Highnotes issue 45, spring 2021

THE MAKING MUSIC MEMBERSHIP MAGAZINE | SPRING ISSUE 2021

The music plays on In the face of a global pandemic the UK’s leisuretime music groups have kept going • PAGE 14 WHERE TO REHEARSE? The unexpected fallout of Covid-19 • PAGE 8

LIVESTREAMING IN ACTION Promoter groups rethink the way they work in the ‘new normal’ • PAGE 17

e m e r a r h u S o hy ! t i w p u o gr Covid-19 resources

Research on leisure-time music

Make Music Day 2021

Music for Strings, Woodwind, Brass & Piano • solos • duets • trios

(NEW Twelve by Three - 12 short trios for players at Grade 4-5)

• quartets • music for string orchestra, horn ensembles & cello choirs Contact chris_wiggins21@hotmail.com

www.cdwigginsmusic.com

ns

iggi W r e h p o t Chris

CONTENTS & EDITORIAL

SUPPORTING AND CHAMPIONING LEISURE ISURE--TIME MUSIC

Welcome

CONTENTS NEWS

5 The bigger picture 6 Around the UK

Well, what a 2020 it’s been! Even I am left speechless – a rare occurrence as those who know me will understand.

FEATURES

8 Where to rehearse?

14 The music plays on 17 Livestreaming in action

MEMBERS

Perhaps we’ve been reflecting over Christmas and the New Year; we can probably all agree that life in 2021 will not be the same as pre-pandemic or as we have known it for the last few decades. Fundamental shifts have happened – in the economy, in society, in the way we relate to each other, our neighbours, our communities.

11 18 19 20 21

Despite being a threat to our financial, physical and mental wellbeing, Covid-19 might also be an opportunity: to reimagine a kinder, less frenetic, more inclusive, more locally focussed way of living.

FROM OUR TEAM

12 Membership and services 15 Projects 22 Making Music people Blow your trumpet Exploring music Drop the mic Corporate members Readers’ page

I’d like to think that leisure-time music groups would be at the forefront of such new communities and relationships because they’ve always been about connecting, coming together, sharing moments of joy.

If you have suggestions or would like to contribute to Highnotes, please contact the Commissioning Editor, Natalie Joanes, on 020 7939 6041 or editor@makingmusic.org.uk The copy deadline for Highnotes Summer 2021 (published 1 May) is 1 March

You – the thousands of choirs, orchestras, bands, ensembles – will not be decimated by this pandemic, you will emerge stronger and as one of the answers when everyone is looking for new sense and new direction in their life.

Any views or opinions expressed by external contributors may not necessarily represent those of Making Music Highnotes is the official journal of Making Music, The National Federation of Music Societies, 8 Holyrood Street, London SE1 2EL 020 7939 6030 info@makingmusic.org.uk www.makingmusic.org.uk

Go leisure-time music groups – your hour is here.

A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 308632 Registered charity in England and Wales no. 249219 and in Scotland no. SC038849 If you need us to make any of this information more accessible, please get in touch

Barbara Eifler

£6 where sold, annual subscription £15 (3 issues)

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MAKING MUSIC

Designed by Cog Design Printed by Gemini Press

Email: barbara@makingmusic.org.uk Twitter: @BarbaraEifler

Advertising: Contact Sharon Maslen at Space Marketing: 01892 677742 sharonm@spacemarketing.co.uk

Cover photo: Cantiones Choir rehearses

SUPPORTING AND CHAMPIONING LEISURE ISURE--TIME MUSIC

Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

3

2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of one of Britain’s best-loved composers; Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Join the Society dedicated to widening the awareness, understanding and appreciation of his life and music.

Benefits include: • Journals, E-newsletters and a dedicated website • Forthcoming concert listings • Albion Records; devoted to recording rare RVW • Share your RVW-related activities through our social media platforms • Meet like-minded people at our concerts and events • FREE cds on joining!

President SIR ANDREW DAVIS CBE

The

RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS SOCIETY www.rvwsociety.com Registered Charity no: 1156614

Vice Presidents STEPHEN CONNOCK MBE DR JOYCE KENNEDY

Chairman SIMON COOMBS

Join on-line or contact Mark Hammett (Membership Secretary) 27 Landsdowne Way Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex www.rvwsociety.com TN40 2UJ Registered Charity no: 1156614 Email: albionmrh@btinternet.com

Join the celebrations to mark the 150th birthday of Ralph Vaughan Williams in 2022 During 2022, music-lovers everywhere will celebrate the 150th birthday of Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958); a commemoration of international significance providing an opportunity for the widest range of performances internationally – particularly amateur – of which ‘Uncle Ralph’ was such a great champion.

Want to advertise in Highnotes?

Contact Sharon Maslen at Space Marketing Telephone: 01892 677742 or email sharonm@spacemarketing.co.uk

For those considering programming his works, now is the ideal time as the Society gathers resources and work towards placing Vaughan Williams at the centre of global music-making.

For programme notes and ideas, contact Concert Resources Officer: johnatreadway@yahoo.co.uk Share your RVW-related activity: Facebook: @RalphVaughanWilliamsSociety Twitter: @RVWSociety

NEWS

THE BIGGER PICTURE @makingmusicuk

MUSIC EDUCATION

2020 has seen on the one hand a huge interest from adults in learning or returning to music-making during lockdowns, on the other hand potential long-term damage to young people’s music education from an inability to teach or run ensembles in person and some schools’ shutdown of music activity.

Making Music’s Adult Music Learning manifesto, launched in March, has therefore been received with much interest. In 2021 we will continue to disseminate it and find organisations, policymakers and stakeholders who can help remove barriers for adults’ active participation in music: makingmusic.org.uk/campaignsand-advocacy/adult-musiclearning-manifesto-2020 For under-18s, #CanDoMusic, a campaign and website created

by Music Mark, the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) and the Music Teachers Association (MTA) supports teachers, schools and music education hubs/services with all the resources needed to teach and advocate for the importance of music for young people’s mental health and well-being: candomusic.org

Common ground

A new report from Voluntary Arts The research, Common Ground: Rewilding the Garden, Reconnecting with overlooked, self-cultivating culture in our communities is an important new report published

by Voluntary Arts, the body which has, for 30 years now, represented and championed leisure-time selfgoverned community arts and crafts activity.

Their tireless lobbying is a major factor in the considerable shift in Arts Council England’s new strategy.

Compared to previous versions, this strategy moves towards an emphasis on participatory and everyday creative activity and the reason for recognition by a much wider range of policymakers, at local and national levels, of the value of communitybased activity.

This report now goes one step further and identifies the main benefits of and pre-requisites for successful local creative groups.

All of us who practise one of these activities will recognise three main benefits: social connectedness and community identity; fun and enjoyment; and positive impacts on health and wellbeing.

