to re-writing the law to undo its effects. The government has now formally legislated to change the law and allow ‘rolled-up holiday pay ’ at the rate of 12.07%.

Anyone who is an ‘irregular hours’ or ‘part-year’ worker, including hourly-paid VMTs and Peris who work term-time only in schools, universities, and music services, could be impacted.

The new regulations for England, Scotland and Wales became law on 1 January 2024 and mean that for new annual leave years beginning on or after 1 April 2024, employers will be allowed to calculate holiday pay on the basis of a percentage – 12.07% of the hourly rate – as long

as they meet certain minimum requirements. Anyone who is an ‘irregular hours’ or ‘part-year’ worker, including hourlypaid VMTs and peris who work term-time only in schools, universities, and music services, could be impacted.

To pay rolled-up holiday pay under the new arrangements, an employer will need to pay the extra 12.07% of pay at the same time as they pay for the work done and it must be paid as a percentage of all earnings in the pay period. In addition, under these new arrangements, employers will be required to itemise holiday pay separately on the payslip. Those who do not do this will be breaking the law and will leave themselves open to holiday pay claims through an employment tribunal.

Employers are not required to make changes under these new arrangements, but being allowed to roll-up the holiday pay of their irregular and part-year workers, without breaking the law, is likely to be attractive to many schools and music services, not least because the payroll processes may be easier to administer. Over the coming months, some employers may look to open consultations with a view to changing contractual terms to allow for rolled-up holiday pay. However, if your employment contract entitles you to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday, as opposed to a percentage payment of rolled-up holiday pay, this will remain your right unless your contract is changed.

This remains a complicated area of law. If your employer decides to consult on changing holiday pay, or if you need help or support, then contact the ISM legal team. For more information visit: ism.org/advice/changes-to-law-on-holiday-pay

A r t s Council Engl a nd: Is it fit for purpose, or has it lost its way?

As the government announces a full-scale independent review of the Arts Council, Clare Stevens explores its history, funding model and the effects of its funding strateg y on arts organisations

Arts Council England (ACE) has its origins in the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA), founded in 1940 to help promote British culture during the war. This evolved into the Arts Council of Great Britain (ACGB), chaired by the economist John Maynard Keynes ensured that it was well funded and also established the ‘arms-length principle’ by which ACGB reported directly to the Treasur y rather than to an arts or education minister.

Even though Keynes had died a few months before it came into being, the Council’s early policies reflected his personal enthusiasm for the Royal Opera House and for ballet, and his bias towards London. They also represented a patrician view of culture; ACGB’s purpose, according to the charter issued on 9 August 1946, was to develop ‘ a greater knowledge, understanding and practice of the fine arts exclusively, and in particular to increase the accessibility of the fine arts to the public through Our Realm’ The Council was also tasked with helping to raise ‘the standard of execution’ and with advising government departments, local authorities and other bodies on any matters relating to the arts.

famous venue and most enduring legacy), and a smaller programme for the Coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953; each included a new opera by Benjamin Britten, Billy Budd in 1951 and Gloriana two years later, indicating a brave commitment to modernity

The aspiration was that people would come to appreciate the arts so much that the need for public subsidy would dwindle, but this did not happen, partly due to the popularity of cinema, television and popular music in the 1950s and 60s. Coming to power in 1964, Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson moved the ACGB into the portfolio of the Department for Education and Science, and appointed the energetic and passionately committed Jennie Lee as the first ever Minister for the Arts

John Maynard Keynes ensured that it was well fundedandalsoestablishedthe ‘arms-lengthprinciple’bywhich ACGBreporteddirectlytothe Treasury rather than to an arts or education minister.

Above: John Maynard Keynes, Below: Jennie Lee

Its early activity included running the cultural programme for the Festival of Britain in 1951 (nationwide, although London’s Royal Festival Hall was its most

Lee’s White Paper A Policy for the Arts recognised that ‘the diffusion of culture is now so much a part of life that there is no point at which it stops’; pledged increased funding and initiatives to help younger individual artists; and welcomed the development of a network of regional arts organisations. This informed the renewal of ACGB’s royal charter in 1967, with a simplified purpose: ‘to develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and practice of the arts’ and ‘ increase the accessibility of the arts to the public throughout Great Britain’. The overly narrow references to the ‘fine arts’ were removed

This was the era that saw the construction of over 100 new arts venues, including the Hayward Gallery, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, and the National Theatre. But it was an expensive approach that could not survive the industrial crises and financial slumps of the 1970s and 80s, let alone prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s belief in the free market and her instinctive preference for supporting the arts through private patronage rather than state subsidy. This was reflected in the appointments of Luke Rittner, previously director of the Association of Business Sponsorship, as director-general of ACGB in 1983 and the property millionaire Peter Palumbo as chairman in 1989.

