Music Journal - January/February 2022

ISM Trust conference: Where to next for music education?

January/February 2022 ISM Trust asks: Where to next for music education?

Helping Afghanistan through the power of music Music for Youth reinvents its programme for a 2021 Remix Prom

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

Welcome Happy New Year! We are all keeping our fingers crossed that 2022 will be a more settled year than the last one, although due to announcements from the government from mid-December 2021 onwards, things are not at all clear.

Keep your eye on the ISM website (ism.org) for up to date briefings on COVID19 and its impact on both work and travel into the European Union (EU).

Above: Deborah Annetts Photo: Emile Holba

Front Cover Panelists from the ISM Trust music education conference Photo of Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason: Jake Turney See feature on pages 12-15 Insert images: Photo: Courtesy Concert for Afghanistan See feature on pages 22-25 MFY Remix Prom

At the ISM we remain totally committed to providing you with the very best level of service and support which we can possibly deliver. In November, we held our first in-person AGM since April 2019 and it was wonderful to see members face to face again. As ever, your feedback in the Open Forum section of the meeting was incredibly helpful, with questions ranging from music education and the government’s policy in this field, to Brexit and immigration.

Social prescribing was also covered, something which we will be picking up through the ISM Trust’s professional development. To read more about the AGM see page 11.

At the end of November, we held our first free, online, ISM Trust music education conference – Where to next for music education? It began with a keynote speech by Mark Phillips, Ofsted’s National Lead for Music, followed by four panel discussions exploring everything from priorities for early years to what we can learn from the devolved nations, and your legal rights as music teachers. We were amazed by how many people attended, 477 in all, and the panel on music education in England was particularly lively. The contributions came like a torrent; they highlighted the many adverse consequences of the EBacc and Progress 8, and there was much concern about the Department of Education’s current position not to consult with music teachers on the refreshed National Plan for Music Education. Concerns were also raised around funding, zero-hour contracts, the devaluing of music education and academisation. The picture seems very different in the devolved nations. To read more about the thought-provoking and insightful conference see page 12.

The conference will feed into the research we are currently undertaking on music education and we will also be vigorously lobbying for full consultation with music teachers on the refreshed plan.

As it has now been over a year since the UK left the European Union, in this issue we look at the reality of Brexit for those working there. Do please take part in our survey on the impact of Brexit, which will form the basis of our sixth Brexit report. You can find out more on page 8.

By the time you receive this copy of MJ we will have said goodbye to 2021 and welcomed in 2022. Whatever the future holds, as the ISM enters its 140th year, we will be here for you no matter what. And hopefully we will see more of you face to face or virtually as the year unfolds. So very best of luck from all the ISM team and happy music making.

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News & campaigns Brexit reality Legal & business ISM AGM 2021 Report ISM Trust music education conference Music and Drama Education Expo 2021 Professional development NMC Recordings digital hub Concert for Afghanistan Music for Youth Remix Prom 2021 News from our members Classified advertising News from our corporate members Ask me a question

Volume 88 / Number 5 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 All ISM publications are copyright

Design: cogdesign.com Typography: marcmarazzi.com Advertising: Ruth McPherson, Senior Business Development & Events Manager T. 020 7313 9316 E. Ruth.McPherson@ism.org Editorial and advertising copy date: 28 January 2022 for March/April 2022 issue Price: £7 per copy Subscription: £35 per year ISM membership: almost 11,000 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.

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ISSN 0951 5135

See feature on pages 26-29

deborah@ism.org

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

News & campaigns

Music Education

See page 12 to read about our music education conference

Science would help maintain the broad and balanced curriculum until the end of Key Stage 4 and allow pupils more flexibility in their subject choices, in order Ahead of the release of the refreshed National Plan for Music Education (NPME), which is expected in early to reflect their interests, talents and future plans more 2022, we continue to campaign for every child to have effectively. access to high quality music education.

We also continue to support visiting music teachers (VMTs) and peris in the workplace. During a panel discussion on ‘Priorities for the music education workforce – managing workload, recruitment and retention, and the likely impact of initial teacher In October Annetts delivered a keynote address on ‘Supporting Creative Subjects in the School Curriculum’ training (ITT) reform’, Annetts discussed the treatment to the Delivering Excellence in Teaching Arts in Schools of peris and VMTs in schools.

In the speech Annetts said the music workforce need conference. The speech set out a new template for to feel more valued both by government and by the future education policy; it was the first major policy schools in which they teach. She also highlighted contribution from the ISM since the appointments of workload issues across the sector and employment Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi, and status, with zero-hours contracts increasingly normal Schools Minister, Robin Walker. for VMTs and Peris.

Speaking to an audience of teachers and senior ISM’s chief executive, Deborah Annetts, has made significant interventions on music education policy and practices in recent months.

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leaders, Annetts highlighted the failings of the EBacc, called on government to reform accountability measures, and spoke of the importance of wellbeing in holistic education.

Read the full speech on delivering excellence: ism.org/news/full-text-of-deborah-annettsdelivering-excellence-in-teaching-arts-in-schoolskeynote-speech

Suggested reforms included moving from Progress 8 to Progress 5. Reducing the number of subjects included in the measure to Maths, English and

Read the full speech about VMTs and peris: ism.org/news/deborah-annetts-speechwestminster-education-forum

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

Bursary scheme disappointment for Music The Department for Education (DfE) has reinstated bursary schemes for teacher trainees to boost recruitment following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision has been described as a U-turn and comes less than a year after the announcement that all bursaries would either be reduced or scrapped.

The government has published full details of the support schemes available, and disappointingly music is not a subject that has a bursary, which has led to the ISM calling for a change of thinking from the DfE, and we have written to the Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi to express our disappointment.

Read more: ism.org/news/ disappointment-with-music-exclusion We are also extremely concerned to learn that the Turing student exchange scheme, which in 2020 replaced the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union’s Erasmus student exchange scheme, will not be managed by the British Council but by Capita.

By losing the British Council’s expertise we fear that the quality of the scheme will diminish, particularly with Capita, as seen by their poor track record of handling government contracts. We will make our concerns known to the DfE and you can check our website (ism.org) for further updates on this.

COVID-19

Brexit The ISM continues to campaign on Brexit-related issues on behalf of musicians. We regularly meet politicians and government officials to highlight the disastrous consequences of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) for musicians, restricting their ability to tour in Europe.

While we believe that announcements on ‘visa-free short-term’ from DCMS have been misleading, we are pleased that campaigning efforts regarding Spain have paid off and UK-based artists will now be able to tour the country with more freedom.

Keep up to date with the latest visa information with our guide: ism.org/visa-guide-europe

The COVID-19 crisis has been devastating for the music industry. However, since the summer we have seen an improvement in the sector as live performance has steadily returned.

The Treasury-backed insurance scheme is deeply flawed. It does not cover the host of cancellations which are currently taking place because of COVID-19.

We also now understand that the rules are changing with regard to both mask wearing in venues and the introduction of vaccine passports in certain circumstances. This is a fluid situation, so please monitor the ISM (ism.org) for updates.

We have also been campaigning for targeted support for musicians following the ending of the furlough and SEISS support. This was a key part of the ISM’s submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review ahead of Budget 2021, alongside proposals for music education and Brexit.

Read the treasury submission in full: ism.org/news/ ism-submits-response-to-the-spending-review Find out more about where the reinsurance scheme could be expanded: ism.org/news/ism-respondsto-treasury-backed-reinsurance-scheme

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

Alongside other organisations with an interest in touring, the ISM has sent a joint letter to new Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Minister Julia Lopez MP, expressing disappointment with her department’s October announcement which claimed that visa-free short-term touring was now allowed in 20 member states following Brexit.

Read the letter in full: ism.org/news/ism-giveevidence-to-the-european-affairs-committee-onthe-impact-of-brexit

We believe the announcement gives a misleading impression to the creative industries that rely on work in Europe, as it implies that musicians (and other creative professionals) touring in those 20 member states will be permitted to work visa-free for up to 90 days.

We are committed to working with industry stakeholders to find an equitable, sustainable and transparent model for the licensing and distribution of royalties that is suitable for the streaming era.

At the beginning of December, Kevin Brennan MP’s Private Members’ Bill on the rights and remuneration of musicians reached the House of Commons.

The Bill proposed changes to the Copyright Act 1988 to reform the music streaming economy to ensure fair rights and pay for artists and called for equitable remuneration to protect performers pay generated from streaming income. The Bill did not receive backing from the government, but we were encouraged by the government’s response during the debate, and are pleased by the actions that it will now take to address some of the issues impacting musicians’ rights and remuneration through streaming.

Read the letter in full: ism.org/news/ organisations-write-joint-letter-to-dcms-minster See page 8 to read more about the reality of Brexit

House of Lords European Affairs Committee writes to government following ISM evidence session Following ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts’ evidence to the House of Lords European Affairs Committee on the devastating impact of Brexit for UK musicians, the committee has written to the government seeking clarification on the issues raised by us.

Annetts set out why it is critical that the government and European Union (EU) negotiate a bespoke Visa Waiver Agreement for the creative industries.

This could allow musicians to tour in the EU without a visa for up to 90 days in a period of 180.

In the letter, the committee questions the government’s engagement and co-ordination on touring matters, visas and work permits, transport and inbound artists from the EU.