I was particularly struck by the

quote below which I think applies equally to music groups; I have often noticed the unifying comfort of our playing together, despite being such a diverse group of people outside the rehearsal room.

“Participants in visual arts and crafts in particular talked about the comfortable silence that falls when participants are united in a collective creative endeavour, where people are at ease with themselves and each other without the need for conversation.”

I think we all also recognise the prerequisites for our activity identified by the report – and how they are under threat in many areas: • space: needs to be local, xxxxaffordable, accessible • creative citizens: need to be xxxxsupported and encouraged – xxxxnot exhausted through knocking xxxxtheir heads against walls • recognition: of local cultural xxxxactivity at all levels of policyxxxxmaking to help it thrive.

View the report at voluntaryarts. org/News/commonground - Barbara Eifler

“...the comfortable silence that falls when participants are united in a collective creative endeavour” Quote from the Common Ground Voluntary Arts report

EUROPEAN FEDERATION OF ORCHESTRAS

In 2020, Making Music joined the European Federation of Orchestras (Eofed) to ensure our members have access to Eofed members’ sheet music libraries, and to Eofed’s triennial orchestra festival, due to take place in 2021 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (now postponed to 2022).

Eofed has 25 members in 19 countries, representing over 100,000 hobby musicians, of all ages, playing a wide range of repertoire in leisure-time orchestras and other instrumental ensembles. https://eofed.org/ Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

5

NEWS

AROUND THE UK If you have any news you would like to share, email editor@makingmusic.org.uk GATESHEAD

In concert again Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra plays in person again Having not met since mid -March 2020, the orchestra’s primary aim as the autumn approached was simply to get together to do some playing. It soon became apparent, however, that there was a very real opportunity to have the chance to stage a concert, which they grabbed with both hands. After a couple of weeks of extensive planning and risk assessment with the venue and music director, they finally met for their first rehearsal in six months.

Getting used to the new orchestra set up proved challenging but the members rose to it, and their conductor was able to tweak how they played on or after the beat to keep it all together.

“The end result was just incredible and so worthwhile.

Everyone was so grateful to get back to doing some playing that the minor inconveniences of wearing a mask and social distancing were inconsequential,”

6

HIGHNOTES Spring 2021

says Jean Kelly, committee member. “From the standing ovation we got from the soldout audience, they seemed to agree. Quite simply, there is no substitute for live music and the concert brought home to all of us how music is meant to played and enjoyed together.”

The experience has strengthened the relationship between the NPO and its conductor, its management and its audience. The orchestra doesn’t underestimate how lucky they were to be able to do this and feel for the professional musicians who are still unable to perform to live audiences.

Their planned November concert fell victim to the second lockdown, but the orchestra are hopeful that they might be able to perform it in early 2021 and experience the magic all over again. nottinghamphilharmonic. co.uk

Photo: Nottingham Philharmonic Orchestra’s socially-distanced performance

Felling Male Voice Choir turned 100 years old in 2020. The choir performs a wide variety of popular songs from classical, musicals, pop, sacred and traditional male voice favourites, and have helped to raise thousands of pounds for other North East charities and good causes, as well as taking part in major events and winning competitions here and abroad. One of the most popular numbers in the Felling repertoire is the ‘Geordie National Anthem,’ Blaydon Races, last performed by the group in person at The Benton Ale House in aid of Newcastle West End Foodbank just before lockdown. The choir is still rehearsing at home via Zoom, and has rearranged its Centenary Concert at The Sage Gateshead for Saturday, 9 October 2021, subject to Covid-19 restrictions. fmvc.org NORTHERN IRELAND

Did you know?

1,530 people attended an MM event for the first time in 2020.1,317 were since lockdown started

In 2020, Ulster Youth Orchestra replaced their one residential course and two public concerts with over 50 online musical activities and 14 recordings; and 70 young musicians signed up for the first virtual course in the 27-year history of the UYO. 12 professional tutors and eight young professional assistant tutors delivered a mixture of interactive rehearsals, classes and talks on a wide range of topics, and the entertainments team provided quizzes and games in the evenings. The highlight of the course was an ambitious recording of the ‘Fantasy Overture’ from Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, recorded separately at home on phones and tablets and carefully stitched together, and now available to the public. uyo.org.uk

NEWS

Member announcements New appointments, anniversaries, awards and projects Huddersfield Choral Society commissioned new works in response to Covid-19. Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage (himself from Huddersfield), asked each singer to send him one word which summed up their experience of lockdown. Armitage then created two sets of lyrics – We’ll Sing and The Song Thrush and the Mountain Ash, which were set to music by composers Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Daniel Kidane. The choral society performed the pieces which were made into films and premiered online on 28 November: wellsing. huddersfieldchoral.com/videos

Concentus, a choir based in Eastbourne, has a vision that centres around community and inclusion. During the pandemic, the choir has launched a sixmonth project called the Sing From Home Choir, with Zoom sessions open to all and at no cost to participate. There is no minimum requirement for ability or knowledge of technology, and full training is given for anyone who needs it. All sessions will help people explore and develop their voices through professional vocal techniques. eastbournechoir.com

60-second interview

The Making Music Awards 2020 took place on Tuesday 8 September online. The awards, presented by Making Music President Debbie Wiseman OBE, celebrate leisure-time music groups and their activity across the UK, alongside the often unrecognised talent that helps the sector flourish. The winners were: • Best music creator for leisure-time music group: Aleksandar Kostić, with Eclectic Voices • Best arranger for leisure-time music group: George Morton, with Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra • Best project with a focus on new music: Schools Composition Project - Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society with Dunfermline High School and The Waid Academy • Best photo of a leisure-time music group: Streetwise Opera • Best virtual concert award: Blackpool Symphony Orchestra • President’s Award: Elaine Fox • Lady Hilary Groves Prize: Vilma Weaver, Ashira Singers

60

ond sec rview e t in

Photo: Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society in October 2019

Graeme Wilson introduces Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society (KOS), whose schools composition project won this year’s Making Music Award for best project with a focus on new music.

Making Music holds first ever awards ceremony

Describe your group in three words?

Community, energetic, progressive.

How long has the group been running, and how many members do you have? KOS (Fife’s Community Orchestra) traces its history from 1875, so 145 years! For the last 43 years, I have been conductor/MD and there are 60 players.

What sort of music do you play? With five different programmes and seven performances in a season, music varies from ‘traditional’ repertoire at Christmas to contemporary in our ‘Extra’ concert. Composer John Gourlay is an orchestral member, and we are blessed with new music to tackle and his Concerto di famiglia for the Randall family quintet (2 violas, cello, oboe, tuba) and orchestra, October 2019 was a highlight.