Increasingly in the closing decades of the 20th century the arts were required to earn their keep and prove their economic value; and even though Tony Blair’s Labour government had a much more generous ideology, and invested substantial sums in music education, its cultural policy tended to focus on the benefits of the arts for community regeneration and in contributing to the physical and mental health of individuals. These principles have continued to underpin the funding strategies of Arts Council England to the present time.

From 1967 ACGB had individual committees for Scotland and Wales, and in 1994 it was replaced with separate Councils for each country, responsible for distributing both public funds and those from the new National Lottery. The Arts Council of England merged with the ten English regional arts boards in 2002 and was renamed Arts Council England a year later.

Comparisonwithfunding models elsewhere

ACE’s funding package for 2023-26 covering all its programmes totals £639.7m, to serve a population of 57m. The British model of arts funding has always worked on the basis of a three-way split between box office and other earnings; public funding, both from central government and from local authorities; and private or corporate support. This compares to the European model of far more state subsidy and some extraordinary corporate support, and the US model, with minimal state subsidy, where arts organisations rely on corporations, foundations, and individuals of high net worth.

In Germany, for example, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra receives a substantial amount from the Senate Department for Culture and Community, significant sponsorship from Deutsche Bank and additional support from the German Postcode Lottery and charitable trusts such as the Siemens Foundation. A decade ago, the Bavarian State Opera’s entire Ring cycle was sponsored by BMW. The health benefits of the arts and the desirability of encouraging diverse

Comparisoninfunding withotherEuropeancountries

audiences and community participation are appreciated, but the government’s culture strategy is driven by a belief in the autonomy of creative work. State funding exists to assist cultural organisations and individuals and ensure their independence from the free market; the annual Federal Budget for Culture and Media rose from €2.1bn to €2.4bn in July 2023, for a population of just over 83m.

In France, the Ministry of Culture website states that €17bn per year across several ministries is devoted to culture, for a population of nearly 65m, though it also acknowledges the place of private funding, from the purchase of a concert ticket to corporate sponsorship. Both France and Germany introduced Culture Passes for every 18-year-old to spend on arts activities post-COVID-19, €200 in Germany and €300 in France, recently extended to 15-17-year-olds.

In Sweden, the culture sector is mainly financed by public funding, to the tune of SEK6.8bn for a population of 10m, with a low percentage of private investment and sponsorship. The Swedish Arts Council is responsible for distributing funds to organisations, but a separate government agency, the Swedish Arts Grants Committee, supports individual artists and international collaborations and projects.

In Ireland, with a population of just over 5m, Arts Council Ireland (ACI) is the main funder of the arts. Its grant from the Irish Exchequer for 2024 is €134m and it is currently coming to the end of a ten-year Making Great Art Work strategy, intended to help ACI itself think about investing more efficiently, streamline support, and simplify and clarify the application and assessment process. The government recently piloted a basic income for artists and creative arts workers of €325 per week, as part of its ambition to understand and respond to the needs of individuals.

Let’sCreate turns the paternalistic philosophy of ACGB’s early years on its head, prioritising participation and centring on three Outcomes.

Let’s Create

LET'S CREATE

Let’s Create is one of ACE’s main funding strategies for 202 0 – 30. It turns the paternalistic philosophy of ACGB’s early years on its head , prioritising participation and centring on three Outcomes which it is currently working to deliver:

1 Creative People: everyone can develop and express creativity throughout their life.

2 Cultural Communities : villages, towns and cities thrive through a collaborative approach to culture.

3 A creative and cultural country: England’s cultural sector is innovative, collaborative and international.

practitioners and administrators. On social media and in conference debates they recount their despair and frustration at the complex bureaucracy and the apparent impossibility of working out the specifi c ingredients of a successful bid; a particular bugbear at the moment is the lack of feedback on unsuccessful bids. And as this article was in preparation, ACE clients were expressing dismay at the apparent strictness of updated Relationship Framework policies warning them to be wary of ‘overtly political or activist’ statements made in a personal capacity by people linked with their organisations, which might breach their funding arrangements.