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Streaming

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

George Freeman, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Science, Research and Innovation), said: ‘we will be looking not only at the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) specific remit on competition, markets and anti-competitive practices, but more broadly at the value chain. We need to make sure that there is a proper ecosystem; not everyone will be able to get equal remuneration, but we want to make sure that the market is working and is fair.’

Their first step is to gather evidence (both in the UK and internationally) and they have commissioned research into a number of measures from the CMA and the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), and are liaising with industry stakeholders. Their aim is to consider the evidence in spring 2022 and then think of a suitable solution. ‘That will include consideration of measures on all the elements in the Bill: equitable remuneration, contract adjustment and the right to recapture works, as well as other possible market interventions.‘ The announcement from the government earlier this year of a market study, conducted by the CMA, into streaming was extremely welcome, as is their study into how other markets around the world are working, which includes independent advice from academics at the universities of Leeds, Middlesex and Ulster commissioned by the IPO, and will also form part of the government’s evidence.

We have been calling on government to introduce robust and far-reaching protections for the freelance music workforce, who often fall outside the scope of legislative protections at work. In particular, we are asking the government to review the Equality Act 2010 to protect musicians in vulnerable settings and introduce protections to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.

In September, we wrote to the Minister for Women and Equalities and asked Government to offer further protections to those who report sexual harassment from victimisation and harm to their career thereafter, and detail new plans to introduce a preventative duty on employers.

In November, we welcomed the updated 10 principles for safe and inclusive theatre industry as part of our commitment to work towards a safe and inclusive music industry for all.

Read the 10 principles for a safe and inclusive theatre industry ism.org/news/ism-10-principles-for-safeand-inclusive-theatre-industry See page 22 to read about the concert for Afghanistan

We are also pleased that the government has committed to convening a music industry stakeholder group and we will continue to champion the government to improve the streaming rights and remuneration of artists and musicians. For further updates on this topic visit our website at ism.org

Equality, diversity, and inclusion The ISM continues to work towards a safe and welcoming music industry for all. We know that more can be done to promote equality of opportunity in the music industry, to celebrate and platform diversity in the sector, and ensure that we contribute to reducing the barriers to access that continue to prevent many from entering the music community.

Recommend ISM membership to a friend The support of your professional body is more essential than ever. You can help to grow the ISM community by encouraging your friends and colleagues to join.

We’ll also give you money off your next year’s membership fee every time someone you recommend joins us at the full or early career rate – £20 off if you are a full rate member, or £10 off if you are an early career rate member.

If they join at the full rate, we’ll give them £10 off their membership fee too.

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.

Find out more at ism.org/recommend

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See our digital guide, which provides an overview of the different requirements for entry visas and short-stay work permits for the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) together with Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland at: ism.org/advice/european-visa-guide

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | BREXIT REALITY

Brexit reality Why the ISM is campaigning and what you can do to help

See News & Campaigns to read more about our campaigning work on Brexit, and the next feature to learn more about CITES

It has now been over a year since the UK left the European Union (EU) but as the focus of the last two years has been on the coronavirus pandemic, much of the reality of Brexit and its impact on musicians has been overlooked.

Since the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) came into force in order for UK musicians to work in the EU, they have faced additional financial and administrative burdens, mainly because member states now treat UK citizens as ‘visa nationals’ when entering for paid work, hence musicians often require a visa, a work permit or both. For example, if a UK musician wished to perform in Belgium, some of the financial costs that they now face include: • visa and a professional card (cost: £320 plus €90) • medical certificate completed by an approved doctor (cost: from £125 - £325) • ACRO police certification (cost: £55-£95) • €363 Ministry contribution.

This doesn’t take into account the administrative burden involved in this process or the challenges around CITES, carnets and cabotage, which musicians may also have to deal with.

Despite this, there have been misleading statements from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the 4 August and again on 12 October. On both occasions, the ISM wrote to the government as part of the Touring Group to highlight this issue. The DCMS statement implied that musicians (and other creative professionals) would be permitted to work visa-free for up to 90 days in 19 member states, as existing short-stay visa-waivers between the EU and third countries are commonly 90 days within a 180-day period, but this wasn’t the case with many of the countries that were listed and without explicitly outlining the exact limitations, confusion could be caused.

As data from UK Music shows, music generates £5.8 billion for the UK economy per annum, brings in £2.9 billion in export revenue and sustains almost 200,000 jobs. And international touring represents an essential part of the music industry’s activity, with 44% of musicians earning up to half their income in the EU pre-pandemic. In addition to this there is the

impact on UK talent; for example the UK has only five fully contracted opera houses, compared with 83 in Germany (200 in Europe) and Europe has over 300 full-time symphony orchestras (140 in Germany), Britain has just 15. Working in the EU is vital to build reputations and careers, particularly for classical musicians and opera singers.

Despite the importance of working in the EU to UK musicians, the failure of the TCA to provide for them adequately has led to the loss of work. Our joint report with the Musicians’ Union, Professional paralysed, published in March 2020, reveals individual case studies of musicians’ struggles and our research also shows that 94% of music businesses say the TCA has had a negative or very negative impact, while 79% of businesses were concerned or very concerned about their future over the next 12/24 months, and 37% of music businesses have considered moving some or all of their operations to the EU. Our solution is a UK-EU Visa Waiver Agreement; Eurostar to become a designated port; the government to explore a cultural exemption for ATA Carnets in relation to non-portable instruments and equipment; and the government to work with the EU to secure an exemption from cabotage restrictions for the creative and cultural sector. We are lobbying the government for these changes and you can help.

As part of our work we are currently undertaking research regarding the impact Brexit is currently having on musicians, as well as its impact over the last 12 months. This research will play an important role in our upcoming sixth Brexit report and will also mean that we are better informed about the issues facing musicians when we have meetings with government officials and politicians. If more people take part in the survey, we can represent the sector better, so please take a few minutes to fill it out and share it with any other professional musicians surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HJ989KK

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | LEGAL & BUSINESS

Applying for a CITES permit or certificate Since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, if you wish to work abroad you may require a CITES permit or certificate.

Anna Wynne, ISM’s Advice & Information Officer provides you with a summary of the requirements

Above: Anna Wynne Photo: Yvonne Thompson

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in the country you are travelling to by contacting The Convention on International Trade in Endangered the CITES authority in that country.

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known as CITES, is an international agreement between governments which 2. The form itself. For a musical instrument certificate aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of when travelling with a single instrument, you wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival can use the FED0172 certificate. We also provide a of the species. completed sample form for you to refer to when completing your own application.

Since the UK’s departure from the European Union (EU), if you move an instrument containing a species 3. Where to send your application. Applications can protected by CITES between Great Britain (England, be sent by post or email and the application should Scotland and Wales) and the EU, and Great Britain and be processed within 15 working days.

Northern Ireland, then you will have to comply with If your application is accepted, you will receive a this agreement. So, if you travel to the EU to perform printed, signed and stamped permit or certificate in at a festival or are part of an orchestra that plans to the post. If not, you will be sent a letter explaining why tour the EU you will need to apply for a CITES permit or it has been refused. certificate.

If you do not have a valid CITES permit or certificate you As we move on beyond the coronavirus pandemic could face a fine or even a prison sentence. and start to work in Europe, to help you apply for Further information about applying for a CITES permit your CITES permit we have an advice page and or certificate can be obtained from gov.uk/guidance/ sample form on our website: ism.org/advice/ apply-for-cites-permits-and-certificates-to-tradeapplying-for-a-cites-permit-or-certificate endangered-species and if you require any further Within our advice page we look at: assistance, please contact our legal department at 1. What you must check before applying. This includes legal@ism.org where our team will be happy to help. checking the correct scientific name for the relevant species contained in your instrument, for example, one of the scientific names for ivory is Elephas maximus; and what the requirements are

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | ISM AGM 2021

ISM AGM 2021 Report Megan Hand, ISM’s Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive & Project Coordinator, provides an overview of our AGM 2021 The ISM held its first in-person event since April 2019, our reconvened Annual General Meeting, on Saturday 13 November at the Royal Over-Seas League in London.

After having to postpone the virtual AGM in April 2021 due to the government not extending its regulations enabling AGMs to be held online, we were so pleased to be able to hold a face-to-face event.

After what we can all agree has been an unprecedented and difficult 20 months since March 2020, the event felt like a poignant moment and a symbol of the resilience shown by music professionals and those working to support them.

Above: Megan Hand Photo: Emile Holba

In her opening speech Deborah Annetts thanked members, the Board and ISM staff for the incredible resilience that they have shown. She said she was moved by so many members choosing to put their faith in the ISM during such turbulent times, and that the ISM would continue working on behalf of its members to repay the faith they have had in the organisation.

The formal minutes of the AGM will be available in the March/April 2022 edition of Music Journal. A full recording of the proceedings can be found on the ISM website at ism.org/videos/ism-agm.

The Open Forum saw members voice their concerns in connection with both music education in England and the impact of Brexit on the music profession, areas in which the ISM is continuing to lobby and campaign. Concerns were also raised by younger members about the restrictions imposed on them because they held a student visa. As a followup action, the ISM is going to be increasing the advice around immigration provisions, since this is clearly President Deborah Keyser opened the AGM with a warm welcome and asked for two minutes of silence another matter for concern.

Thank you to all members and the Board who to remember those members who had passed away attended the AGM. It was wonderful to see so many in the last year.

