Music Journal September/October 2020

September/October 2020 Back to school – what’s different?

Socially distanced festivals Access to music education: violinist Mahaliah Edwards tells her story

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

Welcome

Above: Deborah Annetts Photo: Mark Thompson

COVID-19 is still affecting many musicians from all parts of the sector. I am conscious that for many of you there may still be uncertainty as to what the future looks like. And, as I write this editorial in August, there is still confusion over the return to schools and associated guidelines, what the devolved governments are saying when it comes to private teaching and the details around professional and amateur performances. At the ISM we make sure you get the latest updated guidance from the various governments on COVID-19 and how it affects you as soon as it appears. If it is unclear, we use all routes available to bring you clarity on that guidance. So please do contact us if you need any advice on the current situation, on COVID-19 or help with anything else work related at membership@ism.org We continue to campaign and lobby on everything from ensuring musicians can access the various government support schemes and making sure music does not disappear from our schools to freedom of movement for musicians after Brexit. Our campaigning has had real impact, from the introduction of the self-employed scheme (flawed though it may be) through to the government U-turn on only core subjects being taught in our schools.

See ism.org/campaigns/about-our-campaigning for more information on our campaigns and what you can do to help.

Many of you will be renewing your membership over the next few months.

The good news is that there is no increase in any of the subscription rates.

And if you are due to move up a grade you will still do so, but you will not pay any more. Quite literally we have frozen all rates so you will only pay what you paid last year.

Front Cover Mezzo soprano Aigul Akhmetshina performing with Opera Holland Park in an outdoor recording of operatic arias Photo: Ali Wright See feature on pages 24–27 Inset images: Mahaliah Edwards (right) with her Dunev Quartet Photo: Bethany Watkins See feature on pages 20–23

With the range of services we provide – from free in-house legal services and an out of hours helpline to our comprehensive range of insurances including public liability insurance and legal expenses insurance; from professional development and a wide range of discounted benefits to advice and guidance – we hope that you agree that your ISM membership is worth keeping.

If you find that you are in financial difficulty and are struggling to afford your renewal, please get in touch with our membership team, led by Sam Flower, and we will work with you to find a suitable arrangement.

This edition of Music Journal is wide-ranging, covering everything from music education and risk management to a report on socially distanced music making and an interview with violinist Mahaliah Edwards about being a woman of colour working in the classical music field. So there is lots to read and hopefully plenty of useful advice as well.

Keep safe and well.

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17 18 20 24 28 32 32 34 40

News & campaigns Supporting you through a pandemic Back to school 2020 – what's different?

Risk management in the performance and education space of COVID-19 Professional development COVID-19 and redundancy: know your rights Mahaliah Edwards Socially distanced festivals News from our members Local area events Classified advertising News from our corporate members Ask me a question

Volume 87 / Number 3 Published by: The Incorporated Society of Musicians 4–5 Inverness Mews, London W2 3JQ T: 020 7221 3499 E: membership@ism.org W: ism.org Incorporated Society of Musicians is a limited company registered in England No. 36882. Registered Office as address above.

Editor: Deborah Annetts Sub-editors: Vinota Karunasaagarar Clare Stevens Proofreader: Christine Gwyther-Scott

Design: cogdesign.com Typography: marcmarazzi.com Advertising: Cabbell Publishing Ltd, T. 01727 739 182 E. Dean@cabbells.co.uk Editorial and advertising copy date: 1 October 2020 for November/December issue Price: £7 per copy Subscription: £35 per year Circulation: 10,000 named recipients Views expressed in MJ are not necessarily those of the ISM. The publication of any advertisement does not imply endorsement of the advertiser or the product advertised.

All ISM publications are copyright

Opera Holland Park’s Homecoming Concert

Printed by Optichrome, Woking GU21 5HX

Photo: Ali Wright See feature on pages 24–27

Contents

ISSN 0951 5135

deborah@ism.org

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

News & campaigns DCMS Select Committee releases its report, ‘Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors’ On 23 July, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee in the House of Commons released its report on the impact of COVID-19 on the DCMS sectors. MPs on the Committee said the COVID-19 crisis presents the biggest threat to the UK’s cultural infrastructure, institutions and workforce in a generation.

ISM lobbies for extension of the SelfEmployment Income Support Scheme On 06 July the government announced a £1.57 billion rescue package to protect arts, culture and heritage industries. On 29 July further detail on the grant application process for a Cultural Recovery Fund was announced by Arts Council England.

We welcome additional financial support for cultural organisations, many of which are on the verge of collapse or have already closed. However, we remain concerned that there is still no plan to provide longterm financial support for freelancers, who make up most of the music sector workforce and whose livelihoods have ground to a complete halt due to COVID-19.

Read our full response to these announcements and why we are continually calling on government to extend the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) at least until the end of the year. ism.org/news/ism-responds-arts-councilcultural-recovery-fund-grants and ism.org/news/ ism-welcomes-government-arts-investment You can add your support by using our template letter to write to your MP asking them to support an extension of the SEISS. Access our template letters here ism.org/blog/ write-to-your-mp-about-extending-the-seiss More information on what you can do to take action and effectively engage your local MP can be found here ism.org/blog/learn-to-lobby

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The government was ‘too slow’ to respond to the needs of the DCMS sectors during the COVID19 outbreak with many organisations facing an ‘existential threat’ to their survival, say MPs. In the wide-ranging report, the DCMS Committee found that ministers consistently failed to recognise the scale of the challenge that COVID-19 presents to culture, sport and tourism.

We welcome that the committee adopted many of ISM’s policy recommendations to government, including targeted support for freelancers through the extension of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, long-term cuts to VAT on ticket sales, and a clear and conditional timeline for reopening.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

The ISM responded to the DCMS Committee call for evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on the DCMS sector. You can read the full submission here ism.org/ images/files/ISM-submission-impact-of-COVID19-on-DCMS-sectors.pdf Our key asks for government are also outlined in our recent COVID-19 manifesto here ism.org/blog/ ism-covid-19-manifesto

ISM calls on religious leaders to save the jobs of church and synagogue musicians The ISM wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Westminster, and the Chief Rabbi on 8 July, calling on them to protect the jobs of musicians who work in churches and synagogues across the country.

ISM publishes global review of research on COVID-19 transmission within performance and music education On 15 July the ISM published a global study which reviews the current research concerning COVID-19 transmission in the performance and music education space.

The study was commissioned by the ISM to collate the extensive information available, provide further clarity on the transmission pathways of COVID-19, and to share this knowledge with the wider music community. You can read the full report here ism.org/ images/files/ISM-Literature-Review_July-2020_ online-FINAL.pdf

The ISM has worked behind the scenes for many weeks to ensure that musicians who work in religious settings do not lose their jobs.

In the letters, ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts implored religious leaders to take ‘immediate, practical action to save jobs and support musicians’, and criticised the ‘precipitate’ casting of individuals into unemployment in the middle of a pandemic.

The ISM is calling for an immediate halt to redundancies to secure the livelihoods of musicians working in religious settings and the maintenance of our ‘glorious choral tradition’.

You can read our letters to the religious leaders here ism.org/news/ism-letters-to-religious-leaders

Left: Hereford Cathedral Choir photographed in 2017 Photo credit: Ash Mills

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

Read our feature 'Back to School 2020 – what's different'

by Professor Martin Fautley on page 10

Research on the risk of singing and brass instruments in transmission of COVID-19 Declan Costello, an ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon and tenor, is heading up critical research with aerosol specialist Jonathan Reid, a Professor of Chemistry at Bristol University, into how dangerous singing and playing woodwind and brass instruments may be in the spread of COVID-19.

The research being conducted by Costello, Reid and colleagues is funded by the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and sponsored by Public Health England. The aim is to find out how the number and size of droplets and aerosol particles generated by singing and playing compare with those produced by speaking and other forms of vocalisation, such as coughing.

The current government guidelines, issued for the nation in August specifically forbid amateurs to sing ‘in groups or in front of audiences’, while professional musicians in England have been allowed to return to work, in carefully controlled circumstances.

Permission to perform indoors to socially distanced audiences in England from 1 August had been granted, but was withdrawn under revised guidelines on 31 July, following a spike in cases of COVID-19.

Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown

The hope is that the study will result in a further unlocking of singing and playing of brass and woodwind instruments, with results set to be published before the end of August. We will keep our members updated on the results of this research.

APPG for Music focuses on key issues facing classroom music education and Music Education Hubs in England as a result of COVID-19 The APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group) for Music Education had its first meeting of the year on 14 July.

The meeting was originally scheduled for March but was postponed due to COVID-19. Over 100 individuals, including MPs and music sector organisations, attended the virtual meeting.

The APPG included presentations from academics Dr Alison Daubney and Duncan Mackrill from the University of Sussex, who spoke about the impact of COVID-19 on classroom music education. John Bergin, CEO of Newham Music and Sue Beckett, CEO of Portsmouth Music Hub spoke about key issues facing Music Education Hubs in England and what the future holds, as well as the need for long-term funding.

ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts concluded the meeting and discussed the need for clear core messages around the importance of classroom education. She urged those involved in classroom education to work with the ISM to get the message right on why classroom education matters, so that it is not marginalised as a result of COVID-19. There is concern that COVID-19 could lead to the further prioritization of core subjects, at the expense of a broad and balanced education for children, with music education at its heart.

#CanDoMusic campaign

On 11 August, the ISM launched the #CanDoMusic campaign, in partnership with Music Mark and the Music Teachers’ Association (MTA). #CanDoMusic is a UK-wide campaign that aims to ensure all children and young people can resume their musical learning this autumn. It offers practical teaching resources, advice and guidance on how to adapt to the ‘new normal’, advice and guidance on online teaching (should further localised lockdowns happen), and information to help individuals and organisations advocate for music in school. Its mission is to celebrate and unlock the innovation of music teachers and senior leaders, ensuring that music plays a central role in rebuilding their school communities.

External affairs team, 020 7313 9312

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | SUPPORTING YOU THROUGH A PANDEMIC

Supporting you through a pandemic Ruth McPherson, ISM's Senior Partnerships & Marketing Manager, explains how the whole of the ISM has swung into action to support you, our members, as you face the challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis, and shares some of your responses

2020 has been a year like no other. Coronavirus has been the biggest challenge faced by the music sector for generations. At the ISM, we’ve been all hands on deck, supporting and guiding you through the crisis, to keep you informed and, where possible, still working and making music.

Above: Ruth McPherson, ISM Senior Partnerships & Marketing Manager Photo: Emile Holba

Useful advice We’ve built up an extensive library of resources in our COVID-19 advice hub. Whether you’re looking for information on returning to work, guidance on accessing financial support, or ways to obtain funding to boost your career, we’ve covered a wide range of topics. You can read our latest advice at ism.org/covid-19

Our staff team have constantly adapted our services in response to the changing situation, and we’re grateful that so many of you have been in touch to let us know ‘The ISM is my “go to”place whenever I need advice and how we’ve helped you. In this feature we take a look guidance relating to the professional aspects of my life. at some of your key membership benefits, together Thank you, ISM!’ – ISM member with some of the feedback we’ve received from you.