Your KOS Schools Composition Project won this year’s Making Music award for best project (with a focus on new music). What will be its most enduring legacy? The project took six years and ten Fife secondary schools. Benefits were to many young composers, and supporting development of exam portfolios, to teachers experiencing personal development and KOS players, who were willing performers of new compositions and to the notion of creativity. The most

enduring legacy was jointly raising the profile of new music and opening ears of many, players and audience, to broader music platforms.

Has the group been able to rehearse or meet online during the pandemic? Since just before planned March 2020 concerts, no! There are a couple of pieces for home practice (and eventual togetherness) plus online events, social, quizzes, cellos get-together, and a beautiful Remembrance rendition of ‘The Last Post’ by principal trumpet Margaret.

What are your plans for when you are able to meet again? An open rehearsal hopefully in June. As soon after that as possible, to present the concert postponed from March 2020. kirkcaldyorchestralsociety.org Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

7

FEATURE

Where to rehearse?

Chief Executive Barbara Eifler discusses the unexpected fallout of Covid-19 You might be ready to get going again with your music group, but one of your major issues may well be finding somewhere to rehearse.

In the next 6 to 12 months your rehearsal venue probably needs to be Covid-19 secure, large enough to allow 2-metre spacing between singers or players, well-ventilated, with wifi and/or good lighting for videoing or blended rehearsals – and affordable.

Which venues are open now? Community halls are often run by volunteers. Many are re-opening, but perhaps – as they are generally multi-purpose – prioritising the nursery over the community choir or reducing the number of bookings to allow bigger gaps between them. Talking to them and working together to manage and mitigate risks may well yield a result here. Find a community hall near you on the Action with Communities in Rural England website: https://acre.org.uk/in-your-area/networkmembers by clicking on your area. Your area organisation will have a list of local halls.

Churches have been re-opening for religious services and so generally have robust risk assessment and mitigations in place. Many have therefore been welcoming back music groups or welcoming new groups left homeless by the continued closure of other spaces. (See our resource to find churches at makingmusic.org.uk/rehearsal-venues).

They tend to be large buildings in terms of

8

HIGHNOTES Spring 2021

footprint and volume, and although their ventilation is perhaps not usually the most modern, their legendary draughtiness is now potentially an asset.

School and university halls or buildings have either not re-opened because they are terrified of introducing anyone on site except students and staff, or have invited groups back on the grounds that they have thorough risk assessments and systems, so might as well recoup some income. You could start on the Schools Web Directory: http://schoolswebdirectory.co.uk and the British Uni website: https://www.britishuni.com/ uk-universities/university-list Local authority venues appear the most risk-averse and least likely to re-open soon. Nevertheless, try your local authority website: many publish a list of venues available for booking by the community, not all or even any of them are necessarily spaces that they run.

Concert halls would perhaps not usually feature on your list of spaces to consider for rehearsals, but try them: they are often large and many have not yet re-opened their doors to the public. So in the shortterm you could have success here – and help them out, too, as they struggle to keep afloat until they can welcome live audiences back. Check out the British Association of Concert Halls (BACH) list on our website: makingmusic.org.uk/resource/rehearsal-venuescovid The same may apply to arts centres (see https://

FEATURE

futureartscentres.org.uk/our-members). And search for local theatres by looking for, ‘list of theatres’ on Wikipedia.

Think outside the box - empty retail space on your high street? Closed down cinema? Redundant offices?

Sports facilities? Don’t forget the outside – or the covered outdoor areas: multi-storey carparks, opensided barns, cricket pavilions and stadium stands all make for lots of space and fresh air whilst keeping off the worst of the weather. Try your local authority for at least temporary access to some of these, and negotiate on the price.

The acoustics may not be ideal, but for now your goal is probably to facilitate in-person meetings as best you can. Let’s face it, 2-metre distancing doesn’t make for the best sound either.

But the joy and enthusiasm of your participants will repay you for your efforts – and make any venue shortcomings, a very secondary concern right now.

Music in village and community halls Arts and culture play an important role in our communities with 10,000 rural community buildings across England providing space for a wide range of music related events and activities.

The English Village and Community Hall Survey 2020 reported that one of the most common activities taking place in the respondent halls was concerts (49%) and that some of the most common new groups using the hall are music teachers, choral or choral societies and folk/jazz or other music clubs.

Nearly three quarters responded that they had staging and a sound system.

Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) was welcomed by Making Music to an online event to discuss these venues and the challenges they are facing at this current time in providing space for performance. Many people will arrive at a village hall in an isolated area or in a market town and possibly not even consider how the building comes to be there, how it is maintained and who manages it.

88% of village halls are registered charities, run and managed by volunteers. The buildings are held on charitable trusts for the use of the community in perpetuity and are funded through hiring out space, fundraising and grants. Supporting those volunteers is the role of the ACRE Network, who provide support, information, and advice.

During the current Covid-19 pandemic, ACRE has striven to interpret the Government Regulations and Guidance to provide information to the 38 network member organisations. This has been distributed via email, website and Zoom events; together we have reached thousands of halls.

So if you are listening to the piano or performing with a chamber choir while eating tea and cake in the afternoon at Iffley Village Hall, Oxfordshire; spending an evening at one of the music gigs taking place at Hutton Rudby Village Hall, North Yorkshire; or if your band uses a village hall for practice, you will be supporting the village hall and its faithful volunteers.

“... the joy and enthusiasm of your participants will repay you for your efforts – and make any venue shortcomings, a very secondary concern right now.”

Deborah Clarke, Action with Communities in Rural England acre.org.uk

Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

9

This Spring, join us online for:

workshops masterclasses recitals & more! for further information visit

www.koor.app

Stay safe.

Stay singing!

For all your

music education & performance equipment

Sound-isolating Music Practice Rooms Music Stands, Lights & Accessories Music Folders Music Chairs & Accessories Instrument & Sheet Music Storage Conductor’s Equipment Staging & Risers Acoustic Products

www.blackcatmusic.co.uk

Music Folders for Choir & Orchestra -elegant, lightweight, high-quality music folders to help you organise your sheet music.

Personalised gold-blocking service available.

Just call us on Freephone 0800 072 7799

MEMBERS

BLOW YOUR TRUMPET Going digital!

Cathy Boyes, Festival Producer, shares what Brighton Early Music Festival learned by moving online for 2020

In the autumn, facing a second spike of the pandemic, Brighton Early Music Festival decided to move online and present a Festival of ten filmed events on YouTube and Facebook under the title ‘BREMF@ home’. We wanted to take full advantage of the opportunities of the digital medium by making more than just filmed concerts.

Our BREMF@home events combined film of the musicians performing with footage of the natural world, animation and interviews with artists.

Each film was premiered at a set date and time, and then stayed online for seven days. The 10 films were watched by over 8,500 people and generated £12,000 in donations. Rather than paywalling the events, we offered audience members the chance to book a ticket voluntarily at a suggested donation amount.