The formal business of the AGM itself ran smoothly new and familiar faces and we look forward to welcoming you to the next event soon. and all resolutions passed unanimously on the We were joined on the day by 25 ISM members, the ISM Board and staff for a lovely day of reconnecting and networking. It was wonderful to see ISM members looking well and in good spirits; the joy of seeing people in person again was almost palpable.

Attendees were treated to fantastic music from harpist Alis Huws, ISM member and official harpist to HRH Prince of Wales during the lunch reception.

agenda. We heard updates on the ISM, the ISM Trust and the ISM Members Fund from Chief Executive Deborah Annetts and an update on the ISM accounts from Treasurer Ivor Flint.

Right: Chris Collins, Deborah Annetts and Deborah Keyser, during our Open Forum at the AGM, held in November, prior to the changes to COVID-19 regulations in December 2021 Photos: Kris Brown

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | ISM TRUST MUSIC EDUCATION CONFERENCE

ISM Trust conference: Where to next for music education?

Music educators from across the UK came together in November 2021 for the ISM Group’s third digital conference since the start of the pandemic. Senior Business Development & Events Manager Ruth McPherson reflects on a stimulating and insightful event

Above: Ruth McPherson Photo: Emile Holba

On a wintery Saturday in November, over 450 music educators made the sensible decision to avoid the wild weather and instead join the ISM Trust for a free online conference. It took place at the end of yet another year of pandemic disruption, and against a backdrop of impassioned debate about what the education system should be seeking to deliver, as a new team settles into the Department for Education (DfE). This was a truly national gathering, with speakers and attendees from across the four UK nations meeting to examine the opportunities and challenges that the music education sector faces, as we go forward into 2022.

ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts opened the day with an informative overview of UK music education, and covered major issues including the decline of music education in schools and the impact of accountability measures such as the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and Progress 8. She asked the government to consider the reform of Progress 8 with the introduction of ‘Progress 5’ which would allow pupils more flexibility. She said: ‘arts education should be supported, not restricted … We must allow pupils more flexibility in their subject choices to better reflect their interests, talents and future plans.’

This rallying cry was followed by an equally stimulating keynote speech from Mark Phillips, Ofsted’s National Lead for Music, who advocated better quality music education, more ‘musical’ teachers, and more supportive school leaders.

He implored delegates ‘to take back control of music in the classroom’, saying that ‘simply having music on the timetable is not enough. We need to make that time worthwhile.’

There was a recurring theme throughout the day that music teachers were feeling unsupported and undervalued, and this was certainly apparent in the first panel session, which focused on the priorities for early years (EY) music. The expert speakers explained that EY music education in the UK has suffered from a chronic lack of funding and called for ‘real structural change’. Dr Susan Young said, ‘The evidence (for the benefits of EY music education) is there. More than 50 years of it, but it doesn’t convince, it doesn’t change policy and we need to understand the reasons why.

Why is EY music not higher on the agenda?’

Left (clockwise from top left): Mark Phillips, Kadiatu KannehMason (Photo: Jake Turney), John Wallace, Jenetta Hurst

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | ISM TRUST MUSIC EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Responses from ISM members who attended ‘Fantastic keynote speech delivered. Really informative and helpful for the work I am doing with trainee music teachers – thank you!’

‘Great to be at #UKMusicEd conference today. Taking away lots of ideas for supporting nonspecialists. Love the emphasis on learning from (early years) practitioners who know the children so well and how music can be rooted in all areas of learning.’

Researcher Dr Jessica Pitt emphasised the need for all young children to have access to quality music education from birth, while music teacher Katie Neilson said that children are ‘innately musical’, and that there is a need for better collaboration between specialist and non-specialist EY music practitioners.

Animateur Aimee Toshney described the ‘postcode lottery’ of EY music provision across the country, and Professor Nate Holder talked about a need to create more diverse and inclusive spaces for children to learn in, in order to enable them to thrive.

We then moved on to focus on the state of music education in England. The session was contextualized

by Carl Ward and the direction of travel for education policy, generally in England. As you will be aware the DfE over the last few years has been focusing on the EBacc together with Progress 8 and the concept of a knowledge-rich curriculum. With the continued policy on academising, schools no longer have to follow the national curriculum and this together with the accountability measures and funding issues has seen the erosion of music in our maintained schools.

Jenetta Hurst spoke powerfully about the challenges of music in schools in this setting. And, as Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason put it, ‘We need to reinstate our respect for creative intelligence’. Phil Castang, who is a

This page (from left): Rhian Hutchings, Fiona Gormley, Carl Ward, Vanessa Stansall

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member of the expert panel for the refreshed National Plan for Music Education set out his aspirations for the refreshed plan. However, as the discussion continued it became clear that at present the government does not intend to consult with music teachers about the new plan. Furthermore, those on the expert panel have been required to sign non-disclosure agreements, and such secrecy around a plan which affects so many is a matter of concern. Music teachers should have the opportunity to feed back on the new National Plan for Music Education, as they will be the ones to deliver it. We also heard about the importance of a well-trained workforce. A vibrant music education properly funded by government should be part of every child’s education. If this is possible in the devolved nations then why not in England?

We then looked at recent successes in Scotland and Wales, and what we can learn from them. John Wallace CBE, who had just received the Queen’s Medal for Music, said that ‘despite the pandemic, we’re in a better place in Scotland then we have been for many years’. He described how Scottish campaigners managed to achieve free instrumental tuition through ‘dogged determination’, plus the added benefit of a First Minster who played the saxophone!

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | ISM TRUST MUSIC EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Responses from ISM members who attended ‘Many thanks everyone.

Excellent points and gives me some hope for a better future for music in schools. Something well worth fighting for.’

‘Hugely enjoyed being a part of this discussion … Let’s continue to put our children and young people at the heart of the work we do.’

Member of the Senedd, Rhianon Passmore explained that there has also been positive news in Wales, with a national service for music in development, plus a new curriculum for the expressive arts. Music teacher Fiona Gormley said that the picture was not so rosy in Northern Ireland, where ‘the sense of musical culture is incredible, but we need our SLTs to remember that music departments are not just there to be wheeled out for concerts – music needs to be valued, and central to learning’.

The final session of the day came from the ISM’s legal team, who gave a very informative presentation on rights for music teachers. They talked about some of the most common concerns ISM members enquire about, including employment status, contracts, discrimination, health and safety, and fair pay, and explained the importance of our recent landmark holiday pay case, Brazel v the Harpur Trust. The common thread throughout their presentation was the increasing casualisation of the music workforce, as working conditions become increasingly precarious within music education.

education workforce, and by thanking attendees and music teachers everywhere. She said, ‘The ISM has been standing by music teachers since 1882, and we will continue to do so. You are all incredibly important – you are the backbone of music in this country.’

‘Terrific #UKMusicEd conference by (the ISM Trust) today – and great to see such strong representation from Wales on the panel, exploring success in the devolved nations.’

Catch up with the sessions and access related blogs, resources and reports at ism.org/conference See the next feature to read about our attendance at the Music and Drama Expo and page 26 to read about Music for Youth Remix Prom 2021

Deborah Annetts concluded the conference by calling for better terms and conditions for the music

This page (from left): Aimee Toshney, Kate Picken MBE, Nate Holder, Susan Young

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | MDEE2021

Music and Drama Education Expo 2021 After a short absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, September 2021 saw the return of the Music and Drama Expo. Vinota Karunasaagarar, ISM’s Creative Content Publications Manager, explores the highlights of the event Last September saw the return of the annual Music and Drama Education Expo (MDEE), now in its ninth year, and the ISM’s first face-to-face event since the coronavirus pandemic. A lot had changed since the previous Expo in March 2020, held just before the first government lockdown to curb the spread of COVID19, and while at the previous EXPO there were signs requesting attendees to not shake hands and to use hand sanitizers there was nothing to foreshadow what the next few months would hold.

Above: Vinota Karunasaagarar

In the year that followed March 2020, the move to hosting online proved to be a valuable alternative to face-to-face events and became a much-needed way for the ISM to connect with the music sector and our members; but it was good to be back in person for a live event with live performances.

‘For those who spend their working lives in oneor two-person departments, or travelling solo between schools or houses to deliver instrumental lessons, the Expo is a much-needed opportunity to talk to others in the same boat, ask questions, gain advice, and make lasting connections,’ notes Harriet Clifford, editor of Music Teacher magazine, whose publisher the Mark Allen Group runs the MDEE. The atmosphere on the Friday morning was one of palpable excitement, with teachers networking like they’d never networked before.’

Left: Paul Harris, Yogesh Dattani and the panel for Symposium interdependency in music education at MDEE held in November, prior to the changes to COVID-19 regulations in December 2021

The 2021 Expo brought some changes that were not related to the pandemic, such as moving the venue from Olympia in West London to the Business Design Centre (BDC) in Islington, North London which, judging by conversations with fellow attendees, appeared to be a popular move due to accessibility – for those travelling into London for the Expo, access to both Kings Cross and Euston stations, and the availability of a hotel with parking on the doorstep of the BDC, was appreciated.

The ISM was out in force over the two-day event, with many staff members at our stall as it was a welcome opportunity for face-to-face chats with our members, many of whom we had not seen since prior to the pandemic. We also brought the ISM’s expertise to the event, with our own Dr Jodie Underhill speaking on the panel Symposium Interdependency in music education on day one of the event together with Michelle James (Sing Up), Phil Castang (Music Education Council), David Barnard (Musicians’ Union) and Don Gillthorpe (Music Teachers’ Association).

