Highnotes issue 47, autumn 2021 by Making Music

THE MAKING MUSIC MEMBERSHIP MAGAZINE | AUTUMN ISSUE 2021

Choirs for climate Choir leader and composer Ben See explains how choirs can help change our world for the better • PAGE 14

COVID - WHAT ELSE? Making Music is here to help you throughout the pandemic • PAGE 8

150 YEARS OF RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS The RVW Charitable Trust invites you to celebrate • PAGE 17

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CONTENTS & EDITORIAL

SUPPORTING AND CHAMPIONING LEISURE ISURE--TIME MUSIC

CONTENTS NEWS

5 The bigger picture 6 Around the UK FEATURES

8 Covid - what else? 14 Choirs for climate 17 150 years of RVW FROM OUR TEAM

12 Membership and services 15 Projects and opportunities 22 Making Music people MEMBERS

11 18 19 20 21

Blow your trumpet Exploring music Drop the mic Corporate members Readers’ page

If you have suggestions or would like to contribute to Highnotes, please contact the Commissioning Editor, Natalie Joanes, on 020 7939 6041 or email editor@makingmusic.org.uk The copy deadline for Highnotes Spring 2022 (published 1 January) is 15 October Any views or opinions expressed by external contributors may not necessarily represent those of Making Music

Welcome Covid-19 hasn’t gone away, but there are also other urgent issues facing the world, including climate change. Groups can make a difference on this: by being role models, their influence rippling out into communities and getting messages out to audiences in a memorable, musical, way. Groups also raise money for charities, offer educational opportunities, contribute to memorial events. These are examples featured in this issue which remind us how communities would be the poorer without music groups to help them celebrate, or grieve, and make their place somewhere to be proud of. And how much growing there has been during the pandemic! Of new skills, new confidence, new creativity. You should be proud of the way you have responded to this crisis, showing that, whatever worries you occasionally have, you are made of stuff that doesn’t fall apart at the first signs of a storm. So let us look forward with cautious optimism to a return of making and presenting music, with renewed enthusiasm and secure in the knowledge that music groups really do make a difference, to individuals, to their area, to the world.

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 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 £6 where sold, annual subscription £15 (3 issues) Designed by Cog Design Printed by Gemini Press Advertising: Contact Sharon Maslen at Space Marketing: 01892 677742 sharonm@spacemarketing.co.uk

SUPPORTING AND CHAMPIONING LEISURE ISURE--TIME MUSIC

Barbara Eifler CHIEF EXECUTIVE, MAKING MUSIC Email: barbara@makingmusic.org.uk Twitter: @BarbaraEifler

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NEWS

THE BIGGER PICTURE @makingmusicuk

Left: Member group, Cantiones Choir perform indoors in July

The struggles of choirs Making Music partners up with organisations on a campaign to get groups singing indoors again On 17 May, choirs in England were restricted from meeting indoors in groups of more than six, when other music groups were only limited by venue size. We worked with other organisations, in particular the Association of British Choral Directors (abcd), Royal School of Church Music, Association of British Orchestras, Incorporated Society of Musicians and Musicians Union, on a campaign to change this guidance. Members’ letters resulted in over 30 questions asked in both houses of Parliament, much media coverage and a rattled Caroline Dinenage, Minister of State for Digital and Culture, opening a back door by saying ‘the limits don’t apply to activity for work or commercial activity’. Making Music Insurance Services agreed Making Music’s insurance policy was valid if members rehearsed towards an event which would pay them a fee or a concert with tickets sold. This enabled many choirs to get back to full strength rehearsals before (the delayed) step 4.

Another challenge was unearthing the evidence allegedly underpinning this restriction. Government links pointed to science published in 2020, prior to choirs meeting in the autumn on the same footing as other music groups. One of our Freedom of Information requests forced publication of the only SAGE (Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies) minutes not in the public domain – which related to a meeting before 17 May. Those minutes, in combination with other scientific advisory papers, reveal that indoor badly-ventilated spaces with medium-sized groups meeting regularly for a high-aerosol producing activity were of particular concern – and thus may have led to the restriction. Groups should now use the free WellRehearsed app (available in Android and Apple app stores) we have developed with abcd to report anonymously on rehearsals, infections and mitigations, so that we have data in future to convince governments that singing can be safe. For the full article, see makingmusic.org.uk/choirs-covidstruggles

SCOTLAND WIN!

Following a sustained campaign by the Music Education Partnership Group (chaired by John Wallace, formerly of Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) which includes Making Music in Scotland, and the Making Music-supported #changethetune petition by leisure-time musician Ralph Riddiough, free instrumental tuition in schools featured in the manifestos of all parties in recent Scottish elections. The Scottish National Party are now making good on their pledge, their Education Secretary saying on 14 July: ‘Today’s announcement means families will not see bills for musical tuition in the new school year. I will continue to work with COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) and local authorities to develop a sustainable and funded model for future years.’ The work is far from over (funding is for one school year), but if a model can be developed in Scotland, why not in other UK nations? PROTECT DUTY CONSULTATION

‘Members’ letters resulted in over 30 questions asked in both houses of Parliament, much media coverage and a rattled Caroline Dinenage, Minister of State for Digital and Culture...’