2020 has certainly been a steep learning curve – we’ve been putting on live events since 2002, and although we’d previously documented a few events by filming them, and experimented with using projections as part of a live event, we had never made films before. Here are a few of the standout things we learned: • Plan carefully and decide what xxxxyou’re going to film, when, xxxxwhere, and whether you need xxxxadditional support such as lighting xxxxand a sound engineer (separate from

xxxxyour videographer) • Make sure you have a contract in xxxxplace with artists covering the fee xxxxyou’re paying and what that covers • Don’t underestimate how long your xxxxfilm will take to storyboard and edit, xxxxand have a clear plan for what needs xxxxto go in where • Make sure your audience knows how xxxxto watch the films and how to pay xxxxto watch, whether that’s through xxxxtickets or donations • Finally, don’t underestimate how xxxxlong your film will take to upload xxxxto YouTube, Facebook or your chosen xxxxchannel!

We have been really delighted by the response to our BREMF@home events, and hope to experiment with a mixture of live and filmed events in 2021. bremf.org.uk

The show must go on Matthew Cox, trustee and pianist, on how Fleetville Swing Band found a new home While government guidance for the performing arts allowed it in the early autumn, we held weekly Covid-secure rehearsals of our swing band. The terrace of a local cricket pavilion provided an outdoor area, protected from the rain with enough space to position 20 musicians at intervals of at least two metres apart.

Precautions included our committee arriving early each time to set up and disinfect chairs, signage to create a one-way system and remind everyone of the social distancing rules, the use of face masks until the rehearsal began, and we purchased bell covers for the wind instruments.

Everyone was required to complete a health questionnaire before each rehearsal, and we distributed a seating plan along with a list of expected behaviours and our risk assessment based on the Making Music template, which was completed by our

treasurer and agreed by our committee.

We reassessed it each week in light of local infection rates and changes to government guidelines.

We had around 20 members joining each time out of a total membership of 30, and the feedback was positive. For those unable to join, we tried putting the rehearsal online and sending out an audio recording afterwards. Our advice would be: • Find the right venue. Our members xxxxwere understandably more reluctant to xxxxattend any rehearsals indoors.

• Don’t be put off by the work ahead xxxxof the first rehearsal! It saves time in xxxxsubsequent weeks and will hopefully xxxxbe far outweighed by the mental xxxxhealth benefits to your members xxxx(and passers-by!).

• Find volunteers who can arrive early xxxxto set up and someone to marshal

others when they arrive. Congestion and confusion will only increase the chances of social distancing guidelines being breached.

Our band had to postpone rehearsals due to Covid-19. But in November we reverted to social Zoom calls each week (as we were doing from March-August) for those members who wanted to chat, and have also been busy making online recordings for Making Music’s virtual concerts. We hope to go back to our pavilion rehearsals soon! fleetvilleswingband.co.uk Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

11

FROM OUR TEAM

MEMBERSHIP AND SERVICES

CONTACT US info@makingmusic.org.uk / 020 7939 6030

Helping you get the most from your membership

Covid-19 impact on groups Results of our follow-up survey of members

*NEW* resources Coronavirus resources • Research and guidance xxxxon Covid-19 and musical xxxxactivity • Online activity planning xxxxresource and templates Six months into the pandemic – and following up on a survey we conducted in March at the start of lockdown – we asked members what the impact of Covid-19 had been on their music group.

The financial impact has of course been heavy, and you can download the full results online at makingmusic.org.uk/news/covidsurvey-sept. But it isn’t all about money – in order to keep the social element of their group, 58% of groups were meeting online. 15% of groups had produced a virtual performance during lockdown, while 3% had livestreamed performances.

The barriers, however, remain considerable. 34% stated that they cannot move to digital, or not with all of their group because their participants don’t have the skills, software or hardware (or internet access) they need to engage online. A further 27% said that their members did not want to engage online. 25% have engaged online but find it hard to sustain a

12

HIGHNOTES Spring 2021

programme of activity week after week.

Making Music has been producing specific digital resources and events to upskill and support groups in these areas, ranging from guides to recording a video or audio performance using smartphones, tablets and home computers, to tips for getting the best out of your in-built microphone. There’s help with preparing a virtual performance including advice on technical requirements, getting your group prepared to record and creating backing tracks, as well as detailed guidance for beginners on how to mix audio, plus software recommendations.

Finally our video guide, ‘Video editing for virtual performances’ takes you right through all the steps towards creating a polished video of your group.

Visit makingmusic.org.uk/ resources

• Covid-19 safety guidance xxxxposter templates • Putting on a Covid-secure xxxxperformance case studies

Did you know?

At the time of printing, 58% of groups were meeting online.15% had produced a virtual performance during lockdown, while 3% livestreamed performances Making Music member coronavirus impact survey

• An inclusive approach to xxxxCovid-secure activity • Combining online and inxxxxperson rehearsals • Video guide: Video editing xxxxfor virtual performances

Webinar recordings • Livestreaming solutions xxxxfor rehearsing and xxxxperforming • Video editing for virtual xxxxperformances • Audio mixing for virtual xxxxperformances

General resources • Selected Artists Guide • Case study: Horsham xxxxMusic Circle makes xxxxsustainable changes • Running a general xxxxmeeting (AGMs, SGMs, xxxxEGMs) Visit makingmusic.org.uk/ resources

FROM OUR TEAM CONTACT US info@makingmusic.org.uk / 020 7939 6030 We are here Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm

ONLINE EVENTS We’re offering help and support with running your group that you can access anywhere you are in the UK, plus events with a local focus. Book your free place online: makingmusic.org.uk/events

Online member meetups Tue 12 January (Scotland members only) Wed 13 January (Wales members) Tue 19 January (Northern Ireland members) Fri 5 February (all members)

Succession planning Making the most of your online presence for committees Sat 30 January Thu 11 March

Tue 9 February Sat 20 February Sat 13 March

The role of the Planning a Covidsecure performance chair

Running your group online Thu 14 January Sat 23 January

Sat 16 January Wed 27 January Sat 27 February

Mon 22 February Sat 6 March Sat 20 March

Growing your membership for performing groups Sat 6 February Thu 18 March

Finance and funding Sat 13 February Wed 17 February

New members A warm welcome to the 68 new members who joined between 1 August and 1 December!

Aberdeen (Sweet Adelines) Acappella Sound Allegra Concert Band Ashington Music Society Backbeat A Cappella Bandspeople’s Alliance to Negate Discrimination Basingstoke Choral Society Berkeley Vale Community Opera Group Blackwell Concert Band Brentwood Saxophone Group Brewood Singers Callington Town Band Cawston Band Chapter at Large Coalville Male Voice Choir Coro Nuovo CSI Bonnington Pans Devizes Town Band Durham Miners’ Association Brass Band East Sussex Community Choir Eccleshall Community Band Ensemble East Excelsis Fantasia Orchestra

Forth Valley Chorus Friars Folly Friends of Sheffield Cathedral Music Glór!