Levelling Up and the ACE NationalPortfolio

Others, of course, are celebrating as they begin work on supported projects. Among them are the 270 newcomers to ACE’s National Portfolio of Funded Organisations (NPO) revealed amid much controversy in November 2022 – they include Blackpool Illuminations (to commission contemporar y artists, and support talent development for a network of light festivals across the North); Unlimited in Yorkshire (who commission work by disabled artists) and intoBodmin (a communit y arts organisation in the heart of Cornwall)

Of a total of £446m awarded to 990 arts organisations, £ 43.5 million annually for the three years was pledged to the Levelling Up for Culture Places programme, a 95% increase in government and National Lottery investment in the arts for areas such as Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire, Mans field in Nottinghamshire, and North Devon.

To achieve these Outcomes, ACE-supported organisations and individuals need to demonstrate that their work is steered by four Investment Principles:

1 Ambition & Quality

2 Inclusivity & Relevance

3 Dynamism

4 Environmental Responsibility

Trying to understand these criteria and what they need to do to fulfi l them has become a huge challenge for

What feels uncomfortable about this for many people is the direct link to government policy, however admirable the outcome may be for the relevant communities. ACE’s current chairman, Nicholas Serota, admits in his Annual Report for 2022/23 that they were directly instructed by the last Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport but two, Nadine Dorries, to move funding amounting to £24m out of London to benefit the regions … in accordance, one assumes, with the government’s own Levelling Up agenda.

The most high -profi le casualty of the recent process is English National Opera (ENO), stripped of its NPO status and told that it must leave its base in London’s Coliseum Theatre – the freehold of which it acquired with £10m ACGB support in 1992 – and go somewhere else. The apparently informal suggestion of Manchester as a possibilit y took no account of the existence of Leeds-based Opera North, itself originally conceived

as a northern outpost of ENO, nor of previous audits of the city revealing that Manchester doesn’t really have a theatre suited to large-scale opera. Yet a partial reprieve, with an extended time-frame and an additional sum of money, seems to be predicated on making Manchester happen for the company … whatever the cost in job losses for the chorus and orchestra, which are to be reduced. The ISM has been actively involved in protests against these threats to ENO’s existence.

Another puzzling decision was ACE’s removal from its portfolio of the Britten Sinfonia, given that it is based in East Anglia, an area under-served by professional music-making, and mainly working quite a long way from London. And the London Sinfonietta, which specialises in contemporar y music and is renowned for its education programme, remained in the portfolio but lost 41% of the ACE grant that had provided 35% of its turnover. In a dignified response to the news, LS’s chief executive Andrew Burke explained how this support had enabled the orchestra to employ composers and performers, take risks, innovate and reach students and audiences in places like Gloucester and Northampton as well as outer London boroughs that have little contact with NP O organisations.

Local authorities

What makes all of these situations worse for so many arts practitioners is that an increasing number of English local authorities are declaring themselves in danger of bankruptcy, and cutting all arts funding. Birmingham has been teetering on the financial brink for years, famous for its two magnificent 19th- and 20th-century concert halls, its new conservatoire building, numerous other music venues and new library, but unable to deliver the most basic of social services, let alone fund performing arts activities. Nottingham City Council declared itself effectively bankrupt last November, and has proposed cuts to youth and community services and public transport as well as to the arts. Suffolk County Council announced on 3 January that it would have to cut its entire arts budget in order to balance its books

With the double whammyofthecostof livingdrivingupcostsforarts organisations while slashing the amountofdisposableincomethe average person has available to spend on attending concerts, plays or touring exhibitions, it’s not surprising that our tripartite fundingmodelisatrisk.

Without compromising its international reputation, it has spent a decade becoming more entrepreneurial and reshaping its programmes of activity to reflect ACE’s values and goals. Yet, he said, ‘rather than directing our creativity and experience at the exciting work we can do, we now must spend huge amounts of time evolving a completely new approach for the organisation … at breakneck speed.’