The panel discussed what type of eco-system is needed in order to make music education effective for schools and young people. The discussion was broad-ranging, covering the role of music education hubs, funding, resources, accountability measures and partnership working and professional isolation.

Underhill outlined the ISM’s call for hubs to have greater flexibility in how they work so that they can best respond to the local need, and for more focus on outcomes rather than outputs. She also raised the detrimental impact of the EBacc, stating: ’We know that music education is vitally important to pupils, teachers and parents. Too many young people now don’t have the opportunity to take music at GCSE and A Level. It is important that young people get the chance to study the subjects they want to and aren’t constrained because of lack of funding, a narrowed curriculum or for want of a music teacher.’

Harriet Clifford commented that this first session set the tone nicely for the whole Expo.

Interdependency, or working together, within the sector was approached from all angles across both days, whether in the context of connecting with other school music departments, making stronger links with local music hubs, or thinking about structural connections at a higher level.

Photos: Mark Allen Group

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | MDEE2021

Above: Attendees at the ISM stall during MDEE held in November, prior to the changes to COVID-19 regulations in December 2021 Photos: Mark Allen Group

See page 26 to read about Music for Youth Remix Prom 2021

On day one we also saw author, composer and ISM member Paul Harris speak about sight-reading.

The session focused on a new approach that removed anxiety and increased confidence and accuracy.

Harris, who also delivers seminars based on his book The Virtuoso Teacher for the ISM Trust and delivered the popular webinar Unconditional Teaching, again for the ISM Trust and to coincide with the launch of his book of the same name, joined us at the ISM stand to greet attendees and answer their questions. His presence created quite a crowd at our stand, with many fans waiting their turn to take photos with the popular author. Harris also echoed our feelings that it’s good to be back, and expressed his delight at being able to attend events and to get back to delivering seminars again.

It was lovely to be back at the event that started it all to provide a brief sample of the resource to attendees.

The Performance Stage proved to be a great venue to showcase a sample of Indian Takeaway as by the end of the session Dattani had the audience following his lesson by clapping and singing, while he played the tablaˉ . Dattani was also available at the ISM stand for questions and answers with attendees and provided the lively atmosphere that the second day of the event needed.

Preparing, attending, and showcasing at an event like the Expo takes a lot of work, particularly as part of this was done while we were still in a lockdown and at a stage when we weren’t sure whether a live event would go ahead. But for those in music education the event provides a valuable opportunity to network and connect with each other, gain CPD and see what’s On day two Yogesh Dattani, who produced Indian happening in the sector. As Clifford commented: ‘At Takeaway: Raˉg and Taˉl basics with the ISM Trust, the end of the two days, I was left feeling hopeful provided an introduction to the same topic on the about what’s to come. If the speakers, delegates, and Performance Stage. This was a memorable event for both Dattani and the ISM Trust as Indian Takeaway was exhibitors at the Expo are anything to go by, our young launched at the MDEE in March 2020 and was a finalist people’s musical futures are in safe hands.’ at the Music & Drama Education Awards in March 2021.

We are delighted to announce that we are again running our Teach Meets for those who work in primary, including early years, secondary and music hubs. This will be our next free music education event and is open to all educators and leaders, no matter what your role is or what stage of your career you are at.

To sign up visit: ism.org/professional-development/seminars

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | 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.

Upcoming webinars Thursday 20 January 2-3pm

By developing the mindset that all pupils can achieve and progress, and encouraging practical methods of teaching that can support such outcomes, this inspirational new approach aims to create an environment in which music teachers can do the best for all their pupils.

How to become a music workshop leader

Thursday 27 January 2-3pm Join us for two free webinars with PRS for Music looking at copyright, licensing, royalties and PRS for Music.

To register visit: ism.org/professional-development/webinars

Catch-up webinars ism.org/professional-development/webinars Unconditional teaching

In this free webinar, Maria Thomas, Founder and Artistic Director of The Music Workshop Company, and author of our new guide How to... Become a music workshop leader provides an overview of our new guide before taking questions from viewers.

The guide provides information on common workshop settings that you may encounter, and things you should consider prior to starting out as a workshop leader. The guide also offers guidance on how to approach teaching, as well as advice about training, marketing, contracts and statutory requirements.

This free ISM Trust webinar launched award-winning author, music teacher and ISM member Paul Harris’s new book, Unconditional Teaching. Guest speakers were Dr Maria Luca, Head of the Regent’s Centre for Relational Studies and Psychological Well-Being; Simon Dearsley, former Director of Music at Stowe School; and Sir Anthony Seldon, Former ViceChancellor of The University of Buckingham, Educator and Contemporary Historian.

This webinar helps music educators recognise conditional and unconditional teaching, to assess the conditions that may block the flow of effective teaching and learning, and to move towards a more unconditional approach to teaching music. In a world of endless tests and high expectations, this method offers a way to motivate pupils, and to help them enjoy music-making independently in whichever manner they wish.

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

Our award-nominated, 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.

See the next feature to learn about the NMC Recordings digital hub

This lesson explores the basics of al) the melodic (rāg) and rhythmic (tāl) 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 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NMC RECORDINGS DIGITAL HUB

NMC Recordings digital hub A year on from the launch of its digital hub ‘Discover’, Kate Walker of new music charity NMC Recordings outlines the scope of this intriguing resource for exploring contemporary music On 11 November 2021 new music charity NMC Recordings celebrated the first birthday of our ‘Discover’ platform – the corner of our website we’ve transformed into a digital hub for connecting people with music we love created by composers from our catalogue and beyond. Discover was born, with the generous support of ISM Trust, to be a place for the musically curious to explore and experiment: to connect audiences with new music, and encourage listeners who may be less familiar with contemporary classical music to discover the joys it has to offer.

As with all anniversaries, this gave us a time to reflect and take stock of what we have achieved so far, to celebrate the great connections we’ve already made through Discover, and also to think about the ways we’d love to grow and develop the platform further.

Diving deeper Discover gives us the opportunity to help listeners connect more fully with composers by telling the stories behind the varied music NMC releases into the world.

One of our most popular features since launching Discover has been a meeting of NMC’s Listening Club with composer Param Vir. In a livestream broadcast, Param explored his new album Wheeling Past the Stars, discussing his unique compositional process. He covered topics including the way his work synthesises Indian classical music with Western traditions, inspired by his studies with Peter Maxwell Davies and Oliver Knussen, answering questions from the audience who had tuned in from all over the world.

EExtra-musical T flexible nature of NMC’s Discover platform makes The it the ideal tool for sharing the varied influences and processes behind a composer’s work – the ‘everything p but the music’– which often includes visual media such b aas film, photography and painting.

Above: Traversing Wires Photo: Jimena Maldonado

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Visual responses to music have a rich history of V invention and technical experimentation, enhancing in tthe aural experience as well as being fascinating pieces of art in their own right. For example, the p wildly vivid, improvised, multimedia paintings that w ttrombonist and composer Alex Paxton made to aaccompany his Birmingham Record Company release Music For Bosch People were given time to shine M on Discover in two special features. The intricate o ssketches made by Tansy Davies as she created her sseminal opera Between Worlds gave an insight into h her creative process. And Jimena Maldonado, who identifies creatively as a photographer and a composer id in equal measure, took to Discover to discuss her boundary-crossing work.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NMC RECORDINGS DIGITAL HUB

The COVID-19 pandemic made us realise anew the importance of connecting digitally, and the artistic and personal possibilities this presents. Throughout lockdown, when live performances couldn’t happen, we were able to share and host live-streamed concerts, such as a performance recorded at St John’s Smith Square by violinist Madeleine Mitchell to celebrate International Women’s Day, featuring music

by Errollyn Wallen, Helen Grime and Judith Weir; and a world premiere of a new piece by Hannah Kendall given by London Sinfonietta live at Kings Place.

Facing outwards Discover has enabled us to collaborate with a wider range of organisations and individuals beyond the usual NMC sphere, partnering with them to host pieces such as Opera-tic, a digital opera in 15 scenes commissioned by the charity Tourette’s Action. Our Guest Playlist series features all kinds of curators, from musicians to artists to presenters to critics and beyond, as they select their listening recommendations and compile them into a playlist. Past selectors include Soho Radio DJ Max Reinhardt; Rakhi Singh, violinist and musical director of Manchester Collective; and the band Public Service Broadcasting.

Discover is also the perfect place for us to share other strands of NMC’s work beyond our recordings, such as our education projects. We shone a spotlight on

experimental analogue films made by Year 9 and 10 students as part of an audio-visual workshop delivered by the Marsyas Trio and composer Laura Bowler. Most recently we used Discover to share the results of our Together In Sound project, a series of composition workshops with 30 students, led by composer James B. Wilson and musicians from Chineke! Orchestra with Waltham Forest Music Hub. We hope this gives you a flavour of why we’re excited about the new opportunities for connection, conversation, and experimentation that NMC’s Discover platform presents. Got a film about music you’d like to share? An interesting idea you’d like to write an article about? An educational resource you’d like to share more widely? Please get in touch with us and help the Discover community grow.