A large number of members attended Making Music’s online briefing session which included speakers from the Church of England and ACRE (Action on Communities in Rural England, representing village halls) on this proposed legislation which is looking to make any venue with a capacity of over 100 responsible for implementing antiterrorist measures. This legislation would decimate access to community-run venues, including churches, as volunteers would shy away from such grave responsibilities, handing a clear win to terrorists by destroying a pillar of British society. The proposals ultimately shift responsibility from perpetrators to potential victims, with considerable fallout for music groups. The consultation closed on 2 July and we await its outcome. Autumn 2021 HIGHNOTES

NEWS

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

MANCHESTER

For the people Member group receives Queen’s award Making Music member group The People’s Orchestra has been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service (QAVS) in recognition of its work with volunteers and its highly successful work placement programme. QAVS is the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK, being equivalent to the MBE, and recognises the exceptional work done by volunteer groups in their communities. Based in Sandwell, West Midlands, The People’s Orchestra was formed in 2012 and includes a main orchestra, an intermediate level orchestra and a network of show choirs. It runs a volunteer employability and skills development programme, called TBO Bridge, that enables individuals to gain valuable work experience assisting with the day-to-day running of an arts charity, and to date has helped over 1,000 people. Sarah Marshall, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The People’s Orchestra, said: ‘Through

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TPO Bridge, we offer back-towork support to local volunteers and this work experience helps instill confidence, self-esteem, and leadership, giving each person the very best chance to develop the skills and confidence they need to secure a job or go on to further education.’ The People’s Orchestra represents musicians from a variety of socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, providing musical opportunities for all ages and abilities. Its orchestral approach is unconventional, accepting larger numbers of woodwind players as well as instruments such as the saxophone, and the charity provides free instruments and bursaries, as needed, for those on low incomes. The award comes as The People’s Orchestra is going through a major period of growth supporting 58 young people into a career in the creative arts sector as part of the Government’s Kickstart scheme. thepeoplesorchestra.com

Above left: The People’s Orchestra logo

Manchester Community Choir (MCC) has raised over £1,000 for the charity Manchester Mind, following their virtual performance of I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To be Free arranged by Musical Director, Rose Hodgson. The choir had been meeting over Zoom since the start of the pandemic, both to sing and chat, before technology brought their voices together digitally to create this video. Following the video’s success, the choir has now released a second virtual performance, this time of We Need Each Other Now, to raise money for Stockport and District Samaritans, who the choir was due to support with a fundraising concert last October. manchestercommunitychoir. org.uk MILTON KEYNES

Musica Charity Choir MK was deeply honoured to take part in the first Candlelight4Covid memorial on 23 June, commemorating those who have lost lives to the pandemic in Milton Keynes. The event was organised by covid19Families UK, a network of 37 regional support groups for anyone who has lost someone during the pandemic. As part of the poignant ceremony, the choir performed a four-part version of Bridge over Troubled Water and Over the Rainbow. https://musicamk.uk/ covid19families-uk.orgmusicamk. uk

NEWS

Member announcements New appointments, anniversaries, awards and projects The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021 recognised a number of members of the Making Music community. Peter Lawson was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) for service to the arts and the community in Rutland, where he was born and raised. Since retiring 17 years ago, he has devoted much of his time to furthering Rutland’s musical ambitions, founding Arts for Rutland in 2010 and later Music in Lyddington, a charity that aims to provide free high quality concerts for residents. For a time, he also served as chair of Making Music! Meanwhile Dr Martin Hudson,

founder of Holmes Chapel Music Society in Cheshire, has been awarded a BEM for services to music. Fittingly, this coming season (2022/23) marks the Society’s 50th season, with at least eight concerts every year. Martin retired as the society chairman in 2012 after serving for nearly forty years. He said: ‘Although I have got the award, there are a lot of people involved in the society. The award is for the society, rather than just myself.’

Redbridge Music Lounge treasurer Jon Pushkin explains how the group provides a platform for local musicians of all abilities

Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, Founder and Artistic & Executive Director of the Chineke! Foundation, and Professor Martin Ashley, Editor-in-Chief of the Association of British Choral Directors’ Choral Directions Research, were jointly awarded Making Music’s Sir Charles Groves Prize, recognising the outstanding contribution of individuals and organisations to the musical life of the UK. Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE established the Chineke! Foundation in 2015, which supports, inspires and encourages Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians working in the UK and Europe. During the pandemic, Professor Martin Ashley researched the implications of Covid-19 for choirs, supported music groups and worked to disseminate scientific evidence to the public, policymakers and stakeholders. Making Music will be recognising member groups and the professionals who work with them at a special awards ceremony on 8 September. makingmusic.org.uk/awards

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Photo: Redbridge Music Lounge play at Valentine’s Park, summer 2020

60-second interview

Making Music Awards

What is Redbridge Music Lounge? Redbridge Music Lounge, a registered charity, was set up in 2009 to provide a means for musicians and singers to meet like-minded, local folk and share musical experiences – and most of all, have fun! How does it work? We hold regular sessions where members meet up to sing and play instruments in each other’s company. Anyone can come along and give it a try, regardless of age or ability, but under-14s must be accompanied by an adult. We have members who have never sung or played before, through to some more accomplished musicians. We offer the opportunity to make music in a practice environment to develop confidence and perform. Some of our members also perform in local care homes, and we also organise local music festivals. What kind of music do you play? The music we play is entirely dictated by the wishes of our members. At our weekly sessions members bring songs to try out, and other members join in. There is an enormous diversity of musical genre.