‘I would like to state my enormous gratitude to all stafff for their professional support, kindness, friendliness, knowledge and continuous efficiency.’ – ISM member

Regular updates One of the first things we did when the virus hit was to send you a daily members’ e-newsletter, which we used to keep you up to date with all the various changes and new guidelines that were continuously coming from the government, and we offered you advice on how to transition to working online and on staying healthy during lockdown. More recently, we have moved to weekly updates, with additional announcements when necessary.

‘Thank you for your continued advice and updates.

I always find them helpful and supportive.’

– Glynis Williams, ISM member since 2019

Bespoke legal assistance The number of legal enquiries from members has doubled during the pandemic. Our legal team has been on hand to support members, answering queries relating to understanding furlough agreements, adapting contracts to facilitate online teaching, issues around employment, and much more.

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | SUPPORTING YOU THROUGH A PANDEMIC

Members can contact our expert legal team by emailing legal@ism.org. There’s no limit on how much time our team will spend on your case or how often you can use the service. They will take the time to understand your case and offer you the support you need to take the next steps.

‘Every time I’ve used the legal support, I’ve had exceptional service. Thank you for your continued support.’ – ISM member Right: Mariachiara Valsecchi, Senior ISM Representative – Legal Services Manager, and Jeremy Dunn, Legal Adviser (Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown) Photo: Emile Holba

Campaigning and lobbying Throughout COVID-19, our external affairs team has continued to campaign for music and music education to be protected and musicians to be supported, working closely with our members and other music sector organisations.

The ISM has engaged extensively with the government and with parliamentarians, fighting for long-term financial support for music professionals and for a clear and conditional timeline for the reopening of the music sector. We have called on religious leaders and institutions to protect the jobs of musicians working in churches and synagogues across the country, and on school leaders to ensure that music education is central to the catch-up curriculum.

You can find out more about our campaigning work at ism.org/campaigns ‘Thank you for the campaign work that you do for us all and future generations.’ – ISM member

Unpaid fees recovery

Right: Deborah Annetts ISM, Chief Executive Officer Photo: Emile Holba

Many musicians had work cancelled due to COVID-19.

Our team have helped members to recover performance and tuition fees, from contracts and engagements of every kind. If we are ever unable to achieve a resolution ourselves, we refer the matter to our legal expenses insurers who can seek compensation on the member’s behalf. Email legal@ism.org to request our help.

‘The support I received from your legal team with regard to recovering a fee was absolutely brilliant.

Never did I feel like I was taking too much of the adviser’s time and he followed up on the situation a few days later.’ – ISM member

Professional development As we all found ourselves with more time at home under lockdown, it was the perfect opportunity to develop new skills or brush up on existing skills.

ISM members had the chance to engage with our wide range of professional development, which includes publications, teaching resources and online resources. As many of them are accessible to all, do let your friends and family know: ism.org/professional-development ‘Thank you so much for the wonderful Rag and Tal resource on your website. As a KS2 teacher, we only touch on Indian Tal for a couple of lessons, but nevertheless these resources have been so valuable to me!’ – Katie Miner, KS2 teacher at OAK Academy

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Webinars, blogs and podcasts As the coronavirus situation developed, we adapted our ISM Trust webinars to help you navigate the ‘new normal’. Recent webinars have covered topics from understanding the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and writing a risk assessment, to looking after your mental health and learning how to lobby your MP. Previous webinars are available to watch back for free at ism.org/webinars We’ve also produced empowering blogs and podcasts on issues affecting members, including transitioning to online working and adapting to life during lockdown. Read our blog at ism.org/news/blog and listen to the ISM podcast at ism.org/podcast ‘Thank you so much for all your fantastic work.

I really appreciate it and it really does make a huge difference to us all to know you are co-ordinating such a well-thought-out approach to help us in so many different ways.’ – James Turnbull, ISM member since 2015

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | SUPPORTING YOU THROUGH A PANDEMIC

Staying connected

Discounts

Keeping in touch with colleagues has never been more important than during this unprecedented time, and digital methods of communication have been vital. ISM members have been able to discuss issues and ask questions on our Facebook group (facebook.com/ISMusicians), which has doubled in size since March. We also offer networking opportunities via our new service Member Connect (ism.org/member-connect), which allows you to connect with other ISM members and promote yourself.

As we all spent increasing amounts of time indoors during lockdown, we added a new ‘Staying at home’ section to our discount scheme. Members can enjoy savings on online courses, experiences and shopping, as well as offers on software, web design, promotional tools, magazines, sheet music, instruments and accessories. Discover the full range of member discounts at ism.org/my-ism/your-discounts

‘ISM membership provides a sense of family. Knowing a support network is always there is a great comfort.’ – ISM member

‘ISM membership is great value for money. The fact that they make it affordable is great because being a musician can be pretty challenging money-wise.’

– ISM member

Listening to your needs We are constantly adapting and learning from member feedback in order to provide you with gold-standard service. If you have any ideas or suggestions for us, please get in touch at membership@ism.org ‘The ISM gets better and better. Next year I shall have been a proud ISM for 50 years. Thank you.’

– ISM member

Want to receive our member e-newsletters?

If you haven’t been receiving our regular COVID-19 updates by email and would like to, please let our membership team know by calling 020 7221 3499 or emailing membership@ism.org

Below: ISM’s membership team includes (from left to right): Megan Hand, Personal Assistant to the CEO & Communications Officer, Raisa Pankalainen, Office & Member Administrator, Sam Flower, Membership & Marketing Officer, and Maria Vizitiu, Member Engagement & Events Officer (Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown) Photo: Emile Holba

Health and wellbeing services Through the online and telephone services provided by the ISM Members Fund, we have continued offering our members free access to physiotherapy intervention and a 24-hour personal support and advice helpline, staffed by professionally qualified counsellors who offer structured appointments.

These services have been invaluable at what has been a stressful and challenging time for many musicians.

Find out more about our health and wellbeing services at ism.org/membership/members_fund ‘I’ve recently had counselling sessions through the ISM and it’s been life-changing. Just wanted to say a big thank you.’ – ISM member and singer

Indian Takeaway: Rāg and Tāl basics Take away a lesson in Indian classical music.

Our innovative, free online resource brought to you by the ISM Trust and Indian music expert Yogesh Dattani enables you to take away our lesson plans and successfully play or teach a piece of Indian classical music on any instrument.

This lesson explores the basics of the melodic (rāg) and rhythmic (tāl) al) structures of North Indian classical music: sargam, as you gradually learn to play a short composition, Sargam Gīt. ism.org/indian-takeaway

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | BACK TO SCHOOL 2020 – WHAT’S DIFFERENT?

Back to school 2020 – what’s different?

Martin Fautley, Professor of Education in the School of Education and Social Work at Birmingham City University, gives his thoughts on going back to school for the new academic year in light of COVID-19

Above: Martin Fautley

In our next feature Professor Martin Ashley, PhD discusses risk management in the performance and education space of COVID-19

It’s that time of year again already. The summer holidays are over, school uniforms have been outgrown, new ones bought; some students will be looking forward to their first day at a new school or sixth form college, as they move on from primary or secondary school. But this year is different. Many of those schools were left a long while ago, back in March in some cases. For many pupils, this new school year is more than ever a time of uncertainty, and of the familiar being different. They will have to adjust to that phrase ‘the new normal’. But the feeling of strangeness does not apply only to the children and young people; teachers will experience it too.

Schools and music education hubs are working out what they can do with regard to music education and music making, and the possibilities and restrictions are changing rapidly, on an almost daily basis.

‘core’ subjects, as children will be ‘behind’. Lots of inverted commas in this feature, I know, but all these terms are bandied about, and it is assumed that they are ‘common sense’. But are they? Is dropping music so that kids can do more maths a good thing? Well, clearly not for music – and what about the children and young people for whom the music room is their second home? How will they cope, bereft of the subject that most inspires them to learn?

And ‘falling behind’ what, exactly? Some arbitrary benchmark that some Excel-wrangler has punched a few computer keys to invent? We need to keep an eye on this. We know that the ISM has long campaigned against the EBacc measure of schools, and the deleterious effect this has been having in those schools. We need to watch out that the COVID19 crisis isn’t used as a cover in some quarters to ramp Music education is, in many ways, in the eye of up the EBacc by concentrating on the ‘core’ subjects the storm caused by COVID-19. Is it safe to sing? Can even more. What we do know is that some GCSE we sing with friends? How far apart do we have to be? examinations, by-and-large the ones in the EBacc, are Who is in our bubble? Can we play instruments with having their content levels largely unaltered, whereas groups? Are the rules for trombones different from music and some other non-EBacc subjects may be those for guitars? There is so much uncertainty that it operating on a reduced basis. Whether what is being is hardly surprising schools and teachers don’t know done in this regard involves a Machiavellian sleight of where to turn for help. hand, or is a well-meaning but ill-informed reaction to troubled times, will probably only become clear after We all want our young people back making music together as soon as we can; we – the readership of this the event. magazine – are already convinced of the benefits, so But it is not only schools that are facing the new although in normal circumstances we could argue that academic year with trepidation. Music education hubs saying this is like ‘preaching to the choir’, in the ‘new and music services, which in the ‘old normal’ provided normal’ the choir probably isn’t there; or maybe, like peripatetic music lessons to many thousands of our those in some of our great churches, it has been closed youngsters, are also concerned about what they can down to save money. do and how they will do it. Online learning has been the enforced way of working during lockdown, but In schools, we know that there have been with the lack of clarity about what will happen in the contradictory messages. Some schools want to get new school year, plans for the autumn term are going back to what we might call the ‘old normal’ as soon to remain murky for a while. as possible; others, including some high-profile academy chains, have talked about focusing on the Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | BACK TO SCHOOL 2020 – WHAT’S DIFFERENT?

For both schools and hubs, ensemble musicmaking is in a threatened position. From choirs to rock bands, orchestras to steel pans, making music has been highlighted as a threat. We need to be aware of the dreadful effects this virus has had on our population. Many youngsters will have lost friends, neighbours, or relatives. They will have a gap where there was once a person. We cannot simply expect them to drop in to singing activities, if they have been seeing and hearing so much in the media about how it may be problematic. We in music education have long known of the positive effects of musical participation, but we cannot coerce frightened and vulnerable young people and their parents into doing something that may cause them anxiety.

happening in our schools. We know too that musical talent (whatever that is!) is not confined solely to the well-off. We don’t want children to slip through an absent musical net simply because of the lack of financial means of their families, or because the Excelwrangler has decided they need to ‘catch up’.

But on a more positive note, during lockdown we saw some tremendous examples of isolated musicmaking being joined up by the wonders of technology into amazing musical performances. What we didn’t see, however, was videos of massed long division – we need to keep the power of music firmly in our minds as we try and navigate our way in the coming days.

Those of us in music education know that there have always been some who will dismiss music-making.

Sometimes these people have a vested interest in promoting their own subject area or ideology.

I repeat – we need to keep a close eye on what is

Martin Fautley is Professor of Education in the School of Education and Social Work at Birmingham City University, and co-author of the ISM’s National Curriculum assessment and progression frameworks for music.

These are uncharted waters, and we need to stay alert, not just for the symptoms of the virus, but for music education too. We need to be as supportive of music educators, wherever they are working, as we can.

Things are not going to be easy for any of us, but what we can be sure about is that this will be the start of a new school year unlike anything we have seen before.

Take care, everyone!

