ISM Annual Review 2021-22

Welcome to our new look annual review for the year 1 September 2021 to the Welcome to our new look annual review for the year 1 2021 to the end of August 2022, covering not just the ISM but also the ISM’s two related end of August 2022, covering not just the ISM but also the ISM’s two related charities, the ISM Trust and the ISM Members Fund. charities, the ISM Trust and the ISM Members Fund.

When writing the reviews for the ISM family of organisations, the challenge was trying to work out what to include and what to leave out. If we had included everything the ISM has done over the past year – not just hugely momentous milestones like winning the holiday case in the Supreme Court, undertaking a full rebrand and also winning Individual Member Association of the Year but also everything we do every day of the year – the Review would have been at least 100 pages long. So, we have had to be very selective on what we have included. This is particularly the case when it comes to the ISM Trust and the ISM Members Fund, but hopefully the next few pages

will give you an idea of the scale and ambition of the ISM – to deliver gold standard services to all ISM members as well as robustly defending both music and all those who work in the music sector in these challenging times.

It has not been an easy year for many. But the ISM, the ISM Trust and the ISM Members Fund have been with every ISM member every step of the way to make sure you are supported both through our excellent services and our outstanding campaigning. And in 2023 we will continue to do the same.

annual review: A look at what we did in 2021-22

annual review: A look back at what we did in 2021-22

The Independent Societ y of Musicians (‘ISM’ ) is the UK’s professional body for musicians, established in 1882 to promote the art of music and to protect and support the interests of musicians and the music profession. This founding vision serves the Society well as the ISM continues to grow and develop. The ISM is registered under company number 36882.

Introduction

The nancial year ending 31 ugust 2 22 was a historic year for the ISM. The ISM started wor on a rebrand in 2 1 2 2 which was put on hold because of the pandemic. s the months went by and I 1 receded, the ISM returned to the rebrand and the pro ect e panded to include a possible name change. There had been discussions by the Board about changing the word ‘Incorporated’ since at least 1 82 because it did not spea to the ISM’s values. The present Council, made up entirely of ISM members, shared this view and it was reinforced further by a discussion at the M in 2 2 when a member noted that the name was old fashioned, meant nothing and needed to be changed. From discussions with members it was clear that it was important to eep the initials ISM.

Following discussion, the Board approved the change of the trading name of the ISM, and at the M held at the oyal ver Seas eague in ondon on May 2 22, the ISM’s name and rebranding was e plored with members. uring the summer months of 2 22 we wor ed hard to implement the rebrand across all platforms including Music Journal Such was the scale of the pro ect that the rebrand was rolled out in stages with the new name being unveiled to our members on ctober 2 22 to coincide with the 1 th anniversar y of the creation of the ISM. The ISM’s founding ob ects to support the music profession and promote the art of music still underpin everything we do. There were no alterations made to any member bene ts or rights or services.

The other highlight of 2 21 22 was winning the prestigious Individual Member ssociation of the ear at the UK ssociation wards 2 21. The award recognised the e ceptional wor of the ISM in supporting members throughout the pandemic, the dedication and achievements of the inhouse legal team, the range and development of member bene ts, and the impactful campaigning and lobbying wor on behalf of the sector. e were delighted to have won.

As we entered the new nancial year, I 1 started to recede but the impact of the pandemic continued to be felt across the music sector. New challenges of rising in ation, a cost of living crisis and increasing energy costs continued to put pressure on our members and a profession already struggling from the impacts of Brexit and a decline in music education.

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MusicEducatio Musicn Education

The ISM continued to work to ensure that every child has access to high quality music education. In March 2022, the External Affairs team published an important new report: Music: A Subject in peril? The report was written following an impressive response – over 500 music teachers from across the completed the survey. The ISM s report re ects what music educators told the ISM and many of the ndings made for dif cult reading for those who care about music education.