Did the group manage to stay active during the lockdown? The onset of Covid-19 engendered a febrile period of innovation and learning. All our sessions and concerts were adapted for an online environment. Our members performed to each other at home via social media, and our outdoor concerts were replaced with livestreams on Facebook and YouTube. We also continued to broadcast to care homes in the same way. Plus, we even managed to get people in different locations performing at the same time, with little problems of latency. We intend to continue some of our activities online in the future, and our outdoor concerts will move online during the winter. rmluk.org Autumn 2021 HIGHNOTES

FEATURE

Covid - what else?

Barbara Eifler, Chief Executive, reflects on the challenges and swift learning music groups have been facing during the pandemic Changes in all the four nations in terms of government guidance have been fast and unrelenting in the last 18 months, so by the time you read this, some of it may already be out of date. This is not a criticism, as scientists are constantly scrambling to interpret the latest evidence and governments to use it to fashion policies. Plus, the evidence keeps changing and growing in quantity all the time. So that really explains one of the main features of our – and your – response to Covid: utmost flexibility and adaptability. It is worth highlighting this because that isn’t necessarily how groups, in our experience, usually operate, i.e. fast and furious. Most of you would be moving at a more measured pace and gently in normal times, planning perhaps 12 to 18 months ahead, but since March 2020, you’ve had a window of just three or six months into the future and even that demanded constant updating and readjusting. To support you in this new environment, we are addressing both the constant changes and your group’s organisational resilience. We update our Covid guidance tool constantly to enable you to quickly see what activity is permitted in your nation. As Covid hasn’t left us (and most likely won’t this winter), do check that regularly as your first port of call.

HIGHNOTES Autumn 2021

We have also provided lots of resources around forward planning, governance and financial considerations, practical things about contracts and working with your musical director, and of course, our comprehensive risk assessment guidance and templates, with one version for rehearsals/non-public events and one for performances/ public events. We’re continuing our quest to help you cross the boring stuff off yout to-do list, so you can get on with making music! And there has been a lot of making music – we have been bowled over by our groups’ ingenuity and determination to keep their members connected, to provide social activity, to work out how to rehearse on Zoom, and to produce interesting, fun, high-quality recordings of groups performing new and familiar repertoire. To remind yourself, revisit our fantastic Virtual Concert Series on our YouTube channel! We know it has been painful at times to create these virtual performances, what with the challenges of recording oneself at home (ask my teenagers! Or on second thoughts, perhaps don’t…) and then the super challenge for someone to put it all together into a decent video, which takes hours and hours of detailed work. But not only have you survived, many of you have flourished in this new environment, acquiring new skills and technological confidence that will always come in handy, and not just in the twilight world of hybrid

FEATURE

rehearsals and events, which we may now be entering for the second winter of Covid. Talking of which: no, we don’t think it’s all over. What the world hopes is that eventually Covid-19 will be more like flu – a seasonal risk to the most vulnerable who can be offered vaccine boosters regularly, but not something that shuts down the economy and the rest of our lives. Looking on the positive side, we have learnt a lot about transmission, not just of Covid (who knew about aerosols 18 months ago? Or ventilation?), but of other respiratory diseases, and we can continue to use this unlooked-for learning to inform risk assessments for our groups, and to keep our participants safe from all sorts of bugs. But in the shorter term, we believe that hybrid rehearsals, with some people in a room and others on Zoom or Facebook, and hybrid concerts even, will be a feature of this winter. Making Music will help you manage the necessary technology, and then you’ll be ready, too, should another lockdown arrive. For that reason we also believe it is still worth grappling – if you should again be prevented from in-person meeting – with the online software which allows rehearsing together in real time, with Jamulus, Jacktrip and Sonobus leading the way. You don’t need to be very tech-savvy for these – just persistent enough at working through the issues which admittedly will be there at the beginning. But the rewards, from members’ reports who have successfully wrestled these, are well worth it. Those reports, and many other case studies of what you have been doing in this new world, are also part of our Covid response. Such relatable stories from groups similar to your own always provide great inspiration and encouragement.

In summary, while we are not yet in a post-Covid world, we have now learnt that we will never be in a post-music-groups world: creative adaptation, skilful hibernation, 360-degree flexibility – you have demonstrated it all, and often coped better than larger or professional organisations. So keep going – you’re nearly there, and Making Music will continue to listen, respond and do what we can to help you.

Covid resources Our guidance tool on what you can or can’t do in all four nations, in terms of rehearsals and performances: makingmusic.org. uk/guidance-tool The Covid resource page lists all of our Covid-19 resources, including risk assessment guidance and templates, resources for meeting in person and online and more: makingmusic.org.uk/covidresources Read case studies and blogs on groups and their activities during Covid: makingmusic.org.uk/ covid-case-studies And remind yourself of the fun, diversity and glories of the Virtual Concerts and the Up in Lights series on our YouTube channel: youtube. com/makingmusic Since March 2020, Making Music has created 65 new resources and 11 case studies for you, and held 155 Zoom events for 2,746 attendees. makingmusic.org.uk/resources

‘...not only have you survived, many of you have flourished in this new environment, acquiring new skills...’