Above left: IMPROVISED PAINTING 1 ‘Music for Bosch People’ Photo: Alex Paxton Above: IMPROVISED PAINTING 2 ‘Dino Heaven’ Photo: Alex Paxton Left: Audio Visual composition education project

Check out Discover here: nmcrec.co.uk/discover Contact NMC at nmc@nmcrec.co.uk Kate Walker is Sales & Marketing manager of NMC Recordings

Left: NMC Listening Club with Param Vir

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | CONCERT FOR AFGHANISTAN

Concert for Afghanistan When violinist Enrico Alvares decided to put on a concert to help Afghan refugees, the ISM was quick to offer support. Clare Stevens finds out what was involved

Above: Clare Stevens Photo: Bruce Childs

Nobody can fail to be moved by the harrowing news reports that have come out of Afghanistan since the Taliban took control of the country last summer. But while most of us feel powerless to help the suffering Afghan people other than perhaps by dropping coins in a collecting tin or donating to an online appeal, a few individuals have resolved to take action that will make more of an impact on the situation.

‘My wife had never done anything like this before, so I had to ask her before we embarked upon it whether she was prepared for the amount of work that is involved. In many ways it is simple – you start by deciding which soloists you want and establishing some dates when they are free, then choosing and booking the venue, then you “reverse engineer” everything from that; but it is very, very hard work.

Among them are violinists Enrico Alvares and his wife Stephanie Waite, organisers of the Concert for Afghanistan that took place in October 2021 at St James’s Church, Piccadilly in central London.

‘But it is work that musicians are good at; we often don’t realise how many transferable skills we build up through our years of training and performing. For the Afghanistan concert we had nine weeks to prepare, which felt like luxury compared to the Nepal concert, which we put on in just three weeks.’

‘My wife saw the heart-rending images of people clinging to the undercarriages of the last planes taking The pair’s first call was to oboist Nicholas Daniel, off from Kabul Airport in August when the Afghan capital was evacuated, and her immediate instinct was a close friend since he and Alvares attended the Purcell School together. ‘I’ve been so lucky that he has to want to help these poor people,’ explains Alvares, always been my oboist of choice, because he is such ‘so we decided to put on a fundraising performance.’ a fantastic player, there is just nobody like him, and This is the third charity concert Alvares has he has such a big heart; he was involved in both the organised in 20-odd years. The first was in 1999 previous concerts, and he gives so much of himself for victims of the conflict in the former Republic of to the project. I knew we had to include the Marcello Yugoslavia. ‘I was a member of the Academy of St Oboe Concerto in D minor, because Nick plays it like Martin-in-the-Fields at the time and we had spent nobody else, especially that beautiful slow movement. two fabulous weeks playing Mozart piano concertos with Murray Perahia, completely focused as usual on what we were doing,’ he recalls. ‘I was totally unaware of what was going on in Kosovo until I picked up someone’s discarded newspaper on a Metropolitan Line train at Finchley and read all about the war and the humanitarian crisis.’

Left (from top): Enrico Alvares Photo: Simon John Owen Alina Ibragimova Photo: Eva Vermandel Nicholas Daniel Photo: Eric Richmond David Murphy Photo: Edward White

The contrast between the exhilaration Alvares had felt in his work with the orchestra and the horror of the situation in Kosovo filled him with guilt and a passionate desire to do something to help. He had never put on a concert from scratch before, but it turned out that he had a talent for it. The concert sold out and in 2015 Alvares organised a similar event to help victims of the Nepal Earthquake. For the two previous events he worked with the Disasters Emergency Committee; the Concert for Afghanistan was a collaboration with the International Rescue Committee, which has been working in the country since 1988.

‘Then we invited the violinist Alina Ibragimova, whom I’ve known for a long time because my first wife was an accompanist at the Menuhin School, where she studied; I would have liked to have included another Menuhin School alumna, Nicola Benedetti, as well, so that they could have played the Bach double violin concerto together, but Nicky had too many other commitments at the time, so instead we asked Alina and Nick to play the Bach concerto for violin and oboe in C minor, BWV 1060, and of course it was exquisite.’

The other musical linchpins were composer Debbie Wiseman, who arranged an orchestral version of her anthem To Help specially for the concert; flautist Wissam Boustany, who played Mozart’s concerto in G major K313; and conductor David Murphy, who chose Mozart’s exuberant 40th symphony to conclude the evening. The orchestra comprised principal players from the major London-based ensembles – everyone, Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | CONCERT FOR AFGHANISTAN

of course, giving their services free of charge. The programme was chosen with this in mind, explains Alvares, observing that the repertoire has to be fairly familiar so that it needs little rehearsal. ‘Another guiding principle for events like this is that it should be beautiful music that will appeal to a varied audience; it is by touching their hearts through performances that they enjoy and respond to emotionally that you unlock their wallets.’

St James’s, Piccadilly, was a perfect venue as the church not only has a strong musical tradition but has for decades been a centre for mission to refugees and asylum-seekers, the homeless and those who feel excluded from society, for whatever reason. As well as offering practical help and hospitality, it is a centre for discussion and debate and has hosted two thought-provoking installations by war artist Arabella Dorman, highlighting the plight of refugees from Afghanistan and Syria and the parallels between their contemporary tragedies and the Christmas story of a displaced family, the infant Jesus and his parents.

With Flight in 2015 Dorman suspended an inflatable boat and sand-spattered lifejackets retrieved from the beaches of the Greek island of Lesbos above the nave; two years later a similar display, Suspended, was made of numerous items of clothing, discarded by migrants when they were given dry garments.

The church funds its outreach work helping people in crisis by charging external clients to use its facilities, so the venue hire fee, with a substantial charity discount, was one of the few costs of the Concert for Afghanistan. This was underwritten by the ISM. ‘I emailed Deborah Annetts early one morning, asking for her assistance,’ says Alvares, ‘and almost immediately I received a reply saying that ISM would be happy to sponsor the hire of St James’s. I really want to pay tribute to Deborah and thank the ISM for that, because it made such a difference to the concert being able to go ahead. In all, because of people’s generosity, we managed to put on this major event for just £2,000.

‘The other person to whom I want to pay particular tribute is a young woman, Alicia Bradshaw, without whom the concert quite simply wouldn’t have happened,’ he adds. ‘She was just staggering, a real powerhouse; she worked so, so hard on all the details,

From left: Concert for Afghanistan poster Debbie Wiseman Photo: Michael Leckie Wissam Boustany Photo: Sophie Carr

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22 OCTOBER 2021 ST JAMES’S, PICCADILLY, LONDON

organising the drinks, the food, the publication of our beautiful programme book and so much more, coordinating all the resources provided by our sponsors.’

A masterstroke was enlisting the broadcaster John Suchet as presenter; best known now as host of a show on Classic FM and author of several books on music including a biography of Beethoven, he also has personal experience of the situation in Afghanistan from his years as a war correspondent for television news. This enabled him to bridge the gap between the glamorous musical performance in the West End of London and the desperate situation of the people of Afghanistan very skilfully, with the assistance of guest contributors such as Mirwaiss Sidiqi, founder of the Afghanistan Music Research Centre; Dr Ahmad Sarmast, founder and director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM); and Dr Katherine Schofield, senior lecturer in South Asian Music and History at King’s College, London, who is lead coordinator of the Campaign to Protect Afghanistan’s Musicians.

Since the concert took place, there have been an increasing number of news reports about the complete collapse of Afghanistan’s economy and the humanitarian catastrophe that is unfolding in the country, with predictions of famine and starvation for millions of people. Obviously the relief work by the International Rescue Committee will prioritise that terrible situation. But as the story of the Taliban’s takeover emerged last summer, musicians will have been forcibly struck by the images of instruments being smashed in schools and other institutions, and by the fate of performers, teachers and members of ensembles such as the National Symphony Orchestra, the Afghan Youth Orchestra, and Zohra, the Afghan Women’s Orchestra, which had become a powerful symbol of emancipation.

Asked by Suchet what it is about music that particularly upsets the Taliban, Schofield succinctly explained: ‘It’s basically about control. All of us know and understand the influence of music on our emotions, and especially live music, so in their view the risk is that music might distract from God or from one’s worldly duties … it doesn’t matter whether it is Western music or Afghan music, performed by men or by women; they view all music as morally corrupting

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | CONCERT FOR AFGHANISTAN

and musicians as morally degenerate and the way to control that is to silence them.’

The effect of the pandemic has provided us with a tiny glimpse of what a world without music might feel like; for many of the audience the Concert for Afghanistan was the first live performance they had attended for many months, which increased its impact.

the amazing amount of money we raised, and the act of everyone on stage and behind it giving their time, craft, attention and love made it deeply satisfying for those of us who took part.’

On the night the Concert for Afghanistan raised £33,000, and the appeal is still open via the link below.

A glimmer of light is that Dr Ahmad Sarmast is planning to build a new music school in Portugal, on the model of ANIM; and Enrico Alvares is keen Nicholas Daniel says the players too were very both to help anyone who wants to put on a similar aware of this. ‘We are going through the extreme of fundraising concert and to find new ways of getting back on stage, refinding our nerve and our performance muscles, and audiences are experiencing supporting the IRC Afghanistan Appeal. Contact him the visceral emotion of live vibrating sound again, with via his website or look out for announcements about how you can get involved. a new appreciation of what it means. I’m quite sure that without the pandemic this concert would have enricoalvares.com had a very different feel.

‘It would always have had the same motivation, however,’ he adds. ‘When such a drastic situation is all over the world headlines and is so deeply upsetting and affecting, especially for women and girls, and we all feel so utterly frustrated and distressed, it’s so hard to imagine how just playing can help – but it does. Being part of the Concert for Afghanistan, and a performance with the Britten Sinfonia in the same week when we played music linked to the Amazon, surrounded by photos by the great Sebastião Salgado, reminded me vividly of the power of simply performing music, and its ability to help those in need or distress.