Music: A Subject in Peril? report found serious inequality at the heart of music education, with patchy provision, and underfunding of music in schools. Music teachers also called for reforms to accountability measures such as Progress 8 and the EBacc, which have diverted resources from nonEBacc subjects such as music. In the light of the report s signi cant ndings, the ISM campaigned for improved consultation on the contents of the refreshed National Plan for Music Education (NPME), as well as reform to accountability measures and greater funding for music education.

In May 2022 the Welsh Government released its NPME which the ISM welcomed. In July 2022, Rhianon Passmore MS was invited to speak at an ISM organised APPG meeting on music education. The ISM meets regularly with Welsh civil servants and is awaiting their views for the music education workforce to begin.

The long-awaited refreshed NPME in England was released on 24 June and we were particularly pleased to see that the Plan states clearly and repeatedly that music should be a key part of the curriculum in all schools. This re ected what the ISM has been advocating over many years.

The case for change

In the ISM’s capacity as the Secretariat for the APPG for Music Education, the ISM organised the following meetings:

• in November 2021 to address the ndings of the report The heart of the school is missing published by the ISM detailing the devastating impact of COVID-19 on music education

• in March 2022 to address access to music education, including a report from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and a presentation of the ISM report Music: A Subject in peril?. The meeting was attended by over 100 people, including parliamentarians from all major political parties in England and Wales.

A further important project in music education was the release of the ISM’s second landmark report in July 2022, ‘The case for change: The music education workforce in 2022’. This report examined the working conditions of the music education workforce including insecure working practices such as zerohours contracts. The report included data from the ISM’s survey of peripatetic teachers working in schools across the UK and found casualisation in the music education workforce had taken hold over the past 20 years, with 72% of peripatetic teachers engaged on insecure zero-hours contracts. The report also found a lack of professional respect for this part of the workforce in schools, further education and higher education settings. The report made positive recommendations for improving workplace conditions.

music education workforce in 2022

Image: MMP Ambassadors

Photo: The Music Man Project

0 2 Equality,Diversity andInclusion

The ISM believes that the music sector should be a safe and inclusive environment to work in. The revealing ISM ‘Dignity at Work’ report in 2018 highlighted the inappropriate practices and behaviours, including discrimination and sexual harassment, that were taking place in the music sector. In the nancial year in question the External Affairs team launched a new survey on discrimination to nd out if anything had changed since the ISM’s 2018 report. This survey received strong engagement with over 600 individuals from across the music sector completing it. Those responses informed a new ISM report published in September 2022. The ISM is committed to campaign for change which will have a meaning ful impact towards creating a safe and welcoming sector. On launching the survey, ISM President Vick Bain said , ‘ We need a music sector that is as open, inclusive, and safe as possible. We know through experience and research that our sector has at times fallen below the high standards that every musician and those in the workforce should expect.’

The ISM-MU Code of Practice which sets out standards of behaviours for the music sector received more signatories and had 120 signatures attheendofthe nancialyearinquestion at the end of the nancial year in question.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) was concluded at the end of 2020 and the damaging impact on musicians has become increasingly clear. The full extent of how adversely Brexit is impacting on the music sector may have been masked by the pandemic. Musicians travelling to the European Union (EU) face costly and complex paperwork in the form of visas, work permits, ATA Carnets, CITES regulations and road haulage restrictions. These rules threaten the nancial viability of touring

The ISM has continued to raise awareness of this grave situation and press policy makers to work with their counterparts in the EU to resolve these issues. Our campaigning objectives have focused on ve core asks for government:

• a bespoke Visa Waiver Agreement (VWA) with the EU for the creative sector

• bilateral agreements with EU Member States on work permit exemptions

• comprehensive, accurate guidance on the Government website around visas , work permits, and movement of goods and people in Europe

• reducing the adverse impact of the new road haulage rules and other rules relating to carnets and CITES

• an emergency compensation package

The Chief Executive and colleagues have discussed the negative impact of Brexit on the music sector with many of cials, including those from the Cabinet Of ce, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department for International Trade (DIT ), the Department for Transport (DfT ), the ome Of ce and the Foreign Of ce. The Chief Executive also gave evidence to the House of Lords European Affairs Committee in the House of Lords on 14 September 2021 on this important topic.