Autumn 2021 HIGHNOTES

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MEMBERS

BLOW YOUR TRUMPET World Heart Beat-ing through the pandemic Sahana Gero MBE, Founder and Artistic Director of member group the World Heart Beat Academy, explains how the charity moved to provide opportunities for young people virtually World Heart Beat Music Academy in Wandsworth, London, provides highquality music education and personal development opportunities to children and young people from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds. From the outset of the pandemic, our music tuition moved online and we went full throttle with online performances and community events to keep our young people engaged when everything came to a standstill. Our students embraced the ‘normality’ of seeing their teachers and the Heart Beat community virtually every week – the academy acts as a second home to many. Our GlobalGiving BE THERE fund supported our young musicians by providing free music tuition to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, and to help provide a sense of purpose, self-worth and identity during such isolating times.

Our first lockdown performance was Stevie Wonder’s legendary and uplifting classic Another Star. Over 100 young musicians, including vocalists, flutes, violins, saxophones, drums, trumpets, tabla players and entire rhythm sections, came together virtually (the video has over 4,000 YouTube views to date!). Two ZEDRA sponsored jazz lockdown videos followed as well as a lockdown performance of Stevie Wonder’s inspirational Love’s In Need Of Love Today, helping spread the message of love on Valentine’s Day. We were delighted that all of these were chosen to be part of Making Music’s Virtual Concert Series. Since then, we’ve taken part in online community events such as ‘Alt. Vibes’ (University of Roehampton), our American Cultural Concert at the Wandsworth Arts Fringe Festival (Wandsworth Council) funded by the US Embassy, ‘La Verdad – the Truth’ collaboration with Colombian

musicians Mr Klaje to celebrate Make Music Day 2021, and the list goes on! Our second World Heart Beat venue (including an education centre and 120-seater auditorium) opens at Nine Elms, Embassy Gardens in Spring 2022. We’ll be welcoming a whole new community who deserve the best music learning opportunities available, irrespective of their socio-economic background. worldheartbeat.org

Our virtual year Stephen Caldwell, Vice Chair of member group Scunthorpe and District Choral Society, tells us about their special permanent record of the group’s lockdown activities It’s strange to think the last physical rehearsal of our choral society was March 2020. We postponed our April 2020 concert, with guest conductor Sarah Tenant-Flowers, and like everyone else, faced the lockdown with great uncertainty. Then, in the words of Fat Larry’s Band’s 1982 song, ‘the whole wide world went Zoom’, and our Musical Director, Susan Hollingworth BEM, soon saw the potential it offered to maintain the musical and social life of the Society. There followed a season of Zoom rehearsals, interspersed with online quizzes, an AGM, and two virtual choir recordings: one to raise funds for the local hospice, and one for the London Handel Festival’s ‘Messiah: Reimagined’ project.

A successful ‘visit’ by Sarah TenantFlowers to an early Zoom rehearsal sparked the idea of inviting further guests to speak online. A problem became an opportunity, and we welcomed speakers on 29 occasions. Distinguished professional singers, composers, choral directors, academics and administrators, mostly known to Susan, all responded generously. It was a delight to see the pleasure on the faces of our singers as they listened to the varied insights. After a few weeks I had the idea of creating a permanent record of these events. Our committee agreed, as did the guests, and the random screenshots we had been taking became more carefully chosen to become part of Our Virtual

Year, along with biographical notes and a professional photograph of all the speakers. Among the music we rehearsed virtually was Freedom! by Alexander L’Estrange and his wife, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, which we hope to perform in November accompanied by Alexander’s band. This will also include a new movement that we commissioned, ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’, signed by a group of our members with Paul Whittaker OBE – a highly successful musician who has been profoundly deaf all his life. Having ‘met’ Paul and both composers online, we really hope we can meet and perform it together in real life! e-voice.org.uk/ scunthorpechoralsociety

Autumn 2021 HIGHNOTES

FROM OUR TEAM

MEMBERSHIP AND SERVICES Helping you get the most from your membership

Orchestra Tax Relief Not just for orchestras!

*NEW* resources Coronavirus

Despite the name, any instrumental group can claim Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR), and you don’t have to be paying tax to make a claim. No cultural test is required – unlike some other types of tax relief, OTR is not dependent on what you’re performing, who the audiences are, how technically able the musicians are or how modern the composer. It’s simply money to encourage putting on events you would be putting on anyway. And it’s there every year – if you do performances or concerts that qualify every year, you can claim every year. Your group does have to be an instrumental group that organises their own concerts and has at least 12 instrumentalists (they could all be the same instrument). If this sounds like your group, start with our guidance: ‘Orchestra Tax Relief (OTR), part 1: Is it for you?’ This will help you decide if your group qualifies, and how much money you could 12

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get. The average payment HMRC has made so far to member groups using our service has been equal to 15% of a group’s annual concert costs. If your group is eligible to make a claim, we have lots more detailed guidance to help you get set up, including template documents. OTR will involve making some changes, and the first year does involve more work than usual. But the chance to claim will be available every year, and claiming should get easier each time. It really is money for doing what you do anyway – putting on performances. With our paid service, we’ll be on hand to help throughout, including submitting an OTR claim to HMRC on your behalf. Visit makingmusic.org. uk/resources and select ‘Orchestra Tax Relief’ from the topics dropdown menu

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Risk assessment guidance and template (for performances)

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Risk assessment guidance and template (for rehearsing)

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Webinar recording: What does the latest Covid medical evidence mean for music groups?