Godalming Band Great Horwood Silver Band Hade Edge Band Harpenden Concert Band Heartbeat UK Hertfordshire Band Academy Hesperos Choir Highbury Opera Theatre Highly Strung Hitchin Band Horringer Singers Just Sing La La Choirs Ltd La Ronde Concert Band of Jersey Leicestershire Sinfonia Leigh Orpheus Male Voice Choir Letchworth Arts and Leisure Group London City Singers London Gay Men’s Chorus London Metropolitan Band

Martlesham Brass Mayflower A Cappella Milltown Sound Milton Keynes Sinfonia Musical Melodies Choir Nicki Rogers Music Nightingale Music CIC No Borders Show Chorus North Swindon Big Band Northampton Male Voice Choir Northern Ireland Concert Band Northern Musical Theatre Orchestra Otley Chamber Orchestra Panache Steel Band Phoenix (Sweet Adelines) Pielarks Poulton-le-Fylde Band Reading Male Voice Choir Redstone Community Big Band Rushden Town Band SCABA (Southern Counties Amateur Bands Association) Sevenoaks and Tonbridge Band Sheffield Harmony (Sweet Adelines) Shenstone Roses

Singing Unlimited Sisters of Swing Sloane Square Choral Society Solent Sounds Songs on Wheels Southern Early Music Forum Surrey Harmony Sweet Adelines Swindon Brass Tendring Brass The Dronfield Parish Young Voices The Howling Wolves Community Choir The Sunday Boys Thoresby Colliery Band Tilford Bach Society (All Saints) Vale Voices Valley Brass Band Vauxhall Community Choir Viva Acapella Watford Workshop Orchestra Waveney Strings Weaver Valley WI Group Choir Well Arty West Meon Music Festival Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

13

FEATURE

The music plays on

In all ways, shapes and forms, music groups have kept going When the first coronavirus lockdown began to lift in September 2020, internet connections continued to buzz with music for those groups who stayed online, while all over the UK leisure-time musicians emerged from their homes and took over parks and cricket pavilions, back gardens and car parks.

For a member of Cantiones Choir, which met in a field shortly after the first lockdown ended, “…

I knew I’d missed it, but the liberation and soul lifting of simply a rehearsal was worth every bit of effort that the team has put into planning and making it work, and reminded me just how much I need that freedom of expression and opportunity of collaboration.” The Fourth Choir, who used to rehearse in a school hall that is too small for coronavirus times, quickly found a bigger dance studio for hire. With remote temperature checks and masks, 2m square boxes marked out for each singer, windows open for ventilation, everyone leaving the room at break time, no sharing of music or pencils, fewer physical warm ups and a roll-up transparent screen for the musical director the choir continued to sing. Instrumental groups, too, have found ways to keep going. Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra submitted a successful funding application to the National Lottery Community Fund’s Covid Emergency Fund for c. £3k towards some audiovisual equipment so that they could livestream rehearsals to people at home, splitting the orchestra

14

HIGHNOTES Spring 2021

into two teams that rehearsed on alternate weeks and whoever wasn’t ‘live’ at rehearsal joined in from home via the livestream.

Many groups that weren’t able meet in person found creative ways of meeting online, or a blend of both. Ayr Choral Union‘s Messiah became an online project, with their musical director organising rehearsal tracks for each voice part and a socially-distanced orchestra of 12 professional musicians and soloists met and recorded the backing track. In October, Ayr Choral were able to give a live performance online of the Messiah in support of Help Musicians Scotland. Our own Making Music Virtual Concert Series, which ran on YouTube for the second half of 2020, saw groups up and down the UK sending in recorded online performances made in their own homes and mixed together.

Making Music has provided a guidance tool, member survey, risk assessments, Covid-19 posters and more to help groups meeting in person. For groups meeting online there’s our new, detailed 12-week planner for rehearsals: makingmusic.org.uk/resource/planningonline-activity plus online rehearsal ideas, virtual performance support, and other guidance.

At the time of printing, government guidance for music groups continues to fluctuate. Regardless, it has been a delight to see the agility and adaptablility of groups, who, with all the right tools and some planning, are staying together and making music. Visit makingmusic.org.uk/resources

Photo: Alton Concert Orchestra rehearse

“...with all the right tools and some planning, [groups] are staying together and making music.”

PROJECTS & OPPORTUNITIES Keeping you up to date with projects and programmes Photo: ‘Live on the Drive’with Penton Road Band, Surrey, Make Music Day 2020

Make Music Day UK 2021 Spark some ideas for how your group will take part!

Make Music Day, the celebration of grassroots music that involves over 120 countries, is looking for music groups of all shapes and sizes to come to a meetup and be inspired with ways to bring the party to your community.

Despite the pandemic in 2020, under the strands Perform, Create and Watch, 277 events took place with a total audience of 531,726 across all platforms. This year, the team want to make it even bigger and better!

At local online network meetings for Make Music Day UK 2021, you’ll discover how to get involved and there will also be the opportunity to meet other people involved in music-making in your area and potentially make some new connections.

The Make Music Day team will also be there to share details about forthcoming training, tools and know-how so you can run your own music-related

activities. The idea is that you will leave the meeting with plans for how you can fill homes, streets, communities and the internet with music on the 21 June. The network meetings will take place online as follows – book your free place via makemusicday.co.uk: • Northern Ireland – Wed 13 Jan • East Midlands – Mon 18 Jan • London – Wed 20 Jan • South East – Thu 28 Jan • North East – Wed 3 Feb • West Midlands – Wed 10 Feb • South West – Wed 17 Feb The following dates are still to be confirmed at the time of printing: • North West – TBC (Feb 2021) • Wales – TBC (Feb 2021) Visit makemusicday.co.uk and search ‘local network meetings 2021’ to book your free place

Did you know?

Despite the pandemic in 2020 ... 277 Make Music Day UK events took place, with a total audience of 531,726 across all platforms

ADOPT A MUSIC CREATOR 2020/21 We’re delighted that despite the pandemic, our new Adopt a Music Creator (AaMC) project had a successful launch on Zoom in October 2020. Music creators are paired with groups for a year to create a new piece of music, this time also including a pairing where two groups work together with one music creator. We’re also excited to have teamed up this year with the CoDI project in Wales for the Welsh pairing.

The line-up is: Litha Efthymiou and Bury St Edmunds Concert Band; Florence Anna Maunders and Fulham Brass Band; Fergus Hall and Hepton Singers; Charlotte Marlow and Newcastleunder-Lyme Community Orchestra; Lucy Callen and The Phoenix Voices. On the new Collaborate pathway: Ben Lunn, Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra and Ugie Voices. For the CoDI project in Wales: Eloise Gynn and Côr Meibion Mynwy (Monmouth Male Voice Choir).