To help ensure that music isn’t eroded from our classrooms you can write to your MP, we have provided a standard template on the next page to assist you with this, and you can become involved in campaigns like #CanDoMusic (ism.org/news/ candomusic-launch) and ISM's Bacc for the Future (baccforthefuture.com).

‘There is a vast array of evidence, including our State of the Nation report, demonstrating that funding cuts and accountability measures, such as the the Joint Council for Qualifications show that English Baccalaureate (EBacc), are devastating music education and creative the uptake of music at A-level continues subjects, yet the Department for Education to decline, a worrying trend over the last remains fixated on this highly flawed policy.

12 years that shows no signs of abating.

Since 2008 there has been a 47% decline ‘It is vital that studying music does not in music entries at A-level. However, become the preserve of the privileged few, a larger percentage of students attained which is why we urge the government the top grades in music in 2020 compared to either extend the EBacc to include to all A-level subjects. arts subjects, including music, or scrap it Deborah Annetts said: altogether. In light of the continued decline ‘Young people studying A-level music this in music education, and the ongoing year have experienced significant disruption challenges the sector faces caused by to their lives because of COVID-19 and the COVID-19, the National Plan for Music grades published must be a fair reflection of Education, which expires this year, their ability and hard work. We are pleased must be refreshed as a matter of urgency.’ to see that overall a larger percentage of students attained the top grades in music this year compared to all A-level subjects, and we congratulate all students from this year’s cohort. However, it is extremely concerning that the number of candidates in A-level music continues to fall: 47% over the past twelve years.

Breaking news: GCSE results day A-level results day: Music shows a continued decline in uptake falls by nearly half music entries A-level results published on 13 August by GCSE results published on 20 August by Ofqual show that the uptake of music continues to decline by 0.2%. Since 2010 there has been a 25% decline in music entries at GCSE. Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, said: ‘GCSE music students experienced significant disruption this year and we hope that the grades published fairly reflect their hard work, following the process changes announced earlier this week by Ofqual. However, the late notice about the delayed publication of BTEC results has caused unnecessary stress for hundreds of thousands of students so urgent measures must be taken to ensure they are not disadvantaged if they seek to continue their musical education.’

‘It is concerning to see that yet again the numbers of pupils taking music GCSE have fallen, with a 25% decline since 2010.’

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | BACK TO SCHOOL 2020 – WHAT’S DIFFERENT?

Write to your school leader s to ensure th of the curricul at music educ um ation remains a key part Template lett er: Name of Head of School/ Chie f Executive of Ac Address ademy [Date] Dear [Name] I’m writing as a member of your local community education rem to ask that you ains a key part take steps to en of the curriculum sure that music I was pleased to as schools retu see that guidan rn in full in Sept ce issued by th ember. stresses the im e Department fo portance of scho r Education on ols maintaining exceptional circ the catch-up cu a broad and ba umstances will rriculum la nced curriculum so m e consultation w GC SE su , and that only bj ec ts be discontin ith parents. in ued for certain pupils, and only All schools, rega in rdless of how th ey are funded diverse learning and managed, experience that have a responsi prepares youn 21st century. bility to provid g people for ad e a rich and ult life in the fa st moving and Music, along w creative ith all creative subjects, must up period. Mus be at the heart ic provides child of this, especial ren with a chan collaboration, ly throughout th ce for creative and has e catchexpression, so been shown to ci al interaction an support positiv d e mental health and the lockdo , which is esse wn. ntial as we begi n to recover from I welcome the COVID-19 large number of he ad teachers an music will play d school leader a vital role in re s who have stat turning school schools in the ed their intent life to normal in delivery of this ion that September. Go crucial objectiv vernment mus e.

However, I am t support disappointed to see that some focus on core su school leaders bjects at the ex have publicly st pense of creativ contained disp ated their intent e subjects. Wor araging remar ion to ryingly, some of ks aimed at su these statemen bjects that are This prioritisat wrongly consid ts have ion of core subj ered less impo ects at the expe happen. While rtant. nse of subjects I recognise the such as music pressures that full, the price fo must not be al many schools an r this must not lowed to d teachers will be paid by pupi face when they Music is not on ls. return in ly beneficial in the many way for many childre s I have outline n. They must no d above; it is al t be deprived of their talent. so a viable care this opportunity er pathway , and we must not deprive othe So I am asking rs of you to take step s to ensure that a broad and ba your teachers ha lanced curricul ve the support um with music the guidance, so they need to de education at its I am requestin liver he ar t. The governm g th at you and your to protect mus ent has provid ic education. colleagues prov ed ide the leadersh Yours sincerely ip and take actio n [Your name] [Your address] Please keep sh aring your conc erns with us an membership@ d any response ism.org s you receive by emailing ism.org/advic e/ism-templat e-privacy-polic y-and-advice

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | RISK MANAGEMENT

Risk management in the performance and education space of COVID-19 Professor Martin Ashley, PhD discusses factors to take into consideration if you are responsible for working out how and when it may be safe to bring individuals together to make music once more

Above: Professor Martin Ashley, PhD

Risk is an inevitable corollary of uncertainty, and one of the few certainties of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the state of scientific knowledge is far from adequate, despite unprecedented levels of research activity. The prudent response to scientific uncertainty is precaution, and a precautionary response is usually a risk averse one. Risk generally diminishes in proportion to scientific advance, but the process is slow and punctuated by setbacks, and the road of COVID-19 not yet far travelled. As music administrators, educators and performers, ISM members have rapidly had to come to terms with being managers of risk in the unaccustomed field of public health. You and your colleagues have little precedent to draw upon or guidance to follow. How should you proceed?

Some approaches for musical performance have been advocated by Claudia Spahn and Bernhard Richter, heads of the Freiburg Institute for Musicians’ Medicine, who are carrying out detailed research on behalf of the Hochschule für Musik, Freiburg. In the first of several papers published over the past few months under the title Risk Assessment of a Coronavirus Infection in the Field of Music they stated that ‘effective risk management usually requires a precise risk analysis with an associated likelihood of occurrence and knowledge of the effectiveness of certain risk-reducing measures.’

R Value

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Acceptability

In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes a template (hse.gov.uk/simplehealth-safety/risk/risk-assessment-templateand-examples.htm) that has been adapted by organisations such as the Musicians Union and the Church of England. While these versions provide a column for the identification of control measures, they do not demonstrate the extent to which the risk has actually been reduced nor give any real indication of how acceptable the risk was, either before or after the control measures.

Financial, reputational and other risks are taken with most musical performances. Contagion during a novel pandemic is but one more risk to add. Each risk, however, is made up of any number of hazards, defined by the HSE as ‘things that have the potential to cause actual harm’. New COVID-19-related hazards have become apparent through study of relevant scientific literature. The risk you need to consider is the product of how likely each hazard is to occur (the L number) and the seriousness of the consequences of it occurring (the C number): R=LxC. The values of L and C are commonly given as numbers between one and five, with a result of between one and 25 as a computed risk that can be interpreted through a table such as this:

ACTION TO BE TAKEN

20-25

Immediate stop

Immediate action including cessation of the activity

13-19

Not acceptable

Immediate measures required, stop activity if necessary

7-12

Not acceptable

Improve within a specified timescale

3-6

Acceptable

Look to improve at next review or if there is a significant change

1-2

Acceptable

Ensure controls are maintained and reviewed

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | RISK MANAGEMENT

You can then put control measures in place and re-compute the risk. If the control measures have reduced the risk level to an acceptable category, they can be considered effective.

The L number, however, will vary with the state of scientific knowledge, which is in constant flux.

An obvious example of this is the increasing recognition of the role of tiny, suspended respiratory particles Let us first consider the C number. Consequences of (aerosols). The scientific consensus is moving away from the initial World Health Organisation position that rehearsing during the pandemic might be: the likelihood of transmission through these was low.

The L number for airborne transmission is therefore C Value Meaning increasing, with many consequences for venues.

1

Inconvenience – absent child or performer

2

Pattern of significant absences

3

All families have to quarantine for 14 days

4

Several hospitalisations requiring oxygen

5

Catastrophic – life support ventilation or death(s)

C values of four or five have been demonstrated in ‘super-spreader’ events such as the now infamous Skagit Valley choir rehearsal, but if the sort of precautions we now understand to be advisable were put in place, C values of either three or perhaps four might be considered worst case scenarios. Whatever is decided, the C number will be much the same whatever the hazard.

The next table summarises this as concisely as possible, but also introduces a further equally important factor, that of control potential. If you can perform outside or change your rehearsal space to a much larger room, you will have more control potential than the group that has only a small indoor space available. If you are in a country where overall death rates are high, it is unlikely that you will be able to move your orchestra or choir to another country where they are low. Your control potential then will be low or non-existent. On the other hand, although L is high for contact with contaminated surfaces, the control potential is also high. Almost any organisation can instigate and monitor heightened cleaning regimes as well as taking steps such as removing surplus furniture.

Root Hazard

Variability of L Number

Control Potential

Infection in the general population.

Apparently consistent relationship between numbers infected and transmission rates.

Asymptomatic carriers may be more numerous than first thought

Little or no control over where the venue is situated. Limited control over undetected asymptomatic cases

Climate/weather

The potency of the virus may increase as temperatures fall and days shorten

Limited scope for concentrating performances in summer

Cross-contamination

L is higher if singers engage in many other activities, particularly socialising and sport by younger performers

Higher for professionals or school children than amateurs in most cases

Airborne transmission

Increasing literature reporting that aerosols transporting the virus may accumulate and develop high concentration in confined, unventilated spaces

Highly variable according to available space/ventilation

Age and ethnicity

Significant relationships between age and ethnicity have been demonstrated.

Control may be exercised over the age of performers permitted to attend. Elderly may self-exclude. Ethnicity is harder to manage.

Proximity to others

Consistently high risk wherever circumstances such as car sharing force close proximity

Fairly high where numbers of performers can be reduced, or larger spaces used if available. Lower in relation to types of transport used

Contaminated surfaces

Consistent evidence of transmission through surfaces and objects, including music copies

Furnishings can be removed, music copies withdrawn, and movement patterns can be controlled

Personal hygiene

Consistent evidence of high transmission through touching face with unwashed hands

High. Soap effective against coronaviruses, and singers can be educated and reminded

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | RISK MANAGEMENT

Worked examples: Root Hazard: Contaminated surfaces (fomite transmission) L

C

R

Action

Hazard

Contaminated music copies

4

3

12

Improve within a specified timescale

Control

Performers issued personal copies in plastic folders which are kept for duration and must not be shared or left lying about.

1

3

3

Monitor. Look to improve at next review or if there is a significant change

L

C

R

Action

4

4

16

Immediate measures required. Stop activity if necessary Monitor. Look to improve at next review or if there is a significant change

Root Hazard: Age and Ethnicity

Hazard

Members of vulnerable groups in the choir

Control

Over 70s and persons with underlying health issues asked not to attend

In conclusion, it is important to state that even though numbers are involved, this approach is not an exact science. The numbers represent discrete categories rather than a continuously variable measurement such as temperature. Overlaps and borderline cases are inevitable while the biggest weakness is that the numbers depend upon the judgement of a person making an ‘educated decision’. Since nobody is fully educated about the SATS-CoV-2 virus and the science is constantly evolving, it is illusory to imagine that risk has been eliminated. The process is not perfect, but until there is a complex algorithm based upon knowledge not yet attained, it is probably the best we have.