Above (from left): St James, Piccadilly Photo: Amanda Slater The Suspended installation at St James’s Piccadilly Photo: Arabella Dorman A refugee family in Afghanistan Photo: Arabella Dorman

The International Rescue Committee is providing food, cash and other aid in Afghanistan itself and helping to resettle Afghans who have arrived in countries such as the US, Mexico and Uganda.

Find out more about their work here: rescue-uk.org/country/afghanistan The Concert for Afghanistan can be found on the International Rescue Committee UK’s YouTube Channel: youtube.com/watch?v=Fm9QjeJprJ4/

Donations to the appeal are encouraged and can be made here: help.rescue-uk.org/ ‘The whole format of this concert, the concert-for-afghanistan presentations that informed the event and added hugely to the gravitas, its global reach via the internet,

The ISM’s response to the Afghanistan situation The world has watched on in horror as the Taliban takes control of Afghanistan once more. Many immediately feared that the Taliban would ban music, as they did in 1996. Sadly, those fears came true shortly after the Taliban seized power in the country.

The ISM wrote to the UK’s foreign secretary to ask the government to ensure safe passage for musicians under threat in the country following the tragic news that popular folk singer, Fawad Andarabi had been killed.

We also joined other campaigning efforts and supported industry wide letters asking for support.

We were then invited to support the ‘Concert for Afghanistan’, with proceeds going to the International Rescue Committee, and we took the opportunity as it shows the music community at its generous, caring best. The concert’s proceeds will make a real difference to civilians in the country.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | MFY REMIX PROM 2021

Music for Youth Remix Prom 2021 Music for Youth’s carefully planned yearly cycle of events was thrown into disarray by the pandemic, but silver linings have included the success of digital festivals and a live but very different MFY Remix Prom in the Royal Albert Hall last November. Clare Stevens reports Last time Music Journal featured the work of Music for Youth (MFY), in our November/December 2018 issue, the organisation’s chief executive, Judith Webster, was looking forward to celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2020, while also developing a long-term strategy for involving and giving a platform to ensembles that had not previously taken part in MFY’s regional or national festivals, let alone its annual Proms at the Royal Albert hall in London. She was hoping to draw in more participants from the informal music-making sector, or from areas of the UK that had traditionally been underrepresented, and to build relationships with organisations such as Battle of the Bands, music education hubs or Indian classical music centres so that their flagship events could be presented under the MFY banner.

Needless to say, the 50th anniversary celebrations did not go entirely to plan. When the first lockdowns were announced in March 2020, MFY had proudly announced the sponsors for a celebration concert in the Barbican Hall, London, and the organisation’s annual programme of regional festivals was in full swing. Some events had already taken place, but one by one the festivals in Wakefield, Sheffield, Northampton and Hampshire were cancelled. Then it became apparent that bringing groups to Birmingham for the National Festival in July of that year would be impossible, and eventually plans for the 2020 MFY Proms at the Royal Albert Hall were also abandoned.

MFY’s channels of communication with young music-makers, however, remained firmly open throughout the first year of the pandemic. A Facebook post from early April 2020 set the tone:

Left: Performers at the Music for Youth Remix Prom November 2021 Photos: PhotoLaura.co.uk

‘We are all in this together. We were making music together before this and we will be making music together after this is all over. It’s about making each other happy in the meantime, and we want to help!

Share your #HomeHappy sounds with us and tag @ musicforyouth so we can spread the smiles.’

From motivational messages urging home-bound kids to cheer themselves up by dancing round the house with their favourite pop songs playing full blast, to shared videos of practice sessions or Clap for Carers performances, to blog posts about mental health awareness and suggestions for lockdown listening, MFY’s social media team made sure the organisation’s community stayed in touch with one another in those bleak weeks when nobody could meet in person.

Behind the scenes, Judith Webster and her team reinvented the national festival as a completely different digital event called Elevate, which took place over five days in July 2020, on the MFY YouTube channel, showcasing the multi-disciplinary artistry of talented young musicians, leading discussions on topics that matter to them, and illuminating emerging artists hosted by broadcaster Remel London and classical music DJ Jack Pepper. In December #TheFutureIsNow, a two-day digital event, brought the year to a close with live workshops and music sessions, new music videos from 250 inspirational videos from young artists, and the chance for musicians aged 16-21 to be featured on Jason Singh’s live radio show. Support from Arts Council England’s Culture Recovery Fund and from donors to a 50th birthday appeal targeting adults who remembered the life-changing thrill of performing as children in MFY events, and a range of other sponsors, enabled all this activity to take place.

The first 12 months of the pandemic, said Webster in a statement in March 2021, saw everyone ‘face the challenge and opportunity of changing the way we do things; having to create new versions of what our work, learning, caring responsibilities, social lives and much more look like. It also highlighted the value of live events and MFY’s role in offering young people life-changing opportunities in music.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | MFY REMIX PROM 2021

Above left: Remel London with young presenters on stage Above right: Cornwall County Youth Choir’s climate-change-themed performance Photos: PhotoLaura.co.uk

‘We are more committed than ever to working with valued partners – old and new – to retain and grow our music network and to giving young people something to aspire to and be inspired by. Inevitably, we have adapted our delivery methods and embraced technology, but live music making will always be at the heart of what we do.’

The result was a completely refreshed MFY programme for last year: ‘2021 – Remixed and reimagined’. For the first time the organisation established a theme for the year, reflecting the times and the impact of substantial change on young people and their music-making, and celebrating the many ways teachers, music leaders and young people have adapted, innovated, reimagined, reconfigured and rearranged how they make music together.

The intention was to run a hybrid live and online national festival under the REMIX 2021 banner in Birmingham in July, with strict COVID-19 mitigations in place, but a few weeks before the event rising cases in the Birmingham area meant that the live element was cancelled. The online event, however, was a huge success (as you can hear and see for yourself on YouTube under the hashtag #MFYREMIX2021 and by visiting the specially curated video walls on MFY’s website). It was underpinned by a ‘Mentor-on-Call’ programme, giving all the participants direct access to a professional musician or artist via Zoom, and ‘Sector Spotlight’, offering educational resources and inspirational ideas for music teachers.

Then at long last, on Wednesday 3 November young musicians, their teachers and music leaders were able to gather in person at the Royal Albert Hall for the #MFYPROM2021.

And what a Prom it was. What Harriet Clifford, editor of Music Teacher magazine, described in an overnight website review as ‘a deliciously refreshing mix of spoken word, orchestral music, choral works, rap, jazz, percussion, movement, digital content, poetry, pop, solos, and every other musical combination’ reflected Judith Webster’s view that after

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the long hiatus in MFY live performances, ‘we come together as different people. The world has changed.’

Clifford observed that ‘not only was the music diverse, relevant, moving, and topical – themes covered included the environment, the pandemic, the future, grief, social justice, joy, friendship, and family – but the performers themselves were diverse in every sense of the word. Nothing felt tokenistic, and musical talent was celebrated and showcased on its own merit. Pop/rock choir Rubik’s Cube sang and used Makaton sign language while performing, and the group consisted of more than 30 young people with special educational needs – the medley of songs ranging from The Beatles to High School Musical was joyful, life-enhancing, and filled with hope. Mother and son duo Shia and JL’s performance oozed passion, love and energy, and a gasp erupted around the Hall when, after his stunning performance on the clarinet, Shia told host Remel London that he is 10 years old.’

Bridget Whyte, chief executive of Music Mark, was equally impressed, writing in a blog immediately after the event that ‘there was a real buzz in the hall, and as the lights went down to start the event you could feel the excitement building. Not just in the areas where young people were seated, but in the boxes around ours as we all held our breath hoping that the magic had not gone and that the evening would inspire and delight as previous proms had done. It did not disappoint; indeed it was life-affirming and reminded me once again (as if I needed reminding) as to why music is so important to young people’s lives.’

The centrepiece of the Remix Prom was a huge creative project, All the Hall’s a Stage, led by Tim Steiner and bringing together 2,000 young people from all over England. Groups of young musicians between the ages of four and 12, of any instrumentation or vocal range and any ability were invited to sign up, and the result involved youth orchestras, school choirs, jazz bands, ukulele players and a digital percussion ensemble. Four anchor groups, used to working with MFY, held the whole

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | MFY REMIX PROM 2021

thing together: Musica Youth Jazz, Northamptonshire County Youth Orchestra, Cornwall County Youth Choir and Vocalize.

expresses itself through what we create. So then you’re immediately moving into allowing the event to be about issues, about different voices, that’s a slight ‘All the Hall’s a Stage was a response to, and in part shift of emphasis from something that is mainly a celebration of the last 18 months,’ explains Steiner. It about excellent performance, because it opens up was inspired by the way in which ‘the internet became more possibilities. the stage, the rehearsal venue, the green room, and ‘In an organisation like MFY, that will inevitably the place to hang out. Everyone became a performer, provoke debate but the important thing is that we are whether they liked it or not. We tried to bring some also making space for young people to engage with of the essence of that into the MFY Prom. Everyone each other and with other young people who have is a performer, everyone takes part, everyone has got a similar passion for music, we need to be able to something to add, everyone is a listener, everyone has create an environment and offer spaces where that a part to play. can happen in a really dynamic way.’

‘We celebrated the beautifully chaotic world of the internet, in which everything collides with everything else, and we played this off against a kind of unity that is only really available when we share the same physical space.’