Although coronavirus is posing challenges, the groups are busy coming up with inspired ways to work together online and in Covid-secure, in-person settings.

We look forward to hearing their creations later this year and into 2022.

If you’d like to find out what goes on behind-the-scenes on the AaMC project, take a look at blogs written by groups and music creators about their musical journey at: makingmusic.org.uk/news - Sally Palmer, Membership & Projects Manager

Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

15

2021 – 30 th anniversary

2021

COMPETITION FINALS CONCERT David Parkhouse 1930-1989

Four ensembles of piano with strings, selected from an international entry, will compete for the 2021 Parkhouse Award.

Saturday 10 April 2021 2019 winners, Lux Trio

at 12 noon Wigmore Hall

Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP Tickets £5 (free to Friends of Parkhouse Award and Wigmore Hall) Wigmore-hall.org.uk 020 7935 2141

Outstanding Online Events You want to continue to provide music to your audiences, partners and other stakeholders.

In-person events are at risk until Covid-19 restrictions are more predictable. your events can go ahead With or without a live audience, and bring joy to people all over the world.

Contact katie@polyphonyarts.com for more info.

The Parkhouse Award is supported by The Tertis Foundation, The Adrian Swire Charitable Trust

The App That Sight Reads Sheet Music Play any score

from PDF or camera capture

Separate parts

hear your part on its own or with others in the background

PlayScore2

Export MusicXML

edit your score in Sibelius, MuseScore, Finale or Dorico

Hear it play

Don’t forget !

If you haven’t renewed you r Making Music membership yet and you h ave insurance with us, it wil l have expired on 31 Decem ber 2020.

Renew online today at: www.ma

renewals

Takes music scanning to the next level

kingmusic.o rg.uk/

FEATURE

Livestreaming in action Harriet Laidler, Making Music Membership & Projects Administrator, talks to promoter music groups who have rethought the way they work in the ‘new normal’ Limitations on social gatherings over the past year have meant that some groups have chosen to embrace technology, and put on livestreamed or specially prerecorded concerts for their audiences.

One of these groups, Chester Music Society, have hosted a number of concerts on YouTube as part of their online series, including performances by 2019-21 Philip & Dorothy Green Young Artists (PDYGA) award winners, violinist Alexandra Lomeiko and oboist Amy Roberts. Meanwhile, Letchworth Arts and Leisure Group (LALG) started up a concert series during the pandemic, kicking things off with 2018-20 PDGYA winner flautist Emma Halnan.

A representative from Chester Music Society said that although setting up a YouTube channel can seem like quite a challenge, if you are determined enough you can find plenty of help on the internet. While groups may be concerned about how their supporters might take to moving away from loved local venues and into their own homes, Chester Music Society were very pleased with the positive reaction from their audiences. Before the November lockdown, LALG successfully hosted their concerts with a combined online and in-person audience.

The only drawback was the disturbance of nearby trains, amplified by doors left open for ventilation purposes!

Each group took different approaches to collecting funds for their concerts, LALG charged £5 per household to help cover their expenses while Chester Music Society provided a link to an online donation platform and asked viewers if they would consider donating to the Society. Both groups have been pleased with the turn out and support they have received, and Chester Music Society said they have been delighted with the generous donations that have been received from the public.

Being able to put on a concert series has allowed both groups to continue providing a valuable service for their communities and support professional artists with paid work.

We hope that this can be the glimmer of hope that is currently needed for all our groups that may be concerned about losing audiences and public interest due to their usual activities being unable to take place.

The support and need among the communities for live music making has not gone away!

Interestingly, a considerable number of groups that have endeavoured to provide online performances during the pandemic have chosen to pre-record artist performances and set a premier live broadcast date rather than opting for the real-time livestreaming method. Both methods are eligible for the Making Music Livestreaming Subsidies and both methods have their strengths.

While real-time livestreaming is able to provide more resemblance to the traditional concert experience that we all know and love, and also offers opportunity for hybrid in person and livestreaming, as with anything live there’s more room for error. Pre-recording performances, however, can provide a lot more certainty and be less stressful for the organisers.

It has been inspiring to see promoter groups rising to the challenges of the pandemic and continuing to share what they love with the support of their communities.

While we hope that the year ahead will allow for many more people to be able to get together and share the experiences of live music making, we also hope that the resilience and creativity shown over the last few months will not get lost.

Find out more about livestreaming at makingmusic.org.uk/resource/guide-livestreaming

“We hope that this can be the glimmer of hope that is currently needed for all our groups that may be concerned about losing audiences and public interest...”

Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

17

MEMBERS

EXPLORING MUSIC Readers tell us about the music they love. Email editor@makingmusic.org.uk

Jukebox Readers share how a particular piece of music inspires them Handel’s Messiah is a well-loved choral masterpiece which is performed the world over, particularly at Christmas. I have sung the work many times, as a treble in the Manchester Boys’ Choir, and subsequently as a tenor, both in the chorus and as a soloist. I love the huge variety of it – the drama, excitement and passion – ranging from the ebullient ‘Hallelujah!’ chorus to the hushed tension of ‘Since by Man came Death’.

It is only in recent years, as Director of the London Handel Festival, that I have learned the extraordinary story of the piece.

Handel composed it in just 24 days, and its first performance, to great acclaim, was in Dublin. This event was the ‘Live Aid’ of its

day, and Handel gave several further performances to benefit the Foundling Hospital in London. I have also appreciated different interpretations of the piece, from ‘A soulful celebration’ by Quincy Jones, a radical reworking for gospel singers, to Deborah Warner’s fully staged production at the Coliseum.

Despite the text being taken from the Bible, Messiah appeals to people of different faiths and none, as the narrative focuses on aspects of the human condition which we all share – the excitement of a birth, the despondency of rejection, the triumph of hope over adversity.

These thoughts were in my mind as I sat in Handel’s church earlier this month listening to the piece transformed as part of our ambitious Messiah Reimagined project. Live soloists and orchestra, behind closed doors, and choruses pre-recorded by 400 singers from 16 countries across 5 continents, were all integrated into the same streamed performance (available on our YouTube channel).

I have been overwhelmed by all the positive comments – Mr Handel would be proud!

Samir Savant - Festival Director, London Handel Festival Join the 2021 Messiah Reminagined project: london-handelfestival.com/sing-at-home-messiah/

From Shetlands to the Highlands Alison Reeves, Making Music’s Manager in Scotland, gives an overview of Scottish fiddle The violin arrived in Scotland in the 17th century, adopted into traditions of earlier stringed instrument playing and became the most common instrument to accompany dancing and in pubs and homes at ceilidhs (house parties). A fiddle is no different to a violin, the word describes the playing style and repertoire. It is played all over Scotland in regional styles; a Shetland fiddler’s ‘ringing strings’, the blunted notes and birls of the Highland fiddler and the classical tones of the North East are clearly distinct.