Professor Martin Ashley held a personal chair at Edge Hill University for his post-doctoral work on boys’ vocal identity. Now retired from full-time work in education, he is a trustee of the Association of British Choral Directors and is leading on the organisation’s research into the implications of COVID-19 for choral singing

For practical guidance for what you can do when you re-enter the classroom, you can consult the following web resources: • the Health and Safety Executive offers this: hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/riskassessment-template-and-examples.htm • the Health and Safety Adviser has produced free templates and checklists: safety-adviser. co.uk/lead/ed/risk-assessment-toolkit • the ISM has produced an advice page on instrument hygiene: ism.org/advice/ instrument-hygiene-preventing-thespread-of-covid-19-when-performing-orteaching • you can also watch the ISM’s webinar on risk assessment: ism.org/ professional-development/webinars/ risk-assessment

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Send the name and email address of the friend(s) you are recommending to membership@ism.org Ask your friend to quote the code FULLREC if they are joining us at the full rate or EARLYREC if they are joining at the early career rate.

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16

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional development The ISM provides you with opportunities to build up your skills in the digital arena with our advice pages and webinars. We also have a collection of professional development videos and resources available to members and the wider music sector through our sister charity, The ISM Trust.

Back to school resources from the ISM As many of you will be resuming teaching in school from September, you can get ready by trying some of the ISM’s teaching-focused professional development resources such as our Primary Music Toolkit and National Curriculum for Music.

Our Primary Music Toolkit will help primary school teachers further their self-confidence in teaching music in the classroom. The toolkit, created by Alis Daubney, explores ideas about music Dr Alison te eac a hi and is packed with practical help and teaching straateg to equip primary teachers with the strategies con nfid confidence to lead inspiring musical experiences.

Ussing our National Curriculum for Music you can Using do ownl download the revised assessment and progression fraame frameworks for music 2019. We have published two frrame frameworks (primary and secondary), complete with wall-c wall-charts, to help you develop your curriculum, pedag pe pedagogies and assessment in any setting: issm.o ism.org/professional-development/resources/ nation nationalcurriculum.

Future webinars Diversify your music lessons with Mahaliah Edwards Friday 25 September from 2-3pm Professional violinist Mahaliah Edwards, who is also an educator, community music facilitator and advocate for music for social change, will discuss her education and outreach work and how she introduces work by musicians from diverse backgrounds to her students, so that you can do the same. Read our feature on page 20 to find out more about Mahaliah Edwards.

Introduction to Indian Takeaway To be released in September Want to find out more about our resource Indian Takeaway: Rāg and Tāl basics? Check out the workshop recorded by the creator of the resource, Yogesh Dattani. The recording will give you a short preview of how to use and implement this resource when teaching Indian classical music.

Catch up – Past webinars Risk assessment for musicians Find out more information about completing a risk assessment for private teaching or performing with consideration of COVID-19. James Owen Lewis of the Risk Advisory department at Deloitte LLP discussed the purpose and process of a risk assessment and answered some of the queries we received from our members.

Performance and encouragement for students: thoughts from a dyslexic opera singer Wednesday 28 October from 2-3pm Tune in for an inspirational webinar presented by Sally Daunt of the British Dyslexia Association in conversation with opera singer Anna Devin.

They will explore techniques adopted by dyslexic people, when performing as well as teaching.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | LEGAL & BUSINESS

COVID-19 and redundancy: know your rights The COVID-19 outbreak has caused serious disruption to businesses, and some are now considering restructuring and redundancies. Members at risk of redundancy should be aware of their rights, explains Mariachiara Valsecchi, Senior ISM Representative – Legal Services Manager

Above: Mariachiara Valsecchi, Senior ISM Representative – Legal Services Manager Photo: Emile Holba

The COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdown have forced many businesses to suspend their activity.

Some have not yet re-opened or have only partially reopened. The impact of the lockdown on professional music and music education has been huge. Schools, academies, universities, music hubs and orchestras have suffered considerable losses of revenue that are only partially mitigated by the government’s grants and jobs support schemes. Some organisations are now considering restructuring, reductions in services and workforce, and ultimately redundancies. If you are at risk of redundancy, you should know that you are entitled to certain statutory and contractual rights.

The statutory definition of redundancy encompasses three situations: 1. your employer intends to close the business for good; or 2. they intend to close a specific workplace; or 3. they have a diminished requirement for employees to do work of a particular kind – in other words they need to reduce the workforce.

They should explore with you how your redundancy may be avoided, consider any alternative employment positions and answer any questions you may have.

If you are not consulted properly, your dismissal may be unfair.

In practical terms, consultation should be the process through which you gather as much information as possible on the reasons for the redundancy and your selection. So, if your employer says the proposed redundancy is due to financial difficulties resulting from COVID-19, you should ask questions about these alleged difficulties, e.g. what are these difficulties? How do they link to the pandemic? Is the financial downturn temporary?

What is the financial forecast for the forthcoming year?

What is the projected annual fall in income?

Has the employer identified potential efficiencies and savings? What other solutions have been considered to avoid your redundancy, for example, access to the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme?

It is also very important that you scrutinise the criteria adopted for your selection. Where the In the absence of any such circumstances, or any redundancy involves several employees, an employer other statutory reasons for dismissal, for example must identify an appropriate pool of employees to disciplinary reasons, your employer cannot dismiss select for redundancy. There are no fixed rules, and you on the grounds of redundancy without running the the employer has a wide degree of flexibility. But the risk that your dismissal may be unfair. choice of the pool must be fair – and certainly must not In a potential redundancy situation, your be discriminatory. Some common selection criteria employer should consult with you about the proposed include knowledge and experience; qualification and redundancy. Proper consultation is fundamental to training; length of service, disciplinary records and the fairness of a redundancy procedure. It should so on – but this will also very much depend on the commence in good time, well before any decision is nature of your job, your duties and also the employer’s taken on the proposal. It should be meaningful, and restructuring plans. not a bogus exercise. Your employer should arrange a meeting, or a series of meetings with you to explain the reasons for the redundancy, and how and why you have been selected for the redundancy.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | LEGAL & BUSINESS

Once the consultation stage is completed, the employer will decide whether the redundancy should proceed. If you are dismissed, you will usually have the right to appeal against that decision – and if the decision is confirmed, you should receive certain payments. The amount of the payment will depend on your length of continuous service, the terms and conditions of your employment contract, your weekly pay and your age.

d. and holiday pay: this is an aspect that is often overlooked, but on termination of your employment, you will be entitled to receive an amount corresponding to your accrued but untaken holiday. If you are unsure if and how many days of holiday you are entitled to, ask your employer to make the calculation

If the consultation and selection procedure have been carried out fairly and reasonably by your In brief: employer – and if you are paid the correct amount a. you will normally be entitled to receive a redundancy due –then unfortunately your employer may lawfully terminate your employment contract for redundancy payment if you have been working for your reasons. But if the redundancy is not genuine, for employer for more than two years. There is a example if you feel that your employer did not formula to calculate the amount of this payment, provide enough explanation for your dismissal, or the which is based on your age, length of service and consultation was not carried out, or was not carried out weekly pay. These payments are subject to a cap, currently £538 per week, and a maximum statutory properly or fairly, then you may have a claim for unfair dismissal, and may seek compensation. payment (currently £16,140) If you are an ISM member and have any doubt b. if there is a collective agreement in place about the fairness of your dismissal or are at risk of governing your work (but it must have been redundancy, please contact the ISM legal department. incorporated in your contract), or your employer Our trained staff will assist you to protect your rights. has a redundancy policy providing for enhanced payments, you may be entitled to an enhanced redundancy payment. It is always worth checking with your employer

Find out more about how the ISM can help you at ism.org or write to our legal department at legal@ism.org

c. before your employment ends, you should be given a notice period. The length of the notice will be set out in your employment contract, and you should check it carefully. Your employer may ask you to work out your notice period, or decide to offer you a payment in lieu of the notice, in which case it will be based on your monthly or weekly pay, depending on the type of notice

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We have also published some new information about the implications of COVID-19 on the policies, following discussions with our insurance broker. The policy does not contain any new restrictions or exclusions arising from the pandemic.

Visit the members’ area of our website to download your policy documents.

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19

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | MAHALIAH EDWARDS

Mahaliah Edwards As part of the ISM’s commitment to exploring issues of access to music and arts education, violinist Mahaliah Edwards tells Clare Stevens about her experience of making her way through professional training as a person of colour from a state school in an East Midlands town

Above: Clare Stevens Photo: Bruce Childs

Mahaliah Edwards was given a violin for her seventh birthday – ‘I don’t really know why,’ she recalls, ‘I just woke up and saw it in its case on my bedroom floor.

I’d been having piano lessons, but we weren’t a particularly musical family, and there was nobody to teach me how to play the violin until I started secondary school. I was fascinated by sound, so I signed up for half-hour weekly lessons at school given by the local county music service. It just snowballed from there; I had five different teachers, but one of them really pushed me, introduced me to a lot of repertoire and educated me about the world of classical music. I joined the Nottingham Youth Orchestra and ended up leading it.’

It was only when they saw their daughter standing at the front of the stage in Nottingham’s Albert Hall and being applauded that her parents realised the importance of music to her. Even then she didn’t feel able to tell them she was interested in making it her career. ‘I knew Isata Kanneh-Mason and she suggested I should audition for a sixth form place at the Purcell School in Hertfordshire, but it was one of my form teachers, Mrs Pink, who drove me down to the auditions. She knew nothing about music either, but she had seen me doing my violin practice and my homework at school and she wanted to help me.

I didn’t tell my parents anything about it until the letter arrived offering me a place.

Left: Mahaliah Edwards Photo: Bethany Watkins Right: Mahaliah Edwards with one of her pupils (Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown) Photo: Vicki MacLeod

‘I didn’t think they’d get it. Music is inherent in the Pentecostalist culture that we belong to, but it is not considered to be a valid career; my parents would have thought it was much too risky.’

How did it feel to be one of only three black students in a school of 200 pupils?

‘I was used to it, as I didn’t live in a multicultural area of Nottingham and I was the only black person in the youth orchestra. I didn’t have any black role models.

But the difficulty I faced at the Purcell School and later when I won a place at the (now Royal) Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) was not being black, it was the limitations of my musical education: having started learning the violin so late, when most other people had been playing since they were five or six; having all my lessons at school, snatching half an hour out of a science lesson, instead of privately; knowing so little about the whole context and etiquette of concerts.

‘I felt I hadn’t been educated to the right level.

I won a place and a scholarship, but I hadn’t developed the technique and skills I needed to succeed as a violinist; from leading the orchestra in Nottingham I went to the back desk of the second violins. It was a big culture shock.

‘I did enjoy being able to talk about my favourite pieces with other young musicians of my age who shared my passion for Shostakovich, or argue about whether Julia Fischer is a better player than Maxim Vengerov, but I more or less had to start learning to play the violin all over again with my new teacher, and I found that really, really difficult. I’m grateful to the Purcell School for giving me the skills I needed, space to breathe and the opportunity to practise for hours and hours a day – I could never have gone straight from a state comprehensive school to a conservatoire.

But I did develop a bit of a complex about not being good enough as a performer. That is quite normal, but it’s much more poignant when you don’t have a role model to help you see that it’s possible to conquer your difficulties.’