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WellRehearsed app for rehearsals

Coronavirus case studies •

Case study: Collaborating with other groups to put on a virtual concert

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Return to rehearsals member blog: Brewood Singers

For more case studies and blogs on returning to rehearsals visit: makingmusic. org.uk/covid-case-studies General resources •

Website Health Check tool

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Applying for grant funding

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*UPDATED* Recommended rates for engaging professional musicians

For all resources 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 wherever you are in the UK, plus events with a local focus. Find all events and book your free place online: makingmusic.org.uk/events Online member meetups General online events 22 Sep: Wales 1 Oct: All groups 5 Oct: Northern Ireland 8 Oct: Promoter member groups 9 Nov: Scotland For all our events, see makingmusic.org.uk/ events

Special online screening and Q&A: Men Who Sing Wednesday 20 October

11 Sep: Creating a strategic plan 16 Sep: Making the most of your Making Music membership 23 Sep: Recruiting and retaining members 25 Sep: Creating accessible and inclusive activity

Men Who Sing, which premiered at the Sheffield International Documentary Festival earlier this year, tells the amusing and inspiring story of the Trelawnyd Choir as it fights for survival, searching for younger ‘brown-haired men’ members to join and keep the choir going, and as they prepare for a competition. Making Music is delighted to be hosting a special evening screening of the film online, followed by a Q&A with the director. Tickets will be released in September. Search for ‘Men Who Sing trailer’ on YouTube

New members A warm welcome to our 96 new members who joined between 1 April to 31 July! Linlithgow Ladies Choir

EH Elites

Northern Spirit Singers

Shepton Mallet Ukulele Group

Serenata Women’s Choir

Liverpool Socialist Singers

Serenade Big Band

Pengenista Drummers

Chelsea Chamber Choir

Barlow Singers

The Archway Choir

Berkhamsted Jazz

Musica Charity Choir Milton Keynes

Reading Youth Orchestra

Bring Me Sunshine Trio

Kearsley Youth Brass Band

Highfield Community Choir

Glee Club UK

Saffron Walden Arts Trust

One Voice Community Choir

Hannah Brine Singers

The Marching Band of St. Gregory’s

Godalming Community Gospel Choir

Ibstock Community Band

Helix Acappella

Selsey Folk & Music Club

Slave Steel

Bandiau Pres Cymru | Brass Bands Wales

VoiceWorx

Thurrock Golden Voices New Palace Opera

The Orchestra People

Thanet Concert Band The Chiltern Sinfonietta

Molte Voci

Flutes Unlimited Surrey Hills International Music Festival (trading as Investec International Music Festival) Friends of the Royal British Legion Band of Wales Nottingham Operatic Society Singing For All Street Orchestra Live Ltd. Brierley Hill Choral Society Aylesbury Concert Band Fidelio CIO Bloco B Martineau Musicians New Buxted Orchestra Elmbridge Ladies Choir The NOTEables Community Choir Magna Carta Sinfonia Elmbridge Choir Sounds Familiar Big Band Vivamus