The musical structures are common: Reels, Jigs, Marches, Strathspeys, Waltzes and Slow Airs are written in 8 bar repeated phrases, with tunes often only 32 bars long, played in sets to make a longer piece for a dance or performance. While the forms are rigid, fiddlers give a tune their own interpretation by adding ornamentation – birls, taps, crunches – bowing or double stopped harmony.

Traditionally, tunes were written by players and passed by ear or in printed collections. Celebrated fiddlers such as Nathaniel Gow (18C) and James Scott Skinner (19C) wrote hundreds of published tunes, popularising their own styles. In the Victorian era, fiddle orchestras formed all over the country, including the still existing Edinburgh Highland Reel and Strathspey Society 18

18 HIGHNOTES Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES Spring 2021

(1881). Their performances were common to emerging radio programming and accompanied the hugely popular 1940s Scottish country dance movement.

The fiddle is still the most popular traditional melody instrument, kept alive by learning groups like the Cowal Fiddle Workshop meeting weekly or organising residentials with workshops, sessions and concerts to immerse learners. 25 years ago, the Scots Fiddle Festival was established bringing people to Edinburgh from all over the world for a weekend every November. Contemporary fiddle bands such as Blazin’ Fiddles and Rant keep evolving the tradition as well as preserving this energetic form.

For more about the thriving Scottish fiddle music scene visit: • scotsfiddlefestival.com – aims to promote and sustain xxxxtraditional fiddle music, bringing together people from all xxxxover the world • sfo.org.uk – 150 keen musicians who play together xxxxconsistently, providing a series of concerts in the main xxxxScottish cities • cowalfiddleworkshop.co.uk – a teaching workshop based xxxxin Dunoon, Argyll, for all ages and abilities.

FROM OUR TEAM

DROP THE MIC If you have any software, hardware or performance tips you would like to share, email editor@makingmusic.org.uk

Jamming with Jamulus Robin Simpson of Northampton Symphony Orchestra reviews the trials and joys of the online rehearsal platform

As many of us have discovered this year, you can’t play music together via Zoom: the audio delay (latency) is just too big.

After some research I managed to set up a first online rehearsal for members of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra using a free, open source program called Jamulus. It was technically challenging, frustrating, at times hilariously bad, but exciting and ultimately actually quite inspiring. We are now running regular weekly online orchestra rehearsals on Jamulus – so far with around 15 players, though Jamulus will accommodate up to 50 people.

The excellent Jamulus Wiki website explains how to set up the software on your computer: https://jamulus.io/ • One member of your group needs xxxxto set up a private server for the xxxxothers to connect to.

• Everyone who is going to take part xxxxneeds to install and run the Jamulus xxxxsoftware as a client.

• You need to plug your computer xxxxdirectly into your Internet router xxxxwith an ethernet cable (wifi is just

xxxxtoo slow). If your laptop doesn’t have xxxxan ethernet port you will need to get xxxxan adapter.

• An external microphone you can xxxxplug into your computer may xxxximprove sound quality but we xxxxhave found thatxJamulus usually xxxxworks fine with the built-in laptop xxxxmicrophone.

• You will need to wear headphones xxxxwhile you sing or play your xxxxinstrument.

• Jamulus is audio-only but you can use xxxxZoom at the same time to see each xxxxother while you play, provided you xxxxmute your microphone and speaker xxxxin Zoom.

Jamulus is no substitute for making music together in the same room but, given the prospect of ongoing restrictions for many months to come, our online rehearsals have been really enjoyable. And working through the technical challenges and solving them together as a group has been a rewarding experience in itself. makingmusic.org.uk/resources

VIEWING A VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE Get the most out of your viewing experience

Most online performance platforms allow the audience to attend an event without needing to create an account. However there are sometimes advantages to setting up a free account, such as the ability to write a comment ,or message the performers and other audience members. Make sure you allow enough time to set this up before the performance.

• Lighting: Dim the lights or close xxxxthe curtains so you can focus xxxxyour attention on the event • Seating: Find a comfortable spot xxxxand move furniture around if you xxxxneed to • Minimise distractions: Choose xxxxa place free from background xxxxsounds and digital distractions • Screen position: Position or tilt xxxxyourvdevice’s screen so you have xxxxa clear line of view and are at a xxxxcomfortablevdistance from the xxxximage • Sound: use external speakers or xxxxheadphones When viewing a live performance you can lower the video quality which is less strain on your internet connection.

To do so, click the ‘settings’ button usually displayed with a cog logo on the bottom right-hand corner of the video and select ‘quality’ to choose the appropriate setting.

If you’re viewing a pre-recorded performance and your video is buffering, pause the video and leave it for a few minutes to allow the video to load before pressing play to continue watching.

Don’t forget to use the comment or chat feature on the online platform to show your appreciation to live performers! For more tips, see makingmusic.org.uk/resource/viewvirtual-performance

Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

19

PREMIUM CORPORATE MEMBERS Our corporate members play an important role in supporting leisure-time music. Member music groups can use exclusive discounts, subsidies and offers (indicated by below) to save on everything from sheet music, to booking artists and making recordings. See makingmusic.org.uk/discounts for more

360music.org.uk acscustom.com

britishvoiceassociation. org.uk

choircommunity.net

club-europe.co.uk

benslowmusic.org

musicshopeurope.com

acscustom.com

koor.app

moistureguard.co.uk

polyphonyarts.com

normans.co.uk

superstuffcreative.co.uk

blackdresscode.com

ticketsource.co.uk

musicgurus.com

rayburntours.com

techmusiced.org.uk/org.uk

trybooking.com/uk

steinberg.net

tutti.space

CORPORATE MEMBERS

HAWES MUSIC PUBLISHING

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS Bands for Hire Black Cat Music Entertainment Nation Function Central

Gig Heaven Last Minute Musicians Melofonetica Music Tutors Online

Score Exchange Sokol Piano Academy The International Music Exchange WKMT

MEMBERS

READERS’ PAGE Got something to say? We’d love to hear from you: editor@makingmusic.org.uk.

In praise of face coverings Oh yes, you read that right. When face coverings were first introduced, I was not happy.

I struggle with hearing – so a covering makes it even harder and cuts out lip reading. I am now constantly apologising in shops, as I have to double check everything a shop assistant is saying if they’re wearing a mask. Plus they’re suffocating and hot.

So when I was told I would have to wear one for choir, I was considering not going back to in-person rehearsals. Or maybe I could turn up in a covering and then take it off…? That hope was dashed by the committee issuing dire warnings about not wearing one, potentially leading to exclusion!

But now I’ve changed my tune and become a fan.