Continued overleaf È

21

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | MAHALIAH EDWARDS

Below: Mahaliah Edwards playing at Shrewsbury Folk Festival (Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown)

22

At RBC the proportion of BAME students was even smaller than at the Purcell School: ‘There were around 600 students including postgraduates, and only about five of us were black. It is strange, because that is not the case when you go out into the streets of Birmingham. When you are studying and performing at that level it is very isolating to be so different.

My teacher, Susanne Stanzeleit, was wonderful – she is an amazing player and an amazing person and I’m so grateful to her, but I often encountered some very harsh criticism from visiting teachers because I didn’t play to the standard they expected. I think more could have been done to recognise that students from backgrounds like mine need additional support to help them through the conflict of identity they can face, and even with practicalities like managing more money than they have ever been used to when they receive large scholarships.’

Edwards admits that if she is booked to perform at a wedding or a dinner there are still some surprised looks when she arrives with her violin over her shoulder: ‘People are expecting somebody else.

I’m the person who speaks when my string quartet gives a concert and afterwards people will say thank you, but with a tinge of surprise that I can chat about Shostakovich and Haydn. I’m used to it, but that doesn’t make it OK.’

After graduating from RBC, Edwards returned to Nottingham, where she now has a portfolio career as a performer, educator, community music facilitator and advocate for music for social change. In addition to playing classical repertoire with the Birminghambased Dunev string quartet, which she founded, she performs music of diverse origins ranging from gospel, reggae and Afrobeats to electronic and folk. She has also worked, performed and collaborated with artists such as British Composer Errollyn Wallen, Grammy Award-winning percussionist Lekan Babalola and Haitian-American singer-songwriter and violinist Germa Adan.

Edwards teaches with the Nottingham Music Hub and regularly runs workshops, classroom lessons and enrichment programmes in schools across the UK, particularly in areas where accessibility, mentorship and inspiration are lacking. She is passionate about helping young people to develop essential life skills through engaging with music and the arts and in 2017 her work in this domain was recognised by the Association of Jamaican Nationals who awarded her with the Be Inspired Youth Award.

Even in the short time she has been working in classical music, however, she can see a change in attitudes as a result of the success of performers like Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his family, and double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku’s Chineke! Orchestra. ‘They make it seem quite cool for a young black person to be a classical musician. That’s great, but I’m always wary of tokenism, or of being put in a box – my life is not a “trend”! I can’t just decide one day that I’m not black.’

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | MAHALIAH EDWARDS

‘In many ways I have a more direct influence on the children I teach than someone like Sheku does,’ she points out. ‘His profile is huge in Nottingham, his picture is on the side of the buses, but it’s much more effective for the children to hear someone like me playing the way I do, because there isn’t such a gulf between me and them.

‘Much more needs to be done before a young black person can think it is normal to be a classical musician.

We need more black virtuosos and more awareness of black composers – I didn’t know there were any until I was at my second year at conservatoire.’

But cultural capital works the other way too, she adds. ‘I think high culture is for everyone, whatever background they are from – whether it’s art, literature, history – we need to be exposing children to it the minute they get into schools and throughout their education. It’s art and creativity that enrich society.

People often struggle with their identity, but who said we have to choose? There is music in every culture, and over the years they have all been influenced by one another. The Pentecostal music that I grew up with was full of reggae and African and calypso elements.

I’ve been arranging music for my string quartet that reflects some of that – I’m hoping it will bring more people into concert halls in a way that is respectful to all genres.’

Edwards is keen to emphasise that the #BlackLivesMatter movement is about protesting against police brutality, a serious cause that should not be diminished by adding lots of other agendas.

But she does recognise that it may have a beneficial effect at every level of society.

Above: Mahaliah Edwards (right) with the Dunev Quartet (Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown) Photo: Bethany Watkins

‘We are gaining a lot of allies, people who are not black but who really want to understand the challenges black people face in arenas such as the arts; what are the societal issues and the systemic discriminations that prevent them from fulfilling their potential. Outreach comes in all types and forms, and there is undoubtedly a ripple effect from everything that is going on at the moment. I hope that there will be more people like me on concert hall stages and in the audience, so that ultimately anyone can walk into a place like Symphony Hall, Birmingham and feel included, rather than feeling that they don’t belong.’ mahaliahedwards.com Edwards will be delivering our webinar, Diversify your music lessons, on Friday 25 September from 2-3pm at ismtrust.org/ professional-development/webinar-archive

23

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | SOCIALLY DISTANCED FESTIVALS

Socially distanced festivals One of the biggest casualties of the COVID-19 crisis has been the summer music festival season, but a few organisations have reinvented themselves to offer something new to their audiences. Clare Stevens reports

Above: Clare Stevens Photo: Alex Ramsay

Open up the websites of most of the UK’s summer music festivals, from Latitude to Green Man, Wilderness to Camp Bestival, Aldeburgh to Edinburgh, and you will find notifications that they have been cancelled or postponed until 2021.

from San Francisco are among the groups taking part in the 10 performances, most of which are filmed under strict COVID-19-safe rules in the Gresham Centre, the repurposed Wren church that is Voces8’s Central London base.

Some have been able to offer alternative experiences for 2020. Fans of Glastonbury could celebrate its 50 birthday from the comfort of their sofa instead of squelching about in the mud at Worthy Farm, thanks to the BBC #Glastoathome experience on TV, radio and online; while the rich social media programme of the virtual Three Choirs Festival included new interviews, archive images, shared memories, a virtual choir and the imaginative #ThreeChoirsPremieresLeague (a Twitter tournament in which a choral work by Francis Pott premiered in 1999 defeated the Finzi Clarinet Concerto and Vaughan Williams’s Tallis Fantasia).

The performances take place in real time, with pre-recorded introductions and links and are followed a few minutes later by live chat, taking the place of the post-concert chats with their fans that Voces8 love.

In their first chat they explained how standing further apart than normal to comply with physical distancing guidance is quite challenging for an ensemble that relies so much on breathing as one and being aware of every nuance of one another’s bodies as they perform.

Quickly out of the starting blocks in creating a new sort of festival for these strange times was the vocal ensemble Voces8, whose ‘Live from London’ series of Saturday evening choral concerts began on 1 August.

Season tickets for the series, costing £80, went on sale early in the summer, with e-tickets offering access to individual concerts also available. I Fagiolini, The Swingle Singers, The Gesualdo Six and Chanticleer

organist Jonathan Scott and conductors Sir Simon Rattle and Esa-Pekka Salonen, as well as the BBC Singers and the BBC’s own orchestras in London, Glasgow and Cardiff. While it was not possible to have an audience present in the Royal Albert Hall, every live Prom has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and for the first time ever, all live Proms performances have been filmed and will be available to watch via BBC Four (Thursday,

Singer-songwriter Laura Marling is part of a fortnight of live concerts that conclude this summer’s BBC Proms season, most of which has consisted of archive broadcasts. On 6 September live at the Royal Festivals taking place towards the end of the Albert Hall, Marling will be performing songs from summer have had a bit more time to formulate her recent Mercury-nominated album Song for Our their plans. Eleven concerts and literary events were Daughter, as well as selected songs from her previous specially filmed to create Presteigne Digital, which took albums, with pioneering string group 12 Ensemble, in place online 24-27 August and included seven brand brand-new string arrangements by American multinew pieces – all but two of the commissioned works instrumentalist and producer Rob Moose. that should have been performed at the festival in the The two weeks of live Proms began on 28 August small Welsh town over Bank Holiday weekend. Support and include seven new commissions, from Hannah from the festival’s family of funders, has enabled Kendall, Aziza Sadikova, Jay Capperauld, Gavin Higgins, artistic director George Vass and his team to re-purpose Thomas Adès, Andrea Tarrodi and Richard Ayres, grants so that by the end of the year, they will have highlighting the Proms’ commitment to contemporary employed over 60 freelance performers, composers music. The line-up of performers includes pianists and artists taking part in Presteigne Digital 2020, an Benjamin Grosvenor, Stephen Hough and Mitsuko inaugural Winter Festival Weekend and the Presteigne Uchida, violinist Nicola Benedetti, cellist Sheku Festival Orchestra’s debut commercial recording.

Kanneh-Mason, sitar player Anoushka Shankar,

Left: Glyndebourne Garden Concert Photo: James Bellorini

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | SOCIALLY DISTANCED FESTIVALS

Top left: Virgin Arena concept image Above: Voces8 chat to their viewers after a live-streamed concert Above right: The last fortnight of the BBC Proms season will include concerts performed in an empty Royal Albert Hall Photo: BBC Sanjeet Riat

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Friday, Sunday) orlive-streamed on BBC iPlayer (Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday).

Alfie Boe, and a Fleetwood Mac tribute act, and the audience is invited to purchase an e-ticket online and drive to the site, where they collect their pre-ordered Ask any musician, however, and they’ll tell you food and drink and join a socially distanced queue that a performance is not the same without a visible audience. London’s Wigmore Hall was all set to follow to be escorted to their own ‘personal platform’ from which to view the concert. At the end of each show up its hugely successful series of chamber recitals, they are reminded to keep their distance from other broadcast from an empty hall, with a second series including a distanced audience, when the government concert-goers and are escorted back to their cars. moved the goalposts in response to a perceptible rise But it seems to be opera companies that have in cases of the virus and forbade indoor performances really got their act together and produced the with an audience in England. Britten-Pears Arts (BPA) most imaginative performances for reduced and was in a similar situation, announcing a late summer distanced audiences. series of 45-minute recitals with reduced audience and From 19-27 September English National Opera will no intervals in its Snape Maltings Concert Hall, only host drive-in performances of Puccini’s La Bohème at to have to unannounce it two hours later in response Alexandra Palace, North London. The performers will to the government’s new restrictions. Pre- and postbe on a raised and covered stage, with large screens concert social distancing in the vast open spaces of its to the side also relaying the performance so that all riverside site in the Suffolk countryside would have audience members get a great view. Microphones and been easy, and BPA’s plans had included requiring a wireless sound system will enable the audience to audience members to wear face coverings and issuing hear the music no matter where they are parked – and no printed tickets or programmes; CEO Roger Wright those who don’t have a car can book an Uber Box, a and his team were understandably disappointed static car that adheres to social distancing, or come on when the series could not go ahead, and at the time of a bicycle. writing were still considering their next steps.

Opera Holland Park has experimented with several Further north at Gosforth Park in Newcastledifferent types of outdoor performance in its west upon-Tyne, the Virgin Money Unity Arena claims to be London venue, including an evening of light music and Europe’s first socially distanced music venue, and is operetta with solo singers and a distanced ensemble hosting a series of events that get as close as possible of strings, woodwind and percussion from the City of to the summer music festival experience. The line-up London Sinfonia, and a relaxed family performance includes The Libertines, Ronan Keating, Van Morrison, of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | SOCIALLY DISTANCED FESTIVALS

In addition to opening its beautiful gardens to the public from July, Glyndebourne has presented a short season of concerts with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and opera highlights with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and singers including ISM board member Nicky Spence, on a purpose-built stage near the lake, with distanced audience seating and plenty of time and space to enjoy the traditional picnic interval.