Pill Festival Band

Compass Choir

The Nasheed Choir

The Shipstone Street Jazz Orchestra

Kingston Chamber Concerts

Sing All Together Beckenham

Sudley Sings

The Hyndburn Singers

Thames Opera Company

South Devon Singers

The Berwick Concert Band Society

The Impingtones

Concerts for Craswall

Bristol Community Big Band

Opera Ensemble

Music in Peebles

Guildford Symphony Orchestra

Harborne Orchestra

Swing West

Beeston Voices Community Choir

Ukulele Buddies

Opera Omnibus t/a Opera South

Cheshire Pop Choirs

Milton Keynes Community Choir

Nonsuch Dulcimer Club

All Voice Limited

Missin’ Tackle Shanty Crew

World Doctors Orchestra

Luton Brass Band

Clydesdale Community Concert Band

The Vale of Glamorgan Brass Band

Choir

Cantamus Reigate

Shepton Mallet Big Band

Pitchcraft

Cirencester Male Voice Choir

The Fishtown Ringers CIC

The City of Glasgow Chorus

ULCC

Rutland Junior Strings Andover Youth Choir

Voce Chamber Choir Autumn 2021 HIGHNOTES

FEATURE

Choirs for climate

Choir leader and composer Ben See explains how choirs can help change our world for the better The UK has a thriving and diverse choir scene. A force for good in so many ways, many choirs have recently been joining the conversation around climate change. Choirs are well placed to be powerful change makers. They are right at the heart of our communities, and have the potential to reach people and connect with audiences in a totally different way. Music Declares Emergency recently hosted an online panel discussion to share ideas, spark conversation and build a community of engaged leaders and choirs with a passion for music and the environment (rewatch on YouTube by searching ‘Choirs addressing the climate crisis’). There are lots of individuals and groups keen to embrace sustainability, and share their solutions with the wider choir community. choirsforclimate.com is a great place to start for anyone thinking about how their choir can join the movement. The website, run by Chris Hutchings, lists lots of practical and accessible options for choirs to consider, alongside loads of great repertoire. Different choirs will be able to adapt in different ways. The demographic of your membership and your location will make a big difference, as will lots of other factors. The most important thing is to bring your membership with you. This is not about alienating singers or creating barriers to access, rather it is about creative possibilities and small changes which the choir can get behind. I think the three main areas for choirs to think about are: Message and awareness: • choice of repertoire • fundraising for relevant groups and causes • community and audience engagement • supporting campaigns and issues The choir’s carbon footprint: • travel to and from rehearsals (car sharing, walking,

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public transport etc.) • touring (look at green alternatives) • offsetting • venue choices (accessible via public transport) The choir’s impact: • sheet music/lyrics – share copies, reuse copies, look at digital alternatives • reusable cups/water bottles • nominate choir member as green representative • work green concerns into choir policies • green banking Vocal leader Naveen Arles says that, ‘one in ten people in the UK are directly connected to a choir. That is a huge force, that when harnessed, could be a real instigator of change. Choirs are able to bring issues to stages, share them widely, fundraise and campaign. But choirs shouldn’t stop at singing a couple of songs about it! Hold a discussion group at the café or pub before or after a rehearsal, get a speaker in to explore the issue with the whole choir and get involved in events.’ Plans are afoot to mark COP26, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November. To elevate the conversation, Music Declares Emergency is organising a mass choir event open to all choirs across the UK (look for ‘Sing The Change’ at musicdeclares.net), and Scotland-based Oi Musica is inviting choirs and music groups to record their own versions of the song Enough is Enough (free resources available at oimusica.co.uk/ cop26) I’ve seen firsthand how transformational choirs can be, and I think joining the climate conversation is a natural continuation of that great work. Alternatively, if we can find a way to harness the joyful and infectious energy generated in rehearsal rooms all over the world, then we’d never need to drill again!

‘Choirs...are right at the heart of our communities, and have the potential to reach people and connect with audiences in a totally different way.’

MEMBERS

PROJECTS & OPPORTUNITIES Keeping you up-to-date with projects and programmes GET UP IN LIGHTS!

Photo: Bury St Edmunds Concert Band are paired with Litha Efthymiou for 2020/21

Adopt a Music Creator is open Apply now to take part in a musical journey We’re excited to announce that applications are now open for our next Adopt a Music Creator project (formerly Adopt a Composer). Whether you’re a leisure-time choir, band, orchestra or another kind of ensemble, Making Music will pair you with a music creator for around a year, leading to a premiere, recording and possible radio broadcast. Over the past 21 years more than 120 dynamic partnerships have taken place, giving thousands of leisuretime musicians the unique opportunity to contribute to the creation of a new work by one of the UK’s most promising music creators. How does it work? Following a successful application, we pair your group up with a music creator (Create Pathway) or you can apply with another Making Music member group of your choice to be paired up with a music creator together

(Collaborate Pathway). What’s in it for your group? • New piece of music tailored to your group • Working relationship with a skilled and committed music creator • Exciting new experience for all members • Development day for your MD • Opportunity to be recorded and a possible radio broadcast • Understanding of the collaborative process of creating new music, and the knowledge and confidence to do it again independently How do I apply? Groups should complete the application form on the Making Music website by 5pm, Friday 1 October. If applying for the Collaborate Pathway, both groups will need to complete an application form. makingmusic.org.uk/adoptmusic-creator

To celebrate the diverse talent of our 3,500 member groups, and showcase the UK’s exciting leisure-time music tapestry to a global audience, we have launched a new series on the Making Music YouTube channel called Up in Lights. Each fortnight, we will showcase a different member group performance, taking a deep dive into the leisure-time music sector and championing the work of our 190,000 gifted music makers. Since launching in spring 2021, groups featured so far include the Belfast Philharmonic Youth Choir, who presented an uplifting rendition of Hope, an original song written with composer Laura Sheils, and The Fabulosos Big Band from Byfleet, who got us in the groove with a funky arrangement of Leonard Cohen and Jeff Fisher’s iconic Jazz Police. Head over to youtube.com/makingmusic to catch up on all the videos to date, and hit subscribe so you don’t miss any new performances. Throughout the series, we’re keen to showcase performances that are particularly unique in style or genre. Whatever the age range or ability of your group, this is a great platform to present what your members have been working on recently, or even share a classic performance you have a special fondness for — we want to hear the kind of music you love to play and sing! makingmusic.org.uk/up-inlights Autumn 2021 HIGHNOTES

FEATURE

150 years of RVW The Ralph Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust invites you to celebrate With the 150th anniversary of Vaughan Williams’ birth in October 2022 fast approaching, the enormous energy he invested in bringing music to as many people as possible is needed every bit as much as when he was alive. His lifelong devotion to English folk song – which ensured that regional tunes passed down aurally from generation to generation were saved and notated – and the huge task of editing The English Hymnal form just the small tip of an enormous musical iceberg spanning a multitude of genres. Vaughan Williams’ influence stretches far beyond the 800 folk songs that he collected and documented over ten years, and the 700 hymns with matching tunes that comprised The English Hymnal. Less recognised are the numerous works that he composed for military and brass band which, in turn, encouraged arrangements and transcriptions of works including Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, Fantasia on Greensleeves and Rhosymedre, which was recently heard at the funeral of Prince Philip in its original version for organ, and can also be hired in arrangements for piano, piano duo and four recorders. Vaughan Williams’ output of nine symphonies, five operas, concertos for piano, violin, oboe and tuba, music for ballet and film, as well as a large body of songs and song cycles including favourites such as The Lark Ascending, Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus, The Wasps Overture and the English Folk Song Suite (one of only 10 classical works to be included in the newly overhauled music syllabus for primary schools).