The ISM has continued to achieve noteworthy media coverage for its own work, as well as its response to issues and events which affect the music sector and ISM members. T he ISM received signi cant press coverage of ‘Music: A subject in peril?’ The music education press outlets reported extensively including in publications such as Music Teacher magazine, the Times Education Supplement, Classical Music and Arts Professional. A leading columnist for The Times, Richard Morrison , featured the ISM heavily in his article ‘National Youth Orchestra: the ght for music in schools.’ The ISM’s campaigning on the impact of Brexit continues to receive traction with quotes featuring in the Financial Times , The Independent and Classic FM. Further, in a key news article covering the comments on Brexit made by Mick Jagger, The Independent cited the ISM’s research . The Chief Executive’s comment on a report which found bookings of UK artists for European festivals had greatly reduced by 45% since Brexit, was covered in publications including The Independent, the NME, Rolling Stone, Music Radar and r Far Out

The Chief Executive was invited to speak at a wide range of high-pro le events and conferences during the nancial year on a range of issues impacting musicians and the music sector, while our social media continues to be an important way to engage with our members and disseminate details of the ISM’s work.

Services

A core focus throughout the year was ensuring member bene ts and services continued to support the ISM’s members without impediment while we worked on the rebrand and name change. The ISM in-house legal team achieved this and provided a gold standard service to members who sought advice during 2021-22.

1,135 ne w ca se s new cases opened

The work of the legal team was further highlighted when during the year the ISM secured a major victory at the Supreme Court. Following a hearing in November 2021, the Supreme Court found in favour of ISM member Lesley Brazel, handing down a unanimous judgment in July 2022 that her employer had incorrectly calculated her holiday pay. This case is the leading case in determining how the holiday pay of part year workers must be calculated . The ISM is proud to have tirelessly supported this case for nine years from the initial stages of challenging Lesley Brazel ‘s employer all the way through to the Supreme Court. The judgment is a vindication of the ISM in-house legal team’s method of calculating holiday pay. As a result of this signi cant case and following victory in the Supreme Court, ISM members saw increased payments as well as back pay for holiday pay. A dedicated hub was published on the website to explain the results of the case and provide advice to members. Following this and an email communication which was sent to members, the legal team saw an increase in the number of members seeking advice on holiday pay.

The number of cases relating to COVID-19 remained high at the start of the year but diminished as the year went on and restrictions across the United Kingdom were relaxed before eventually being removed. A total of 1,135 new cases were opened in 2021-22. This is lower than the previous two years but re ects a lower number of COVID-19 related casework

The highest numbers of legal cases in 2021-22 were employment related , including discrimination and cases relating to status and holiday pay. These cases include several regarding long COVID and the interaction with disabilit y discrimination. The number of unpaid fees which were chased increased in 2021-22 and was higher than during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, although the number was still lower than pre-pandemic levels. Over the course of 2021-22 the ISM secured almost £165,000 for members through the work of the in-house legal team and legal expenses insurance.

Resources and advice to members continued to be released throughout the year including the next instalment in our popular How To … series , this time containing guidance on becoming a music workshop leader. Our blog series continued to cover a wide range of pertinent issues. The results of the perennially popular annual survey into teaching, accompanying, and examining fees were published in April 2022. Members continued to have access to numerous music-related discounts as well as a wide range of high street and lifestyle discounts. There were more than 2 ,000 visits to our dedicated discount website during the year and members utilised access to Grove Music Online 2,431 times during the period.