Grange Park Opera in Surrey, however, has gone one better and actually commissioned a new opera specifically for this situation. With music written in six weeks by 29-year-old Alex Woolf and a libretto

by David Pountney, A Feast in the Time of Plague will be presented in the Theatre in the Woods on 12 and 13 September. It is loosely based on a fragmentary tale by Pushkin dating from 1830 and features a cast of virtuoso solo singers, including Susan Bullock, Claire Booth, Wynne Evans and Simon Keenlyside, playing the 12 characters who, as Pountney explains, arrive for the feast voluntarily, but do not all leave voluntarily: ‘They capture the defiance and solidarity that we have all experienced during these strange times,’ he says. ‘The virus exposes truths about all of us in surprising ways. A Feast in the Time of Plague captures this – as well as the essential lesson that we must carry on laughing.’

Clare Stevens is a freelance writer and editor

voces8.foundation/livefromlondon bbc.co.uk/proms

Top: Roger Wright at Snape Maltings Photo: Britten Pears Arts

brittenpearsarts.org virginmoneyunityarena.com operahollandpark.com eno.org/whats-on/eno-drive-live

Above: Alison Langer performs at an Opera Holland Park distanced concert Photo: Ali Wright

glyndebourne.com grangeparkopera.co.uk

presteignefestival.com/2020-presteigne-digital

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS We welcome your brief news (max. 150 words) and high res images. Please email mj@ism.org.

The next deadline for copy is 1 October 2020 for the November/December issue.

Elizabeth de la Porte FISM

15 September 1941 – 09 April 2020

20 May 1950 – 24 June 2020

ISM member since 1989

ISM member since 2011

A tribute by her daughter Leonora Dawson-Bowling

The concert organist Jane Parker-Smith, a pupil of Nicolas Kynaston and Jean Langlais, made her London debut at Westminster Cathedral at the age of 20, followed by a first solo concert appearance in the BBC Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall two years later. She performed at major venues and international festivals all over the world, as both recitalist and concerto soloist, recorded a wide range of solo repertoire for major labels and broadcast regularly on radio and television. The critic Paul Driver described her as ‘the Martha Argerich of the organ’.

Harpsichordist, pianist and Baroque specialist Elizabeth de la Porte, who taught at the Royal College of Music Junior Department for 55 years, died earlier this year after five wonderfully positive months back at home with her dear family following a difficult illness last year.

Born in Johannesburg, the daughter of opera singer Betsy de la Porte, she studied at the Vienna Academy before moving to the UK where she performed and recorded her beloved Bach, Couperin and more besides, and inspired generations of her RCM and Canterbury students with a passion for music.

Described by colleagues and students as ‘supportive and encouraging’, ‘kind’, ‘a dear friend’ and a ‘shining light’, she wore her enormous musical intellect lightly and combined her musical teachings with guidance on presentation and a very real personal interest in each student.

A talented musician and a wonderful person, she is sorely missed but lives on in the gifts she gave to so many.

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Jane Parker-Smith MISM

‘Jane was an outstanding concert organist with a fiery technique that matched her exuberant personality,’ writes Gerard Brooks, President of the Royal College of Organists. ‘She made light of even the most demanding showpieces, dazzling her listeners with interpretations that were sometimes highly personal but never dull. Attending one of her concerts was always an event, and she will be greatly missed.’

Anne Marsden Thomas, co-founder of the Society of Women Organists, writes: ‘Losing two such iconic women organists within a few months of each other is a terrible blow. Jennifer Bate, our generous Patron, was to have given a concert for the Society of Women Organists in November 2020 – a unique concert, with many young female organists in the audience, and a reception afterwards for them to meet the performer. When Jennifer became ill, Jane ParkerSmith accepted the concert invitation, and she would have been an equally brilliant performer; she was a charismatic personality, guaranteed to inspire those who heard and met her.

Now the concert itself is postponed until 2021, but we will certainly remember fondly both Jennifer and Jane, honouring their memory as we move forward.’

Philip Colls Diamond Jubilee concert in Gloucestershire.

Philip Colls has been conducting The Cappella Singers since 1981.

The choir, founded in 1960, celebrates its Diamond Jubilee in a concert at Holy Trinity Church, Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire on Saturday 10 October.

The choir is joined by five soloists and the baroque instruments of Warwick Cole’s Corelli Orchestra in Bach’s Mass in G minor and works by Purcell and Handel. Mark Blatchly has composed a specially commissioned setting of ‘O sing unto the Lord a new song’.

You are advised to obtain tickets in advance. For more information see cappellasingers.co.uk

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

Left: The Echo Ensemble (Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown) Photo: Liz Isles

Andrew Downes

The Echo Ensemble The Echo Ensemble brings people together through music-making.

Never has this been more crucial or challenging than during the current crisis. The Echo Chamber embodies our vision of a world where everyone feels connected through art.

Throughout lockdown The Echo Chamber brought joy to families the world over and gave a voice to 55 of Europe’s finest young musicians who otherwise would have been silenced.

Special guests including Ashley Solomon and Ronald Corp OBE joined us to present music old and new in eight 45-minute online performances.

These were curated and edited by Echo’s artistic director and conductor, Noah Max. Series one and two are available free of charge on Echo Ensemble’s YouTube channel. The Echo Chamber will return in December.

On Sunday 2 August the ensemble gave a live outdoor performance to a socially distanced audience at Central Square, Hampstead Garden Suburb,

in association with the local residents’ association. The hour-long CovidAware Echo Outdoors event featured music by Purcell, Grieg, Bartok, Vaughan Williams, John Barry and two works by Noah Max, of which one was a première.

Vaughan Jones

English Composer Andrew Downes (pictured below) turned 70 on 20 August. #andrewdownes70 is a year of concerts in 2020, celebrating his life and work, raising money for Stoke Mandeville Spinal Research.

Downes has suffered a life of ill health, starting at the age of 12 when he first displayed symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, an arthritic disease which slowly creeps up the backbone, destroying the cartilage between the vertebrae and gradually fusing the spinal column together, leaving it rigid and brittle. In 2009, Andrew’s left hip gave way, he fell and his back broke.

He was left paraplegic but received excellent care at Stoke Mandeville Hospital. His immensely positive attitude has made him a prolific composer of over 110 works with performances and recordings all over the world, by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, flute choirs throughout America, Cathedral choirs, and world class soloists.

History of the Salon (FHR 80) is a new release available on CD and digital download of 23 fascinating pieces written for violin and piano from the era of the salon. Many of the pieces were popular in the early days of acoustical recordings but have now sadly fallen out of fashion.

In a recent review in The Observer, Fiona Maddocks described violinist andrewdownes.com Vaughan Jones ‘ and pianist Marcus Price’s playing as ‘… cutting an elegant musical dash, formidably nimble and adept at capturing the fizzing character of these miniatures’. Revisiting these brilliantly written pieces gives the listener a deeper understanding of popular musical styles and tastes in the 19 century and with a number of première recordings on offer, this disc offers the listener a rare opportunity to revisit a fascinating era, long faded away. You can purchase the disc by visiting the catalogue page of First Hand Records. firsthandrecords.com

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

Right: Emma Abbate & Julian Perkins

Harnessing the power of music and its effect on learning. You’ll also find two films he made from the trip.

(Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown)

Although it’s been a huge challenge recently, Richard is sharing his global insights and recommendations with colleagues, professions, organisations and communities to make change happen at a local level initially, but at a national level too. richardjeffries.co.uk

Right: Richard Jefferies Photo: Bob Geary

old and new rounds with piano accompaniments for unison and part singing, and added introductions and endings. They are graded in difficulty Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins have just released their latest recording, from ‘Row, Row’ to ‘Summer Is A-Coming In’ and she hopes there will of Weber’s complete keyboard duets, be something for everyone – that is, on Deux-Elles. Praised by Early Music once we are allowed to sing again!

Reviews as being ‘balanced perfectly in tone and volume’, this disc comprises Weber’s three sets of duets that date from his teenage years to those of Roun Accomp ds with animent his maturity. The composer is known today primarily for his fantastical opera Der Freischütz, but Weber’s keyboard duets offer us a different window onto this early-Romantic personality, in which the heady mix of Mozartian sophistication and bel canto beauty Arranged Nancy Liby tten shows a composer of extraordinary breadth and versatility. Using two original instruments from the Richard Burnett collection of early Richard Jeffries keyboard instruments, Emma and Richard Jeffries, a choral director and Julian’s programme also includes music educator from the Midlands, Mozart’s Andante and 5 Variations was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in G major, K501. in 2019 from the Winston Churchill deux-elles.co.uk Memorial Trust. Last autumn he emmaabbate.com travelled to America, Canada and julianperkins.com Finland to research music education with a singing focus. He visited choirs, Nancy Litten schools, universities and organisations to observe the very best in choral Nancy Litten’s latest book has been work, how it can be embedded in released by Alfred UK. Rounds with communities and schools and how this Accompaniment is subtitled, positively impacts children’s learning.

‘Enjoyment for singers, pianists and audiences’ and aims to take the Richard’s report is now available at performance of rounds to a new wcmt.org.uk/fellows/reports – level, as satisfying, characterful type in ‘Richard Jeffries’ in the search concert items. Nancy has arranged and you’ll find the full report under

Emma Abbate and Julian Perkins

E n j o y m e n t fo r P

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Rachel Fryer Pianist Rachel Fryer delivered the world premiere of Variations Down the Line at the virtual JAM festival in August. The project commissioned five composers – Samuel Becker, Julian Broughton, Michael Finnissy, Alison Kay and Nicola LeFanu – to write a set of three variations each in response to Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The next performance to be broadcast will be on Monday 21 September at the Hurst virtual festival. For more information about the project including links to online interviews with composers please visit: variationsdowntheline.org

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

Jonathan David Little In June 2020, composer Jonathan David Little was awarded the Second Prize medal in the orchestral category of the Musikverein New Symphony Vienna International Composers Competition, with an overall score of 94/100 – one point off First Prize – for his piece Terpsichore. The same work entered for this competition (submitted anonymously) had earlier won him Special Distinction in

America’s prestigious ASCAP Foundation Rudolf Nissim Prize. An online scrolling score link can be found at youtube/0flT7lJeR3U – here played by the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra.

(The work is still available for UK premiere, whenever next practical!)

Jonathan is now aiming to compose a major oratorio, commencing in the latter part of 2020. jonathanlittle.org

MEMBER COMMENTS ‘Thank you all very much for all your continuing efforts on our behalf. It’s so reassuring to be kept ‘in the loop’ and it can’t have been easy for you all.

Hopefully things will improve soon.’

ISM member since 1986 ‘Thanks for the updates and the brilliant lobbying work you’re doing. I’ve never been so grateful to be part of the ISM.’ ISM member since 2016

‘Many thanks for all the support and information, particularly at the moment.’

‘Many thanks for the continued helpful updates in these challenging times.’

ISM member since 2014

ISM member since 1981

‘Thank you for your invaluable work, it has been a great encouragement and giving me direction and hope.’

‘I want to say a personal thank you to everyone as you work to support all musicians during this unprecedented time. I am more fortunate than many as I have been able to teach all my students online but I have been impressed with the speed of response to inform and help the profession as well as your letters to and lobbying of the government on our behalf.’

ISM member since 1997 ‘I used the legal advice for the first time and the gentleman I spoke to just spoke perfect sense and gave my mind ease.’