In the lead-up to the anniversary (known as RVW150) the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust and the six publishers that share his catalogue are overseeing a coordinated programme of events both in the UK and internationally, starting in spring 2022 and continuing through his birthday on 12 October until summer 2023. Alongside commitments from orchestras, festivals, choirs, schools and churches, the BBC has allocated a producer to the anniversary year and there are ongoing discussions with organisations including the National Trust, the British Library and Classic FM. Vaughan Williams was committed to bringing music of all kinds to as much of the population as possible, and in addition to conducting amateur orchestras and choruses, a substantial portion of his output was conceived for amateurs. He was a founder of the Leith Hill Music Festival, which was wholly founded for amateur singers with the goal of encouraging both music and participation, and he remained its conductor for an unprecedented 48 years. There are masses of plans afoot, from concert series of his complete symphonies to performances of works for brass band, choral works, operas, film music and, of course, hymns, carols and folk songs. And if The Lark Ascending feels like the best introduction to Vaughan Williams for your audience, in addition to the full score for large orchestra and soloist Oxford University Press has arrangements for violin and piano, string quartet, string sextet, reduced orchestra and even a choral arrangement! Find a catalogue of Vaughan Williams’ works and arrangements, plus details of RVW150, at: wct.org.uk or email rachel@rachelbowron.com

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Photo: Ralph and Ursula Vaughan Williams in 1957, from the collection of Ursula Vaughan Williams

“...the enormous energy he invested in bringing music to as many people as possible is needed every bit as much as when he was alive.”

FEATURE

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 Mr Blue Sky ELO/Jeff Lynne, 1977 Mr Blue Sky was first introduced to me by my father when I was a young child in the 1970s, and I don’t remember a moment since when it didn’t feature in our lives in some way. I particularly remember waiting with Dad in his open-top, sky-blue, Triumph Spitfire for my older sister to come out of the junior school disco, with the song blasting out on the radio and the both of us singing along together at great volume while we waited. I took great pleasure in sharing my love of this song with the Rock Choir Members (Rockies) where I gave the song the ‘Rock

HIGHNOTES Autumn 2021

Choir treatment’, re-building it to work in six-part harmony, allowing all of our Rockies to fully immerse themselves in this brilliant song and in turn feel terrific each time they rehearsed or performed it. We eventually made it our own, with a choreographed routine and superb vibe that left audiences on a high too! It’s still a Rock Choir favourite and always performed at the big national arena events. It turns out that it’s also Chris Evan’s favourite song, and when The One Show asked me to organise a Rock Choir flash mob for him, we grouped secretly in front of the BBC building and waited for him to walk out. Chris is a great supporter of Rock Choir and threw himself wholeheartedly into the flash mob! Very good fun! The song is without doubt the happiest, most uplifting, moodchanging song that I know. It’s 44 years since its creation and still a radio favourite. It has spanned generations in terms of impact and is very personal to me. May I suggest that we all listen to it immediately, thank Jeff Lynne for writing it and generally go off and be deliriously happy for the whole day because of it! Caroline Redman Lusher Creator and Creative Director of Rock Choir carolineredmanlusher.com / rockchoir.com

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

WellRehearsed

New app launched to collect data on the Covid safety of leisure-time music rehearsals

Making Music and abcd, the Association of British Choral Directors, have developed a new free app to help gather statistics on vocal and instrumental group music making activities during the pandemic. Available on iOS and Android, WellRehearsed has been developed as a simple-to-use monitoring tool for leisure-time music groups of all types, anywhere in the UK. The app does not collect personal data and asks two short anonymous questions:

• Has your choir/music group met for a rehearsal in the last week? • Were any infections subsequently reported by persons attending it? Currently, most government guidance is based on studies of choir-related Covid outbreaks from a time when understanding about Covid aerosol transmission and mitigations was not as advanced as it is now. WellRehearsed collects data on the numbers of reported group rehearsals and infections attributed to group music

making, allowing us to show how safe group music making is when the risks are suitably mitigated. It takes less than a minute to submit a weekly report. If an infection is reported following a rehearsal, the app will help identify possible causes, enabling Making Music and abcd to update our guidance and help other music groups to adapt their practice. Since its launch in June, the app has received over 1,000 downloads to date. Users can view the latest statistics of reports submitted on the abcd website via the app. WellRehearsed was developed by abcd and Making Music in conjunction with choral expert and researcher Professor Martin Ashley, joint winner of the latest Making Music Sir Charles Groves Prize, who has advised many music organisations on their risk management during the pandemic. WellRehearsed is available to download now on iOS and Android. Find out more at makingmusic.org. uk/wellrehearsed-app