The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) was equally mystified about a reduction in its ACE funding from £439,996 to £300,000 annually, stating that: ‘ EFDSS is physically located in London, but it has always been and continues to be a national organisation, the only one championing the folk music and dance that are at the heart of England ’s cultural life, working across the country. By our reckoning, Arts Council England funding dedicated to folk music and dance was already tiny, at £1 out of every £760; [under the new settlement for 20233 6] it will be £1 in £1116.’

With the double whammy of the cost of living driving up costs for arts organisations while slashing the amount of disposable income the average person has available to spend on attending concerts, plays or touring exhibitions, it’s not surprising that our tripartite funding model is at risk

ACE is attempting to provide additional support to its clients by extending its Creative People and Places National Portfolio and National Portfolio Investment Programme for an extra year. But the key to its current priority lies in a sentence in a blog post earlier this year by its chief executive, Darren Henley: ‘ We need to demonstrate to national and local politicians that sustained investment in excellent art, culture and creativity makes life worth living and creates future growth, even in hard times.’

Concerns about how ACE is currently functioning are evidently shared by the DCMS; Minister of State, Julia Lopez, stating in parliament on 1 February that the Culture Secretar y has authorised a full-scale independent review of ACE, following the completion of an earlier ‘light touch’ review.

Is ACE doing enough to make the case for the arts? Does Let’s Create need an overhaul? Is there a better way of funding the arts in England? Has the arms-length principle been abandoned? Some would say it has, and if so, what is the point of ACE?

Let us know what you think. info @ism.org

E avesdropping

ASinger Juliet Fraser explains the origins and development of her East London festival of experimental music and ideas

small, wood-panelled chapel in the eaves of Oxford House community centre in Bethnal Green was the inspiration for the first eavesdropping festival, dreamt up by soprano Juliet Fraser in 2017, as a way of bringing people into the ‘derelict but very beautiful space’ she had used for singing practice when she first moved to East London. ‘When you start putting on events you have to make decisions about who you’re going to invite to come and do things,’ she says. ‘That was the beginning of my journey as a curator – thinking who do I want to give the platform to, what sort of music do I want to be sharing, what sort of atmosphere do I want these events to have? ’

Fraser herself was one of the eight artists featured in the first festival, but she quickly discovered that it was quite difficult to switch between performing and hosting, so now she concentrates on the latter. The festival has a very intimate, personal feel, with Fraser introducing the artists

I really like this idea of trusting an artist and letting them get on with whatever they want to do.

Juliet fraser

and sometimes interviewing them on stage about their creative practice or the music they are sharing. Flexibility and informality are paramount; a roster of participants is announced for each festival, but no details of repertoire, and there are no printed programmes.

‘I book an artist and then talk to them about what is most useful for them to present. As a curator I’m really trying to get out of the way and give them the best possible platform. I really like this idea of trusting an artist and letting them get on with whatever they want to do.’

The result is an eclectic programme, focused on the experimental contemporary music that has been one of Fraser’s own specialities throughout her career, but bringing together a very different collection of musicians representing a variety of genres. The aim is to stimulate the ears and the imaginations of the audience over the four

Left: Juliet Fraser Photo: Dimitri Djuric

evening events of the festival. Alongside the music there are talks by invited guest speakers, shorter presentations gathered through a Call for Provocations, films, round table panels and discussions. The theme for this year’s provocative forum is ‘Experiments in Failure’ – intended, says Fraser, as a counterpoint to and stimulus for discussion of the perfectionism that is pervasive in music, particularly in classical music training and performance.

It is no accident that the production team and the majority of the musicians taking part in eavesdropping are women – the festival and the activity such as podcasts, artist development and ‘outpost’ events that have spun off from it are inspired by Fraser’s thinking about ethics, diversity and intersectional feminism – the idea that, as she explains, ‘unless you address inequities of class, race, disability or divergence it’s not possible to embrace the philosophy of “no man or no woman or no person left behind ”’. Progress on equality really has to have a multi-faceted approach.

‘Diversity cuts in many ways, it may be about ethnicity or gender but it’s just as much about aesthetic. With our double-bill model, I’m always looking to put artists together whose work complements each others, but is still contrasting or surprising.’