Vicci Hogan, Vocally Yours LTD, ISM member since 2018

Ruth Badley, member since 1999

OBITUARIES We are sorry to announce the deaths of the following members: Jacqueline Brown of Buckinghamshire

Elizabeth de la Porte FISM of Faversham

David Dawson FISM of Ilkley

George Kinnear FISM of Hampstead

Jane Parker-Smith MISM of London

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | LOCAL AREA EVENTS

LOCAL AREA EVENTS

Full listings can be found on our website, ism.org. The next deadline for copy is 1 October for t he November/December issue.

Sunday 11 October 2020

Dr Sara Clethero writes:

Oxford

We have been meeting regularly online since a meeting earlier in the year to celebrate the work of Chloe Knibbs, a Birmingham-based composer who has been working with Ex Urbe choir as part of the Adopt a Composer scheme.

Chloe was interviewed by Dr Andrew Hamilton, of the royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and some of her work was performed live.

Lecture/Demonstration by

**Depending on the government’s COVID-19 guidelines, we hope to present this event live. If that is not possible it will be conducted online, via Zoom.

Anthony Williams MMus, DipRAM, GRSM, ARAM

Admission: ISM members £8, guests £10.(advance booking is essential for this event)Contact: Carolyn King 01235 522774 carolyn2king@btinternet.com

‘The new 21/22 ABRSM Piano Syllabus:Highlights and Pathways’ 3pm, Silk Hall, Radley College, Abingdon, Oxford OX14 2HR **

Anthony Williams is Head of Keyboard at Radley College. As well as being a concert pianist, writer, lecturer, In the regular online meetings since ABRSM examiner and festival then, members have been generous adjudicator, he also gives piano and insightful in sharing their experiences and the ways in which they masterclasses, public lecture recitals, have been able to use online resources and seminars on performance. He is the author of the acclaimed book The to explore new ways of teaching and Piano Teachers’ Survival Guide and will creative projects, and that has been a be able to throw plenty of light on the source of inspiration to all of us. new syllabus.

Classified advertising HOW TO BOOK: please send advertisement copy with payment (cheques payable to the ‘Incorporated Society of Musicians’ or T: 020 7221 3499 with credit card details) to the ISM, 4–5 Inverness Mews, London W2 3JQ or email mj@ism.org Copy date by 1 October for the November/December issue.

PRIVATE AND TRADE 50p per word, minimum £5.

Advertisements from ISM members are half-price (i.e. 25p per word, minimum £2.50). Name, address and contact details must be paid for if included. Box numbers £2 extra. Prices include VAT. A series of six or more identical insertions qualifies for 10% discount.

FRENCH HORNS, Several from £150 01747 828552 VARIOUS BRASS, WOODWIND AND STRINGED instruments for sale or to rent.

Tel: 07974 412269 STUDENT CELLOS, mostly German, various sizes, from £100. Tel. 07974 412269 BASSOONS several. 07974 412269

DOUBLE BASS PAESOLD concert model 590.

Excellent condition cost £3k plus in 1997, £895 ONO 01747 828552 MUSIC COPYING SERVICE. Quality printed music produced at reasonable prices.

For further details contact David Turner, computer-based music copyist, at 23 Overbrook, Hythe, Southampton SO45 5BE, Tel: 02380 848146, email: dfturner@ waitrose.com

SPINNET WITTMAYER (German) four octaves, C-D, light walnut. VGC needs tuning, hence £395 for a quick sale. Tel 07974 412269

ISM gift membership from just £15 Be instrumental in supporting your pupils’ or colleagues’ careers by giving the gift of ISM membership.

ISM membership makes the perfect gift for any studying musician or professional at the start of their career.

Student membership is just £15, or for recent graduates and those with 10 or fewer years’ experience, ISM early career membership is just £50.

Alternatively, for established music professionals with more than 10 years’ experience, you can help protect and enhance your colleagues’ careers with ISM full membership for just £181.

To order a gift membership, simply call 020 7221 3499, Monday – Friday, 9:30am – 5:30pm.

Find out more at ism.org/gift-membership

(Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown)

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS We welcome your brief news (max. 150 words for platinum and gold members, max. 100 words for silver members) and good photographs. Please email mj@ism.org. The next deadline for copy is 1 October 2020 for the November/December issue.

Complimentary access Yet to try Charanga? Visit our website to start a 30-day free trial. There’s no obligation to subscribe afterwards and we hope you enjoy it. charanga.com

For promoters who are new to livestreaming we’ve created a detailed guide and collected top tips from promoters who have tried it out.

Making Music members can find out more: makingmusic.org.uk/ resources

Charanga Teacher training In recent months, Charanga’s CPD & Training team has provided over 5,000 free webinar places to help teachers get the most from our music platform.

To book or find out about upcoming events, visit the CPD & Training section once you’ve logged in. You’ll find a series of videos, articles and webinar recordings there too.

Remote learning Teachers are increasingly adopting Yumu, our online learning space, to support students’ music education at home and outside the classroom.

Over 700,000 students are using Yumu today. You can set assignments containing your own favourite resources, exercises and pieces, or Charanga’s. You can also invite students to access a range of readymade Yumu Packages to help grow their interest in specific areas of learning or activity.

The Musicians’ Company Making Music

Throughout the past few months of the COVID-19 pandemic the Musicians’ Making Music promoter groups have Company has continued to run awards had to cancel their concerts due to for postgraduate musicians by holding the COVID-19 pandemic. We know auditions by video to ensure that those how disappointing this is for them, studying at conservatoires from the and that it’s crucial to keep engaging autumn have the necessary support. professional musicians while staying We also launched a new online concert connected with their audiences. series in June to offer support both Making Music is delighted to be financially and creatively to over offering promoters subsidies to enable 60 young musicians who are part of them to book artists and provide the Musicians’ Company Young Artists’ concerts in an alternative digital Programme. The #MiddayMusic Young format. With support from the Philip Artists online series premieres twice a and Dorothy Green Music Trust, we week on the charity’s YouTube channel have also made additional subsidies at Midday 12.00GMT (+1) on Mondays available for promoters who want and Wednesdays. to livestream our Philip and Dorothy youtube.com/ Green Young Artists. themusicianscompany and facebook.com/ TheMusiciansCompany/videos

Awards for Young Musicians

New resources In June we added nine resources to our ‘Music At Home’ series, complementing all existing, shareable content available on the platform.

They include ‘Encore!’ – a set of age-specific collections featuring three popular songs, two pieces of classical music and activities introducing students to a variety of musical concepts.

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In this way, we hope to be offering some support to professional musicians and ISM members who may not yet be able to rebuild their full professional engagement agenda due to performing restrictions.

Awards for Young Musicians (AYM) has named a record number of award winners;189 young musicians will join its 2020 awards programme, the highest number in its 22-year history.

The charity has received a record number of eligible applications this year.

Each young person will receive a means-tested grant of up to £2,000

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

to pay for key musical costs such as instruments, equipment, lessons and travel, plus support to cater for their individual circumstances.

The programme is designed to help young musicians from lower-income families in the UK. The news therefore comes at a poignant time, as the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the financial challenges faced by many families.

3,000 titles, the majority of which are contemporary and a good number of which are supplied by musicians and composers who are ISM members.

Here are a few recommendations:

required, the 27 lessons covering Key Stages 1, 2 & 3 also make excellent summer learning material!

•

EUROVOX 2020 ONLINE

recordings of four string quartets

by David Stoll

AOTOS

Eurovox may have been cancelled, but we moved online, where you can • chamber music by John Hearne in now view nine specially made video both hard copy and as downloads presentations by key speakers plus • recordings by Odaline de la Martinez a special video presentation from the The award winners represent a spectrum on her eponymous label, Lontano late Paul Deegan. We also decided to of genres and musical interests. make these available to everybody, • and an extensive catalogue of This year’s award winners range from organ and keyboard works edited regardless of whether you are a students of violin and piano through member or not. So why don’t you

by David K. Patrick. to the electric guitar and drums, to head over to our dedicated page?

You can easily search the tutti Irish bodhrán and Andean charango.

And look out for our live Q&A sessions AYM has also increased its support for catalogue by composer, publisher, title, over the summer. young people creating original music, instrument and genre at tutti.co.uk or aotos.org.uk/events/ from classical composers to electronic call us for help on 01760 441448. eurovox-2020-online/ music producers.

•

sheet music published by Novello

Hal Leonard Europe Hal Leonard Europe (HLE) has been working hard to assist music makers and teachers through the difficulties of the last few months. We were proud to provide the music to download for each of Gareth Malone’s Great British Home Chorus sessions, and have published a book as a memoir of the project, which includes five songs learnt by the chorus.

Many former Award winners have achieved great success in their musical careers, such as Jess Gillam who is now AYM’s youngest Patron, Julian Bliss, Sean Shibe, Gavin Higgins, Duncan Ward, Jennifer Pike and Martin James Bartlett.

Impulse Music Consultants As we grapple with the impact of COVID-19 on our working as well as our personal lives, other opportunities are opening up. Perhaps among these is the chance to explore new repertoire not only for our existing groups and ensembles, but to venture along avenues to other, smaller collaborations. Our sister company, tutti.co.uk, carries over

In June, HLE announced that it was once again supporting Youth Music by donating a portion of proceeds from selected products, during a difficult time for a charity whose work is more vital than ever.

In July, Musicroom launched thousands of titles available as downloads, including 48 pieces from the 20212022 ABRSM piano syllabus, available digitally for the first time, and distributed exclusively by HLE. To help customers during a time when access to local music shops was restricted, Musicroom put together a series of instrument method, theory and classroom teaching sample packs, allowing teachers and parents a closer look at materials before buying.

AUTUMN CONFERENCE: Freeing the confident performer 1 November 2020 (online) The programme for our online autumn conference will be entitled ‘Freeing the Confident Performer’ and looks at all aspects of performance anxiety and how to overcome this. Our speakers include Leontine Hass, principal of Associated Studios London Performing Academy, Linda Hirst, TrinityLaban, Theresa Shaw (University of Chichester) and Gary Leboff, originally a sports psychology coach, who has become renowned in the field of music for helping individuals under pressure deliver their best.

Above: Leontine Hass & Gary Leboff

Left: Harrison and Harry at the mixing desks on an AYM project (Photo taken prior to the COVID-19 lockdown)

aotos.org.uk/events/diary/event/ autumn-2020/ During these times, membership has proved to be a real boost for many singing teachers and our online platform for members buzzes every day with conversation. Between now and the end of the year you can become a member at a reduced rate.

This will give you access to some of our exciting programme of online events coming up in the autumn.

Do visit our website where you will And finally, July saw the end of a series of free lesson plans provided by find lots more information.

Rhinegold Education. Aimed at parents aotos.org.uk wanting to add music to their homelearning, and with no prior knowledge Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

A listing of all of our resources for piano examinations is available here: informance.biz/online-academy/ browse/performing/examinations.

ISM members are entitled to a further 30% off annual subscriptions (please visit mailchi.mp/informance/ismmember-offers for more information on ISM member discounts).