Violinist Nicola Benedetti CBE was selected as the recipient of the ISM’s Distinguished Musician Award 2021. She follows in the footsteps of former eminent receivers of this prestigious award which includes Errollyn Wallen, Thomas Adès and John Wilson to name a few. This is the ISM’s highest accolade, awarded in recognition for the positive contribution made to UK musical life.

The delayed 2021 AGM was held on 13 November 2021 at the Royal Over-Seas League in central London. Members were keen to know more about social prescribing which we will be taking forward in our professional development. Other member engagement activities included an online meeting for corporate members and the rst ever online meeting of members who volunteer their time to run ISM Local Groups. COVID-19 restrictions meant that many fewer local group events took place than usual but members persevered and still managed to arrange social events, pupils’ concerts and lecture events.

Photo: raig ibson

FinancialResults

Despite the challenges described in this summary of the report, membership continued to grow rapidly, reaching almost 11,000 members for the rst time.

ID-1 continued to affect the ISM’s activities during 2021- 22. In recognition of the nancial impact of the pandemic on our members, the ISM again chose not to increase subscriptions. Despite the numerous adverse nancial pressures the ISM achieved a small surplus for the year in uestion of £5,861.

Total income fell by 10.3% over the previous year to £1, 810,124, and this was attributable to a fall in our investment income compared to the prior year due to market volatilit y. Our membership subscription of £1,382,247 made up the majorit y of our total income with other revenue coming from the Educational Recording Agency and Cable Royalties.

Total expenditure before taxation grew by 2.6% over the previous year to £1,749,121. Financial costs and performance were monitored monthly by the Senior Leadership Team and quarterly by the Board to ensure we kept on track with our planned activities for the year. Expenditure increased in a few areas, namely membership services, marketing and external affairs and propert y and equipment

Conclusion

The work of the ISM Group and the ISM is ve their facilitated by many of its members, who gi cal time voluntarily to support Council, and Lo unity Groups, which provide such a great opport

greatly

e and for members to meet, exchange knowledge

ncil would engage in professional development. Cou

M’s many like to thank the ISM staff team and the IS tinue volunteers working across the UK who con porting to show a high level of commitment in sup

ng times. the ISM’s activities during these challengin

o further Council thanks ever yone who has helped t

e to all the work of the ISM and offers its gratitude

s for retiring members of Council and volunteer their services

ISMTrustannualreview

Here we summarise the report on the Incorporated Society of Musicians Trust for the period ended 31 August 2022.

The ISM Trust’s Company number is 9296727 and Charity number is 1160261. The objects of the ISM Trust are to advance education; advance health; and promote the arts, particularly music.

rated Society of Musicians

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chievements Achievements andper formanc ande performance

As restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic began to lift, the Trust refocused its work on music education. The centrepiece of this work was the online conference Where to next for music education? on 27 November 2021, the biggest conference the Trust has held, with 477 attendees. The event explored what is happening across the four nations, as well as pedagogy and issues around the workforce. Speakers included Mark Phillips, Lead Inspector for Music at Ofsted, and Dr Kadiatu KannehMason. There was signi cant engagement on social media which helped raise awareness and the pro le of the Trust with 65,984 organic impressions from social media posts on the day. Videos of the sessions were made available afterwards via YouTube.

Image: Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason

Photo: Jake Turney

Dr Alison Daubney hosted two TeachMeets. Sessions were held for early years and primary, and secondary school teachers and a total of nine webinars were held across the year attracting 560 live attendees. All the webinars are freely available on YouTube. The Trust’s seminar series resumed following the COVID-19 pandemic and Dr Alison Daubney and Paul Harris delivered four training sessions on performance anxiety and teaching pedagogy. Partnership working continues to be central to the Trust’s work including work with NMC Records and ABRSM.

Existing resources continued to perform well. Indian Takeaway: Rag and Tal Basics was featured at the Music and Drama Education Expo in September 2021, the Primary Music Toolkit remained the top digital resource and sales of Play and Performance Anxiety continue to perform well.