The mix has proven so popular that eavesdropping soon outgrew the chapel where it began and moved to Café OTO in Dalston, where it will take place this year from 21–24 March. The new venue has its own audience of curious listeners and Fraser says the cross-fertilisation with eavesdropping’s growing community works well.

‘I’m always so touched by both the courage and warmth of people who attend; they come with a lovely spirit. Good friendships, strong bonds and stimulating conversations always seem to emerge out of those four days.’

cafeoto.co.uk/events/eavesdropping-festival-2024 eavesdropping.london

julietfraser.co.uk

Interview by Clare Stevens

ISM Trust free webinar series on music and deafness

The ISM Trust has launched a series of two free webinars exploring the theme of music and deafness, taking place in March 2024.

6 March – ‘Managing hearing loss as a musician’ will offer perspectives from expert speakers including Dame Evelyn Glennie.

26 March – ‘Reaching and engaging D/deaf people in music-making activities’ will be presented by Danny Lane, Artistic Director of Music and the Deaf.

Find out more: ism.org/news /music-and-deafness

Left: Sophie Fetokaki Photo: Nayari Cepeda

A new addition to the ISM archives

The ISM has received a fascinating new addition to its historical archive collection: a 127-year-old certifi cate in elementary piano playing. It was awarded to Arie Livingstone at the Society’s music examination centre in Manchester in 1897.

The ISM exam board had been set up ten years earlier, with the aim of raising music teaching standards and enhancing the professional status of music teachers. Around the time this exam certifi cate was awarded, the ISM was also in the process of establishing its orphanage for the children of musicians.

The document is in excellent condition and features an embossed stamp showing the ISM seal from 1892 – the year the Societ y was fi rst incorporated . Incorporation allowed the Societ y to engage in government lobbying and represent musicians’ interests among decision-makers at the highest level – something the ISM is proud to continue doing to this day.

Thank you to Wendy for sending this wonderful historical document to us – all the way from Georgia, USA!

some musical habits totrackin2024

do you want to work on this year? Improving sight-reading ? Better technique? Listening to and discovering more music?

Whatever your musical new year resolutions are, you can start by building up small elements of good practice and incorporating them into your daily routines. It’s not about perfection, but rather about slowly building up a chain of good musical habits. In the words of James Clear, author of Atomic Habits :

‘ Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.’

With this in mind , the team at Faber Music have come up with some ideas for musical habits to focus on in 2024 – let us know yours with the hashtag #MusicalHabits !

Read the list here: fabermusic.com/news/ musical- habits-to-track-in-2024

Downloadthehabittrackertemplates: mailchi.mp/fabermusic.com/2ltlpxoubn

Here’s what our members have been doing across the UK

For all community news, visit ism.org/professional-community

landmark1000teachers

Awards for Young Musicians (AYM) supports talented young people from low-income families, helping them to overcome financial and social barriers they face to progression. We know that due to family circumstances, culture or background, some children don’t show obvious potential due to lack of prior musical experience and opportunity. To help redress this inequity, the charity has been developing its Identifying Musical Talent and Potential programme (ITP) for over ten years, in partnership with Lead Facilitator Hugh Nankivell. It’s closely aligned to the National Plan for Music Education’s vision to enable ‘all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, and have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally. Through an inclusive classroom approach and its ‘Eight Facets of Musical Potential’ framework, the ITP programme gives teachers and music educators a different lens through which to spot potential which might otherwise go unnoticed

ITP training was relaunched in 2022 and offered free via Music Hubs with support from Arts Council England’s Hub Investment Fund. Since then, sessions have been delivered across England – online or in-person – as part

of Hub INSET days, at conferences or as twilight training sessions. They’ve been attended by peripatetic teachers, whole-class teachers, ensemble leaders, primary class teachers and secondary music specialists, music students and trainee music leaders.

Now included in AYM’s Arts Council NPO funding, the programme recently trained its 1000th teacher in this new phase and in 2024 AYM is looking forward to involving an even greater number of teachers and music leaders across England. This training is relevant to educators in all settings – schools, MATs, Music Hubs and other organisations working with young people and training music leaders and teachers.

Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of composer Egon Wellesz’s death, a new CD From Shadows to Light by violinist Siân Philipps and pianist Per Rundberg includes violin sonatas by Wellesz and by his pupil, Grace Williams. The CD also includes World Premiere recordings of Looking Back by John Hawkins, composed for Siân in 2014, and Praeludium and Allegro by Sally Beamish.

From Shadows to Light will launch at the Assembly House, Norwich on 8 March 2024 at 1pm at an International Women’s Day ‘Inspiring Inclusion’ event, showcasing female composers and featuring Dr Jan Sheldon, Sheriff of Norwich and CEO of homelessness charity St Martin’s Housing Trust.

This project is a personal response to the harassment and online impersonation Siân Philipps experienced which affected all areas of her life and work. In 2022 she was guest speaker at Henley Business School’s Conference on Reputation.

From Shadows to Light was recorded by Claudio Records and is distributed by NAXOS. It was funded by Arts Council England and HMUK.

sianphilipps.net/project-events

Siâ

All sponsorship, advertising and programme sales at this concert will benefit

Member Member spotlight

Percussionist, teacher and community musician

Tony Urbansmash tells us how he switched from working in corporate finance to a new life discovering the power of music to bring people together.

How did you originally get into music?

Music has been part of the fabric of my family and community since I was born – I’m a Notting Hill Carnival baby. I used to be shy when it came to dancing, so at family functions I used to hide behind the magicians controlling the music. I studied piano, GCSE music and drama at school, took a degree in leisure management and became a fitness professional. The power of music to bring joy and make people move enabled me to excel as a freelance group exercise instructor.

When the 2008 financial crisis put many of the investment banks where I ran classes out of business, I looked for other opportunities. I had studied finance to help with running my business, so I became a purchase ledger clerk, working on big projects for organisations such as Transport for London, the Olympic Park, Westfield and Thames Water. But there was a lot of pressure in my final accounting role and I had a nervous breakdown.

I quit the corporate career to look after my autistic son full-time, going from a high-paying job to living on benefits. Music was our therapy. In 2016 my mum instructed me to find a steel band for my sister’s wedding; I attended a steelpan beginners’ class, became hooked and ended up playing at the wedding myself. I now have my own steelpan instrument which I had shipped over from Trinidad in 2019.

Who or what inspires you?

Good vibrations. Togetherness. Community (Come Unity). I love to

see the joy and happiness that music, especially on steelpans, brings.

Whatpieceofadvicehashelped you the most in your career?

The potentially blasphemous or offensive phrase ‘God is a DJ’ is top of my mind now! Along with setting and maintaining professional and personal boundaries. As a musician, getting the vibe right, by reading the crowd and connecting with the audience; it’s incredibly powerful.

What has been the most rewardingprojectsofarinyour careerandwhy?

There have been a few especially memorable and rewarding projects. However, I would say that the lifestyle of being a musician is the most rewarding in and of itself. It’s a gift and a privilege to get paid for making people happy and having a good time.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to succeed in the music industry?

Always be learning. Always be humble. Understand your market, clients and customers, users, the community. Connecting with people on a human level will take a musician far.

Ifyoucouldworkinanother industry,whatwouldit be?

I wouldn’t mind doing business consulting, public speaking, and mentoring or coaching. I learn as much from sharing with others as they do from me.

Ifyoucouldchangeonething about the music sector, what woulditbeandwhy?

The perception that music and the arts is for the unambitious and unintelligent needs to go. I grew up with the impression that music was for a special few, the gifted prodigies; anyone who practised music as a hobby was just enjoying a pastime. Had I known that one could apply so many life concepts to the profession of musician, I may have taken it up a lot earlier.

Whatareyourfutureplans?

I would like to develop the online presence of my brand Play it on Pan, including an e-commerce offering. I could teach online courses as I’ve developed my own ways and methods of teaching niche music genres such as reggae, soca calypso, amapiano and afrobeats.

Also, my clients love the brand. I’ve tested promotional merchandise, and it has been received very well, so string vests and pumpum shorts could be on the horizon.

Finally, what does your ISM membershipmeantoyou?

The ISM has been a place to call home for me as a musician in both a digital and institutional sense. It’s one of the first places I look to when I need advice or guidance in any aspect of my career. In a nutshell, the ISM helps me to be the most professional and marketable musician that I can be.