MFY is used to running large events, but the uncertainty about whether the Prom could happen at all, the difficulty of managing the restrictions and the wide range of participants meant that the logistics of this one were in a different league of complexity.

Back to Harriet Clifford’s impression: ‘When the first notes of All the Hall’s a Stage – Collage echoed around the building, many audience members (myself included) looked at each other with raised eyebrows and an expression of alarm on our faces. Is it meant to sound like this? What’s happening? Good gracious, maybe something has gone wrong! Our rigid brains, constrained by preconceptions about what music “should” sound like, simply couldn’t fathom why we could hear Pirates of the Caribbean, Sunday Soul, Shine Jesus Shine, My Hood and multiple other pieces of music all at the same time. But the music from the stage, the pit and the stalls, conducted incredibly by Tim Steiner, shook us up, pushed boundaries, and reflected a much-needed reset – or, remix.’

‘It did feel different,’ says Webster, ‘because there wasn’t the usual infrastructure underneath, but we also wanted to work differently, because there is no better time to try out a different way of doing things.

We took the opportunity to think about what we want to take forward into the future alongside the things that MFY is known for.’

Looking back at her strategic plan for three years ago, while in one sense COVID-19 has thrown everything into the air, in another, having to deal with the situation has helped Webster and her colleagues to take the organisation more quickly in a direction it needed to go.

‘I’m really keen to make sure we take this opportunity to refresh and revitalise our national events; there will still be a national festival in Birmingham at the end of the summer term and I hope two Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in November, but they will take different forms and the routes to them will be many and various.’

As part of MFY’s commitment to having young people at the centre of the Prom and offering apprenticeship opportunities, Remel London mentored three young people, nominated by Wakefield Music Education Hub, Wandsworth Music Service and Northamptonshire Music and Performing Arts Trust, who co-presented the Prom with her. mfy.org.uk Through a series of workshops they developed their presenting skills, created scripts and helped to shape the presentation of the Prom. MFY’s social media channels were handed over for the day, to great effect, to four Young Reporters aged 19-21, who also worked on podcasts and written and filmed interviews with participants, that were released after the event.

Below: Performers at the Music for Youth Remix Prom 2021 Photo: PhotoLaura.co.uk

This was a development of what had happened earlier in the year at the National Festival. ‘If you are going to involve young people more in what you are doing and give them more of a voice you have to accept that they will want to do things that you would never have thought of, that’s the whole point,’ says Webster. ‘You ask them how they want to use this platform and they might want to talk about climate change and Black Lives Matter, so you have to give them space to do that and ask yourself how that

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | 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 28 January 2022 for the March/April 2022 issue

Alan Bradley Etherden ARAM, DipRAM,LRAM, ARCM 18/04/1956-27/10/2021 ISM member since 1979 A tribute by Jan Etherden, his sister

New videos on wellbeing and performance for musicians Alexander Technique specialists at UK conservatoires and elsewhere have created a new series of free videos to support musicians of all levels, writes ISM member Catherine Fleming, who is one of the contributors. The aim is to introduce ways of finding comfort, balance and freedom in playing and singing. It is the start of a library which will be developed over time.

Alan Bradley Etherden was a gifted pianist, a kind and skilled teacher, and a fine amateur potter and painter! He attended the Royal Academy of Music from 1974, latterly studying piano with the late Guy Jonson; and was the winner of both the Lilian Davies (pianoforte) and Walter Macfarren prizes in 1980, before going on to study with the late Louis Kentner.

Alan was a deeply compassionate man, he loved animals and cared greatly for the vulnerable of this world.

He leaves behind a beloved wife, cherished mother, proud sister, and loving extended family.

for anyone who wishes to reduce or eliminate tension in what they do. Its effectiveness in dissolving back and neck pain is well known, and has been backed by rigorous scientific trials.

composers, and are planned for release early 2022.

performingself.org.uk/musicconference-2021.html alexandertechnique.co.uk

Mucky Herbert Music – Independent Publisher

Mucky Herbert Music was founded by composer Mark Elvin in 2020, initially The videos can be viewed as a self-publishing platform for his at: youtube.com/channel/ own work. The catalogue currently UCs52JNSCqgq7TkjKh4eSA_A consists of works for orchestra, brass ensembles, and educational material The Alexander Technique is a 100-yearincluding three unaccompanied old method for reconnecting with studies books – the ‘Journeys’ series – our innate balance, freedom and for Clarinet, Trumpet and Tuba. sensitivity in movement. Often associated with the performing arts, Journeys by Tuba is currently in the Alexander Technique is recommended Trinity exam syllabus, with two studies per grade. As well as the technical requirements, the studies allow the player to think about performance and musicality.

The ensemble pieces have been well received, with On This Day, In This Life being shortlisted in the recent Making Music Awards.

Two more series of books are being prepared, in collaboration with other

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For further details of the catalogue, and testimonials for all the work from leading musicians, please visit muckyherbertmusic.com

NMC releases Param Vir’s first portrait CD Composer Param Vir’s first portrait CD is now available on NMC, featuring four major works from his catalogue from 1987 to 2014, performed by leading UK and European ensembles.

Born in Delhi in 1952, Param Vir moved to London in the 1980s to study with Peter Maxwell Davies and Oliver Knussen. His music connects European modernism with an Eastern sensibility, freely drawing from mythology, art and literature. Wheeling Past the Stars

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

sets texts by Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore to explore the themes of love, politics and nature. Klangforum Wien join forces with virtuoso sarod player Soumik Datta for Raga Fields. Before Krishna takes inspiration from the images around the birth of Krishna; the ‘Krishna Row’ twists and turns in the hands of the London Chamber Orchestra. In Hayagriva, Vir explores aspects of the horse-headed Vishnu’s supernatural powers. Commissioned and performed by the Schönberg Ensemble. nmcrec.co.uk paramvir.net

Vocal Health and Rehabilitation

Oh Freedom, Kalinka and Sakura, as well as a wide selection of inspiring (and often hard-to-find) world songs in many languages from Southern and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, the middle East and the Americas.

Translations, brief performance notes, and a bibliography further enrich these volumes.

Fabian Lochner is a choral director and educator who has worked with choirs of all abilities for over 25 years.

His arrangements aim to be true to the idiom of each culture, and range from very accessible part songs for joyful community singing to exciting and sophisticated performance pieces. is pleased to present ...

A World in Harmon y a new collection

of 71 acapella choral arrangements in 3 volumes

by

An extended extract from ISM member Alison Mary Sutton’s forthcoming book, Vocal Health and Rehabilitation, has been released as an e-publication.

Fabian Lo chner

A rich new resou

Rev rce for lovers of world music with haunting new harmonies – a must-have for community choirs and performing choirs alike!

The music is varied in both style sacred and and origin secular music , with from Israel, Eastern Europ Western and e, Africa, India, (including Russia a number of African-Ame and America rican spiritu als) Order your copies from Upper Esk Music:

Appletree House, Upper Esk Music 5 Church Street, Andrew Dyer Tel: 01287 660656 Castleton, Whitby, North Yorkshir e-mail: andrew.d yer@uppereskm e YO21 2EQ usic.com

Enhanced digital tutorial magazines

The extract is entitled ‘The Heart of the Breath and MTD Case Study’, and consists of the completed breathing chapter and the first of six case studies from the main book. The written text has been augmented throughout with bespoke illustrations, audio and video clips.

Details can be found at comptonpublishing.co.uk

New world music choral collection

The latest in online learning includes The Maestro Online Digital Library, launched by educator, choral conductor, organist, pianist and vocal coach Dr Robin Harrison.

The enhanced digital magazines incorporate short tutorial videos alongside text on every page and are entirely focused on skill development.

The courses (piano, organ, aural, ABRSM sight-singing, pop vocal embellishment) work as follows: • start with the sound/music, focus on what you hear, label it. Use famous songs to train the mind and ear, to make you more acutely perceptive than before

(aural even includes augmented 6ths through fun repertoire, modulations and more!). the-maestro-online.com/ music-courses-online ISM members are eligible for 10% off using ‘ISM10’.

Dr Robin Harrison contributed to The Routledge Companion to Aural Skills Pedagogy, Before, In and Beyond Higher Education.

Stepping Notes music teachers’ courses return to in-person sessions After enduring a bruising time during COVID, Nikhil and Angela Dally’s Stepping Notes Music School (dally. org.uk) is slowly piecing itself back together. We believe that music is meant to be made by real people, singing and moving together in real time and real space – not online!

Our first live face-to-face post-COVID music teachers’ course in October featured the wonderful Jimmy Rotheram, and was a triumphant and joyful occasion – so different from the ‘Zoom and gloom’ of the past two years. Buoyed by this success, here is our programme for spring 2022: a series of live face-to-face workshops, led by Nikhil Dally, on Teaching Musicianship Through Singing and Movement, which can be booked separately or together. Aimed at teachers of children aged two to nine, these workshops will take place in Egham (Surrey), and will cover: Workshop 1: Pulse and rhythm (Friday 18 February 2022) Workshop 2: Pitch, scale, melody and harmony (Tuesday 12 April 2022) Workshop 3: Metre, phrasing and structure (Tuesday 31 May 2022)

• skills include aural, solfege, A World in Harmony is an exciting new For further information, please chords, counterpoint, much three-volume collection of 71 new improvisation, guided reading and go to: dally.org.uk/ arrangements for a cappella choirs TeachersCoursesSpring2022.pdf sight-reading. Students perform

by Fabian Lochner, published by and develop musicianship rapidly Upper Esk Music and available through uppereskmusic.com. This beautifully • aimed at the many: beginner to advanced singers, young and older produced new resource for world students, pop vocalists, pianists, music choirs includes well known organists, GCSE, BTEC, IBAC and A favourites such as Morning has broken, level, diploma/degree students

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING

Obituaries: We are sorry to announce the deaths of the following members: Mrs Jill Barlow FISM of St Albans

Mr Michael Nebe FISM of London

Mr Alan Bradley Etherden FISM of Kenilworth

Mr Fred Payne of Hertfordshire

Miss Martha Kingdon-Ward FISM of Reading

COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK May I take this opportunity to thank the ISM for everything that you do for your members.