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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

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CORPORATE MEMBERS

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MEMBERS

READERS’ PAGE Got something to say? We’d love to hear from you: editor@makingmusic.org.uk. RECOMMENDED READ: GIVING VOICE TO MY MUSIC

Composing choral music during Covid and beyond How have composers fared during lockdown? Has composition been easier or more difficult during isolation? In a new book, Giving Voice to My Music, David Wordsworth takes us into the world of twenty-four leading composers of choral music, composers for whom writing for choirs is central to their very existence. But Wordsworth’s searching interviews reveal more than how composers have dealt with the challenges arising from the Covid pandemic. In this book they give voice to their inspirations, their passions, how their life experiences have influenced their compositions, how they choose and relate to the texts they set, and how they interact with commissioners, singers and conductors alike. Choristers and choir directors, indeed all musicians, will be fascinated not only by new insights the interviews offer into works that are already well-known but also for the introductions

to new choral music that deserves to be better known. Enhanced by an extensive reference section and a revelatory list of the composers’ own favourite pieces, readers will discover music that has enriched these composers’ lives and encouraged their creativity. As David Hill, Musical Director of The Bach Choir, writes in his Foreword, ‘the format of asking each of them the same question and then hearing their responses shows the diversity of musical upbringing, teaching and other influences – all combining to create their individual voices’. Special offer to Making Music members: you can order a copy of Giving Voice to My Music (retail price £25) for £20 including UK post and packing by emailing your order to kahnandaverill@gmail.com - Leslie East

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FROM OUR TEAM

MAKING MUSIC PEOPLE Meet the people behind the scenes

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

STAFF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

PAUL MCKINLEY

ALYSSIA FRANKLAND

TRUSTEE

MARKETING MANAGER

What is your day job?

What does your job entail?

I work for the Ulster Orchestra as Library Manager and Programming Associate. Essentially, I’m responsible for sourcing and providing all the music needed for our musicians, as well as working on programme planning for our concerts.

I head up Making Music’s marketing activities, with tasks ranging from high-level strategy and planning for the year ahead to designing an advert or implementing new email campaigns.

Do you sing or play an instrument?

Early November 2020

The piano and French horn are my two instruments. I was lucky that there was a good music service in Northern Ireland when I was at primary school, and we had the chance to learn an instrument for free. I fancied learning the clarinet, but my school only had a French horn available at the time, so the choice was made for me. The experience of learning the horn, and the opportunities and enjoyment it has afforded me, is something that I really treasure. Sadly, I haven’t done much playing recently, but it’s something I intend to get back into. Incidentally, my daughter, who went to my old primary school, also ended up playing the horn by default. When she went along to pick an instrument, she came home with a French horn... and she’s a much better player than me!

How was starting a new job mid-pandemic?

When did you join the Making Music board? I was invited to join the board as Northern Ireland trustee in spring 2018. I’ve just commenced my second threeyear term. What attracted you to the role? The opportunity to be involved with Making Music seemed too good a chance to miss. More than ever, an organisation that does so much to promote the enjoyment of music making is invaluable, and it’s wonderful to be involved, even in a small way. Who is your favourite musician or composer, past or present, and why? What a question! If pushed, Dennis Brain and Alec FrankGemmill as musicians (well, I am a horn player!), and Brahms, for the sublime beauty of his music.

HIGHNOTES Autumn 2021

When did you start working at Making Music?

I’ve worked from home for the last few years, so the day-to-day hasn’t been too different for me, but I’ve missed having the flexibility to come into the office for an afternoon of planning or to getting together with the team. I’m looking forward to that hopefully changing in the near future! Where did you work previously? I worked as Head of Marketing at a virtual reality film company, helping our films gain worldwide success and also directing and producing an awardwinning virtual reality film. Previously, I was a product manager at a virtual world training company, and a content creator, putting together over 300 videos filmed in schools for use in teacher training. What hobbies do you enjoy outside of work? I love anything creative, so spend a lot of time painting and drawing – I’m often frantically trying to finish my latest commission! I also love cooking and travelling – I can’t wait to go explore some new places once the world opens up again. If you could invite three people to dinner, who would they be? Salvador Dali – I think he would certainly make a dinner party more entertaining, and I’d love to hear his thoughts behind some of his surrealist masterpieces. Meryl Streep, just because I love most films she’s been in. And Luke Nguyen – a few years ago, I spent a few months travelling around Vietnam and learning how to cook authentic Vietnamese food, so hopefully he could give me some more tips!

MORE TIME FOR MUSIC, WHEREVER YOU ARE Take Steinberg’s music notation and composition software with you wherever you go with Dorico for iPad. Whether you’re a composer, arranger, instrumentalist, teacher, or student, Dorico is the ideal app for producing beautiful sheet music that you can share as PDF, M4A, or MusicXML, or print directly to your AirPrint-enabled printer. It is fully compatible with the desktop version and you can get started for free.

SING FOR GOLD

THE WORLD CHORAL CUP Calella & Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain) May 14-22, 2022

Highlight

interkultur.com/calella2022