National Children’s Choir of Great Britain

Steinberg recently announced a huge 50% discount – for a limited time only – on Dorico Pro 3.5: their advanced music notation software. If you have a Sibelius or Finale licence and have been considering adding Dorico to your toolbox, now is the perfect time to do so as you will get Dorico Pro 3.5 for as little as £129.50! Dorico Pro is the most innovative desktop music notation software, with dozens of unique features not found in competing programs, such as automatic condensed conductor’s scores, smart cues, DTPstyle page layout, integrated MIDI editors and many more. Besides its unique features, Dorico is very easy to learn and has a vibrant community of fellow professionals, and direct access to the people who are building the software: members of the Dorico development team are active daily in the online forum to answer questions and listen to feature suggestions.

Not only that, Dorico Pro – unlike Sibelius – is available without a subscription: you can get Dorico Pro 3.5 today and keep it forever! The offer ends on 17 September.

Guildhall School of Music & Drama

All auditions will be held online. Dates are available in October, November, and December.

Guildhall School of Music & Drama has been placed sixth in the world for performing arts in the QS World University Rankings 2020; the QS Rankings are based upon academic reputation, employer reputation and research impact. Guildhall School also ranked in the top 10 universities in the UK for overall student satisfaction in this year’s National Student Survey, with graduating students giving a 90% overall satisfaction rate for their time spent at the School.

We work to enhance our young singers’ experience, placing great importance on holistic care. Our choir is given the opportunity to develop musically outside their usual singing environment, whilst also having fun and making new friends, in a supportive atmosphere that focuses on the individual and their wellbeing.

For more information about this offer visit:

This summer, 100 artists across 14 countries staged Guildhall School’s digital opera double bill, with all components of the productions created from home and showcased in a 3D virtual Silk Street Theatre.

A 20th-century reimagining of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas was contrasted with Respighi’s La bella dormente nel bosco, and from home, the opera’s cast and chorus captured and filmed their own performances, and Guildhall School instrumentalists recorded their parts for a multitrack recording of the orchestral scores.

The ‘ground-breaking’ (Opera magazine) productions were also streamed free online.

Steinberg

Right: Dora Stoutzker Hall Photo: Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

new.steinberg.net/promotion/ dorico-crossgrade/

Practising the Piano Practising the Piano has embarked upon an ambitious project to publish an extensive collection of resources and guides for the new piano examination syllabi. Starting with video-walkthroughs by Graham Fitch of repertoire highlights for all grades of the new ABRSM piano syllabus, the collection will ultimately expand to include other examination boards, scales and arpeggios and general information on preparing for exams.

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Congratulations to composers Jonathan Woolgar, a doctoral researcher at Guildhall, and alumna and staff member Sylvia Lim, two of the seven artists joining the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Composers for 2020-21. Each composer receives a commission from the RPS and a performance with a British ensemble, venue or festival, plus support from the Society to ensure they can secure future commissions and performances of their own.

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Booking is now open for auditions to join the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain (NCCGB) in 2021. We welcome applications from anyone who is aged 19 and under and who loves to sing.

For further details please visit our website: nccgb.com/joining-us/

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) is extending and enhancing its partnership with Steinway & Sons.

Building on its current agreement, a further 24 Steinway pianos will create a world-leading All Steinway fleet of pianos, making it the first ‘SteinwayExclusive Conservatoire’ in Europe.

This partnership enables new creative thinking in all areas of RWCMD’s music offer, confirming the college’s ever-increasing commitment to opportunity, accessibility and excellence in music education, endorsed and supported by Steinway and the Mosawi Foundation.

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Head of Music Performance Kevin Price explains: ‘Inclusive musical experiences support our mission to evolve a young artistic community dedicated to training not only young musicians, but also future-focused practitioners in music and drama who can deliver creative excellence and immersive education, supported by a sense of community.

The institutional purpose behind our work is creative excellence and immersive educational experiences which lead on to regular coaching, and opportunities. Sustainability is achieved through collaborative partnership between our Music and Drama departments, creating a replicable model, which brings opportunities for student involvement and feeds into course development and engagement with Music Services and educational partners.’

Technology in Music Education UK Technology in Music Education UK (TiME) is an alliance of music industry organisations, educators and practitioners. We are dedicated to ensuring that the great potential of music technology and production is realised in education. Through our work we promote inclusivity, broaden access, and offer a range of support services to music hubs and for teachers working in formal and informal music education settings. Our network brings together practitioners to share and celebrate good practice in music education. To find out more, discover our extensive collection of resources, and to join our network please visit us at techmusiced.org.uk or email info@techmusiced.org.uk

aims to give new life to the sounds of early medieval languages, including now extinct Early Irish and Old Norse.

The team, in collaboration with the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at the University of Cambridge and three European contemporary music ensembles, will apply powerful new vocal processing and live electronic music technology to develop new insights into the languages by reanimating surviving texts – before weaving sounds into new compositions for performance.

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) in England, Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble in Northern Ireland, and BIT20 Ensemble in Norway are also partner organisations for the project, which has just been awarded £485,274 in funding by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

The team will produce a digital audio database and sample library; vocal processing and live electronics software; two musical compositions for one or more voices, ensemble and live electronics, public concerts, conference presentations and workshops in the UK, Ireland and Norway. bcu.ac.uk

Trinity College London

Trinity College London launched its Piano Syllabus 2021-23 on 4 August.

With more repertoire than ever before Music and historic linguistics experts and featuring brand new pieces from at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire winners of our Young Composer’s (RBC), which is part of Birmingham Competition, this marks a major City University, are to lead a pioneering development in our Piano provision. research project looking at the sonic It includes 35 pieces per grade, a range footprints of Viking and Celtic people. of international composers and a Augmented Vocality: Recomposing selection of popular pieces from the the Sounds of Early Irish and Old Norse 2018-2020 syllabus.

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Candidates can personalise their exam – with the option of performing their own original composition, a duet at grades Initial to 3, and their own choice of supporting tests.

Trinity is proud to be featuring the compositions of nine young international composers, one at each grade, throughout the syllabus.

To celebrate these remarkable new pieces, Trinity will be inviting pianists to download a free book of three of these compositions and sharing videos of performances from all over the world under the hashtag #TrinityPlayItForward.

More information can be found at trinitycollege.com/play-it-forward.

Left: Page from Flateyjarbók in Old Norse Photo: Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

More information about the books and syllabus can be found at trinitycollege.com/piano. If you’d like to receive copies for review please contact marcus.twitchin@ trinitycollege.co.uk.

Collins Music Collins Music is delighted to announce the latest release in the successful How to teach … series.

How to teach Whole-class instrumental lessons presents 50 diverse ideas for teachers of every instrument. The ideas are concise and easy to implement and tackle everything from repertoire, pedagogy and assessment to instrument maintenance, safeguarding and classroom management. Whether you’re new to teaching or a seasoned practitioner, this practical handbook offers fresh and varied ways to invigorate lessons with any group.

Available from the beginning of October, How to teach Whole-class instrumental lessons is available to pre-order now. How to teach Primary Music, How to teach Secondary Music and How to teach Instrumental and Singing Lessons are out now!

Browse the full range online at collins.co.uk/music and follow us on Twitter for more music updates and free resources @CollinsMusicEd.

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Make musical connections with Member Connect Have you set up your profile on Member Connect? This is an online service for ISM members who wish to connect with other members of our community in a safe and secure way.

You can search for other members using a wide range of options including location, musical profession, genre and instrument.

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It’s quick and easy to set up Direct Debit payments with us.

Simply login at ism.org/direct-debit, call us on 020 7221 3499 or email membership@ism.org

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combination of listening to an eclectic record collection which my parents owned, that afforded the opportunity to hear music by JS Bach, Handel and Grieg, as well as Gospel music with blues influences, and Psalms orated by the late Theodore Bikel with orchestral accompaniment, to name a few. My late mother supervised my practice sessions at the piano to begin Composer, performer and educator with, while my father taught me to read music, along with taking us to hear live Tell us a little about yourself.

I have an eclectic interest in creativity and music, such as Handel’s Messiah. During primary school, I remember being taken as a result have maintained a portfolio career, as a performing musician, who has to hear solo recitals at Leeds Art Gallery, and afterwards being a part of a select been known to perform on BBC Radio 3’s group who went backstage to meet the In Tune, or as a composer, responding to artist. High School years presented plenty commissions plus having my score Elegy of opportunities to develop as a pianist performed on tour across the USA by the Sphinx Virtuosi. I also write for publication, and flautist and join in with extra-curricular and have recently contributed an essay to a music and drama activities. I recall hearing book published by Serendipity UK entitled the Lindsay String Quartet and the pianist Reflections: Cultural Voices of Black British Radu Lupu, among others, and there was an opportunity to discuss the workings Irrepressible Resilience. This year, in of Opera North when Lord Harwood was January, I enjoyed the privilege of Elegy being released on the Chineke! orchestra’s invited to a sixth form society meeting. I was able to look inside the grand piano album Spark Catchers, among the wonderful pieces by fellow composers on as Mr Lupton delivered a fiery account of Chopin’s Revolutionary Study during a this new recording on the NMC Recording music lesson. These were inspirational Label. I have also contributed to a BBC Radio 4 programme presented by the jazz chapters, before more formal study of music education at King Alfred’s College, pianist/composer Julian Joseph called Winchester, (now known as University of The Trumpet Shall Sound, which explored Winchester), gaining piano performing and the contribution black composers have teaching diplomas from the Royal College made to classical music across a historical of Music and Royal Academy of Music timeline. Earlier this year, I was invited as a visiting lecturer to deliver a workshop, at respectively, and later postgraduate study Norwich University of the Arts, for students at Andrews University, Michigan, USA. on the MA in Music for Moving Image.

What would you say is your greatest achievement to date?

The rapid unravelling of events in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic is having I enjoyed working on a project called a huge impact on the livelihoods of Ballare: To Dance that was commissioned musicians. Consequently, there are a for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad number of projects that have had to be in the East Midlands. It was a great suspended, as well as some that will be opportunity to explore the impact of completed in the near future, as safer the universal power of music, that was ways of working are developed. One of ultimately enjoyed by a very culturally those projects is contributing a number of diverse audience in Leeds, Nottingham pieces to an album of production music and Leicester. The project took the for EMI, Sparkle and Burn. Recently, I have audience on a musical journey across the been invited to write a piece for BBC Radio African diaspora, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, 3’s Composer Postcards.

Spain and India, through sound worlds that are associated with these countries.

Who (or what) has most influenced you Within this project, I wrote two new and your career? works, including a suite for solo steel pan I’d say it is the impact of personalities and strings and a piece called Mantra for within my environment. It’s also a an Athlete.

Philip Herbert. Photo: Michael Stockton

Ask me a question Philip Herbert

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Who is your all-time favourite artist and why?

Wynton Marsalis is one of my favourite artists, because of his eclectic interest in a variety of musical genres, including classical music and jazz. His passion and concern that music education is available for the next generation is also an impressive credential. Whatever he embraces, he always delivers to a very high level, and when he performs, he enjoys it and makes it appear to be done so effortlessly.

What was the last CD or music download that you purchased?

Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s performance of Après un rêve by Gabriel Fauré.

What are your plans for the future?

To deliver the composition projects that it is within my power to complete. Wait and see how government guidelines impact decisions for safer working practices for work that I have completed which needs to be recorded.

Finally, what is your ISM membership to you?

My ISM membership provides me with support, is inclusive in outlook, gives guidance, and provides me with up-todate information on practical matters from experts in relevant fields, relating to being a musician in the 21st century. philipherbert.org

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