During 2021-22 the Trust had to utilise some of its reserves to cover its operating expenditure for the year. The Trustees are greatly appreciative to everyone who donated during the reporting period and would like to recognise and express gratitude for a legacy from the estate of Marion Russell.

ISMMembersFund AnnualReview

Here we summarise the report and nancial statement on the activities of the Incorporated Society of Musicians (‘the Fund’) for the year ended 31 August 2022

The Fund was established in 1917 and is under charit y number 206801. We have assessed the impact of the Fund , and its services before and after it was reshaped in 2019. To assess the Fund’s impact after 2019, we looked at the period 1 October 2021 – 30 September 2022 – a year when no COVID

lockdowns were in place to ensure it was as ‘normal’ a year as possible. In total, approximately 5,111 people engaged with the Fund during this period which equates to 46.46% of the membership at the time (11,000).

The graph above shows how the Fund ’s impact has vastly improved since 2015-16.

The number of people the Fund reached increased by 2,084% since 2015-16 (from 234 to 5,111)

The pandemic led to great hardship in the musician community, and the member bene ts funded by the Fund focused both on alleviating these issues and the broader range of challenges associated with life as a musician , in line with the direction of travel set in 2017 following the change to the Fund’s objects and decision of the Trustee to centre on delivering services

Achievements andperformance

The 24-hour personal support and advice line and associated counselling services including structured counselling and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) saw a 3% increase in usage with 546 calls across the period . The number of structured counselling cases was 27 with a total of 337 sessions being delivered across the year. The service offers support with any personal issue with most calls seeking assistance around the issues of anxiet y, depression, low mood and relationships. The pilot physiotherapy scheme, launched in 2019, continued with a total of 4 5 referrals made across the year

A detailed demographic analysis of the members that applied for COVID-19 hardship funding during 2020-21 was undertaken. The results showed that musicians under the age of 35 were disproportionately affected by COVID-19. This is unsurprising given they tend to be less wellestablished in the profession and less nancially secure. Demand for mental health and counselling support grew and an impact assessment prepared in November 2021 showed the positive outcomes experienced by members accessing the Fund’s 24-hour personal support and advice line and

associated counselling services. Members with anxiety saw a 50% improvement, on average, whilst members presenting with depression experienced a 44% improvement in symptoms

Lastly, focus groups were held in May 2022 as part of the ISM AGM which enabled the Fund to gather rst-hand feedback on its service provision. Questions sought to establish the level of awareness of the services provided by the Fund and qualitative feedback on the qualit y of services on offer. ISM members thought highly of the range of services on offer and there was positive feedback on the quality and ease of accessing both counselling and physiotherapy.

The Fund had a strong nancial year partly due to the shift in the fund’s investment strateg y that took place in the year and also because of a high level of legacy income.

Thankyou

We are immensely grateful for the support of our members and donors during 2021-22. The Trustee acknowledges with thanks the following legacies: Iris Mar y Williams, Kath Borland , Michael Pointon, Frances Blake and Robert McFarlane

‘Keepupthegoodwork–ISM campaigningisveryimpressive.Thank youforalltheISMdoestoadvocate formusiceducation!’

‘IthanktheISMforprovidingthistreatmentphysiopilot scheme.I’vehadatelephoneconsultationandamgoingtomy rstfacetofaceappointmenttomorrowandreallyappreciatethis opportunityasIwouldn’tbeabletoaffordtreatmentotherwise. ThephysioIspoketowassohelpfulandgavemesome muchneededhope!’

‘Yourserviceisfantastic,andontwooccasionsyour legalteamhasbeenagreathelpwithusfromcontractsoffered tomybandfromrecordlabels–Ialwaysrecommendyourselves tofellowmusicians.’

‘MayItakethisopportunitytothanktheISMfor everythingthatyoudoforyourmembers. TheISMhasbeensohelpfulthrough theselastmonths.’