Complacency is one of the biggest risks for recurring waves of Covid: people thinking

‘... wearing [a mask] shows respect. It says, “I take you and your wellbeing seriously.”’ precautions are unnecessary or (judging from own experience!) simply forgetting.

When you’re out and about, life can feel quite normal and so you start behaving in a pre-pandemic way, for instance coming too close to people.

But face coverings are the unmissable reminder on everyone’s face that life is not normal.

And wearing one shows respect. It says, ‘I take you and your wellbeing seriously.’ It’s not really about me.

So I’ve bought one of those singers’ masks. And wearing it is a very small price indeed to pay for the incredible joy of singing together again. - Anon

Tell us!

If you’ve got something you’re burning to say, or a book you’d like to recommend, or even a piece of music you love you’d like to share on these pages, email editor@makingmusicorg.uk

RESEARCH REVIEW

A round up of the latest research on leisure-time music • Dr Daisy Fancourt, Associate Professor for Behavioural Science and Health in the Institute of Epidemiology & Health at University College London, conducted a review of the evidence for the role of arts in improving health and wellbeing, to support Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport policy development and in response to the 2019 World Health Organisation report ‘What is the evidence on the role of arts in improving health and wellbeing?’ gov.uk/ government/publications/evidence-summary-for-policy-therole-of-arts-in-improving-health-and-wellbeing • Attitude is Everything published a guide to making online events accessible for all – lots of useful tips: attitudeiseverything.org.uk/uploads/general/Attitude_ is_Everything_-_Access_Guide_-_Online_Live_Music_-_ Aug_2020.pdf • The Take it away consortium published the first ever guide to buying adaptive musical instruments: takeitaway. org.uk/news/adaptive-musical-instrument-guide • Voluntary Arts published a new report, Common Ground - Rewilding the Garden, based on open conversations with many communities in the UK and Republic of Ireland 20172019 and resulting in recommendations as to the support needed by community arts activity. voluntaryarts.org/News/ commonground

• Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) has published its 4th English Village and Community Hall Survey which is now able to compare data across three decades. acre. org.uk/cms/resources/village-hall-survey-report-2020-finaldigital-edition.pdf • As an introduction to social prescribing – though it’s still unclear whether it will be a ‘good thing’ to connect to as a community music group – the Kings Fund have published a ‘Social Prescribing Explainer’ kingsfund.org.uk/publications/ social-prescribing • And we’ve all become painfully aware over Covid times how some people are digitally excluded. This report from the Carnegie Trust articulates this and makes useful recommendations for policymakers. carnegieuktrust.org.uk/ publications/learning-from-lockdown-12-steps-to-eliminatedigital-exclusion • And last, but not least, the Music Libraries Trust has just published research it commissioned into music libraries and their users in the UK. This report will be useful for future advocacy on these crucial resources: musiclibrariestrust.org/ news/2020/12/8/report-published-after-large-scale-survey-ofmusic-library-users-and-staff-in-the-uk-and-ireland

Spring 2021 HIGHNOTES

21

FROM OUR TEAM

MAKING MUSIC PEOPLE Interested in getting involved? Visit makingmusic.org.uk/volunteers

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

STAFF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

RHIANNON HARRISON

ALEX MCGEEVER

TRUSTEE

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Why Making Music?

I’ve been involved with a small music charity for three years and wanted the chance to bring a new perspective to a larger organisation. Especially one that is a leader in their field like Making Music are for leisure-time music!

Which instruments do you play and how long have you been playing for?

I play trombone professionally, and most low brass instruments when the need for it arises! I started playing when I was 9, so it’s now been 14 years that I’ve been playing.

What groups do you lead?

I’ve been the conductor of Worsley Concert Band from Greater Manchester since August 2019.

How have you been able to keep up musicmaking activities during the pandemic?

Within a week of the national lockdown being announced, Worsley Concert Band went online! I’ve been pre-recording hour long rehearsals since the start of the pandemic and releasing them on our YouTube channel weekly.

Who is your favourite musician or composer (past or present) and why?

For listening I have a real guilty pleasure in Swedish pop artist Veronica Maggio… she’s got a really relaxed style. But for playing, I could never pick just one – but I do love playing some Jerry Herman…

What’s your favourite piece of music?

I’m rubbish at answering imperative questions like this, but I suppose the answer is ‘There’s Nothing Like A Show On Broadway,’ from the 2005 film adaptation of Mel Brooks’ The Producers. It’s not in the regular pad, but when the show is on tour, it’s included after the bows. It’s seemed all the more appropriate during the pandemic!

22

HIGHNOTES Spring 2021

When did you join Making Music?

September 2020 What do you do in your role at Making Music?

My daily tasks include social media management, webpage creation, email building, and copyediting.

It’s a varied role, which I like! I also put together the monthly iNotes newsletter.

Do you play an instrument or sing?

I went up to Grade 6 on the clarinet and played jazz saxophone at school in various ensembles, but unfortunately don’t play much anymore, aside from the occasional jam with my friends. Now, much of my daily interaction with music involves Spotify on shuffle, as well as (pre-pandemic) gigs. Live music has been a big miss, but I don’t think I’ll ever take up singing outside the shower.

What do you like to do outside work?

I love sport, particularly football and basketball, and really enjoy spending time outdoors – cycling and nature walks are a couple of my favourite activities. I also really like cinema and languages, which I studied at uni – a great excuse to travel abroad and learn more about international cultures!

Which three people would you invite to a dinner party and why?

That’s a tough one! For music, I’d probably say Frank Ocean, as he’s one of the most enigmatic people in the industry and one of my favourite artists of all time – it would be great to pick his brain for some creative inspiration! I’m also a big film fan, so meeting Lupita Nyong’o would be very cool – she’s amazing in Jordan Peele’s Us. Then perhaps Ping Coombes, the winner of MasterChef 2014. She’s Malaysian Chinese, like my mum, so I’d love to ask her for some tips on how to make classic dishes like laksa and nasi lemak. She seems super friendly and is an expert on all kinds of cuisine, making her a worthy champion, especially when the field that year was so strong!

THE PERFECT START FOR YOUR SCORE Free music notation software from Steinberg ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Fast and easy to learn Ideal for students Free to use, forever Share your music as PDFs and MP3s Beautiful, modern design

Download Dorico SE for free today Go to www.steinberg.net/dorico/se to get started steinberg.net/dorico All specifications are subject to change without notice. Copyright © 2020 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. All rights reserved.

Singing together brings Nations together

CHORAL EVENTS

HAPPY NEW YEAR

NEW YEAR, NEW LUCK - WHAT AWAITS US IN 2021

SING WITH YOUR CHOIR! WIN WITH YOUR CHOIR! TAKE PART IN UNIQUE CHOIR COMPETITIONS AND FESTIVALS IN FANTASTIC DESTINATIONS WORLDWIDE.

INTERKULTUR.COM