The ISM has been so helpful through these last months.

Thank you for all the ISM does to advocate for music education!

Dr Jonathan Tyack

ISM member

See page 12 to read about our ISM Trust conference: Where to next for music education?

You can also catch up with the sessions and access related resources at ism.org/conference

We appreciate so much all that the team at ISM does on behalf of Music Education.

Thank you to the company as a whole. I have really appreciated your help and the way you have handled things. I’m most grateful.

Choir Schools Association, ISM corporate member

Mr Jon Hatton ISM member since 2015

Join the ISM Members’ Community on Facebook Stay connected to your fellow ISM members by joining over discuss hot topics, the group offers you a chance to network 1,500 other music professionals in our exclusive Facebook and feel supported by your peers. group. A space to share stories and ideas, ask questions and Access the group at facebook.com/groups/myismis

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 28 January 2022 for the March/April 2022 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.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | 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 high-res images. Please email mj@ism.org. The next deadline is 28 January 2022 for the March/April 2022 issue

Association of Teachers of Singing (AOTOS) Our Sunday Area Days are back in person!

Scotland: 27 February Peak performance Heather Nicoll p

South West: 20 March Crossing genres Helen Porter

The Piano Teachers’ Course UK

For piano teachers who feel there must North: 3 April be more to learn.

Exploring blues, jazz and soul T: 07833 687473 Jennifer John

This academic year, The Piano E: info@pianoteacherscourse.co.uk Teachers’ Course UK has adapted to run a successfully international hybrid course, with students coming together The National Children’s Choir from around the world to raise the bar of Great Britain in piano teaching.

The National Children’s Choir of Our first residential and online long Great Britain is inviting applications weekend in October welcomed a for its 2022 Introduction to Choral combination of students and tutors in Conducting Programme. This offers person at the Purcell School of Music, the opportunity for musicians with and online from their homes, some an interest in conducting a children’s braving the time difference until the choir to attend a residential course early hours of the morning to take and observe professionals with a wide part in a varied schedule of lectures, range of experience in this field. workshops and group tutorials.

Applicants must have a good music ‘Thanks so much for organising what education themselves but be at the was a life changing event, loved every beginning of their choral conducting minute.’ journey. The programme is designed 2021-22 Cert PTC student to give participants an awareness of choral conducting, planning and Enrolment is open for 2022-23 under the directorship of international pianist executing rehearsals, the music education of children and the and pedagogue Masayuki Tayama appropriate all-round care that is (online attendance available for all required. courses): pianoteacherscourse.org/courses

Central: 30 April S(pr)inging into speaking Melanie Mehta South East: 15 May No dots? No problem!

Charles MacDougall/Anne Bradley/ Kate Mattis NEW: accredited ‘Essentials’ online teaching course Our new beginner teacher course is now on and accredited by the CPD Standards Office. Real time group sessions are supplemented by video material provided by experts in their field. For singing teachers with four years’ experience or less. £80.

There is never a better time to become a member! Check our webpages for all the latest information. aotos.org.uk

nccgb.com/introduction-to-choralconducting-programme-iccp/ Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Leeds Conservatoire Leeds Conservatoire has appointed Professor Joe Wilson as Principal. Joe has been with the conservatoire since 2013 and stepped into the Interim Principal role in 2020. During this period he oversaw the conservatoire’s ambitious expansion into performing arts and drama alongside music, and the change of the institution’s name from Leeds College of Music to reflect the breadth of training on offer.

Joe’s appointment has since been made permanent, and he brings a wealth of diverse music industry and educational experience with him, not least as a founding member of the band Sneaker Pimps, but as a producer, artist and educator.

Awards for Young Musicians Awards for Young Musicians and the BBC Symphony Orchestra have joined forces for an exciting new mentoring partnership.

Five participants in AYM’s Awards programme and five students from AYM’s Furthering Talent programme have been selected to receive one-toone mentoring from some of the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s outstanding musicians. The project will take place throughout 2022. There will be online one-to-one mentoring and a series

Right: AYM Award winners perform alongside BBC Symphony Orchestra musicians (held prior to the changes to COVID-19 regulations in December 2021) Photo: Triptych Music Photography

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of virtual and in-person events, plus opportunities to make music together.

The project is an exchange of skills and experiences between musicians at very different stages of their musical journeys. AYM students will be able to access support, advice and ideas from world-class musicians. Meanwhile, the BBC Symphony Orchestra will benefit from AYM’s significant expertise in training and mentoring.

Music Mark Music Mark has launched Talk into Action, a movement supporting organisations in the music education sector to help them achieve their Equity, Diversity and Inclusion goals.

We believe that building an inclusive sector is something we must all be constantly striving towards. Everyone has an equal right to make music and to be a part of the industry.

We are assembling resources, programming events, and developing training opportunities, developed in partnership with ED&I specialists, and will commission more where there are gaps. It’s an ongoing process, focusing on our workforce development, governance, programming, and of course the children and young people we’re working with. Find out more about how you can put talk into action at musicmark.com/TalkIntoAction.

Music Mark’s 2022 Annual Conference

will have the theme Talk Into Action, providing a platform for all of us to share and learn. musicmark.org.uk

Practising the Piano Practising the Piano – Further Resources for the Trinity 2021-23 Piano Syllabus We’re delighted to announce that our resources for piano examinations on the Practising the Piano Online Academy now feature video walkthroughs for repertoire from all grades of the 2021-23 Trinity syllabus. Several new videos on other aspects such as exam preparation and managing performance nerves have also been added to what is now a comprehensive collection of 100+ videos!

More information on these resources is available here: mailchi.mp/informance/ piano-examination-resources ISM members are entitled to 30% discounts on all of our products (please visit mailchi.mp/informance/ismmember-offers for information on ISM member discounts)

Music Education Solutions The sixth annual national Curriculum Music Conference takes place in Birmingham and online on 18 March 2022. Featuring sessions for early years, primary and secondary teachers, this event will inspire all aspects of your curriculum music teaching practice! Tickets and further information can be found at: musiceducationsolutions.co.uk/ our-events/

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

• edit exam details before submission if an error was made during the entry process.

Left photo: Peter Craik (held prior to the changes to COVID-19 regulations in December 2021)

Association of English Singers and Speakers The Association of English Singers and Speakers (AESS) promotes the clear and imaginative use of the English language in singing and speech through our competitions for singers, composers and actors.

English Folk Dance and Song Society The English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) will present three National Youth Folk Ensemble Open Days over the May/June half-term 2022.

The events in South West England, Manchester and London will offer young instrumentalists the chance to take part in a band for a day, develop their creativity and play by ear. The participants will explore folk music with their peers, led by inspiring professional musicians, and will also find out about the National Youth Folk Ensemble.

MTB Exams We are thrilled to have been voted the highest rated exam board in 2021 by an independent survey of teachers on Pianodao. MTB offers: • free Choice pieces, including those set by any other regulated exam board • total freedom over exam dates and location

The finals of the 2022 Courtney Kenny Prize for singers between the ages of 18 and 23 will be held on 6 March.

Competitors must prepare a themed recital of both words and music lasting 20 minutes.

The finals of the 2022 Timothy West & Prunella Scales actors’ prize will take place on 8 April at the CAA in London.

For full details of all competitions and membership see aofess.org.uk

• instrument specialist examiners • dedicated exam recording and submission app for phone or tablet.

Hal Leonard Europe (HLE)

The Open Days are open to confident players of any instrument aged 12–18 who live in England. No experience of folk music is necessary. All playing and learning will be done by ear.

The Open Days are free to attend, and can be booked at efdss.org/youthfolk.

The National Youth Folk Ensemble celebrates excellence in youth folk music, bringing together talented young folk musicians from across England to create and perform inspiring new arrangements of folk music and work with leading folk artists. It was founded by the EFDSS in 2016, and is funded by Arts Council England.

Our brand-new Exam Portal is live and available to all MTB users and centres.

This new addition is designed to offer maximum flexibility and control when it comes to keeping updated with and managing exams. Centres and users can now:

Hal Leonard Europe (HLE) is proud to have been chief sponsor of the Youth Music Awards 2021, a celebration of the extraordinary achievements of young people in nationwide projects enabled by Youth Music funding.

• easily download front covers and After its inauguration in 2019, the marksheets directly from the Youth Music Awards returned in exam portal style on Wednesday 20 October at Troxy, London. The evening was a • conveniently track realtime spectacular and humbling celebration statuses on the progress of of musical talent, inspirational project submitted exams • download an Excel report to review leadership, and social activism, with HLE’s UK Managing Director Tom all exams and results taken via Venvell taking the stage to announce their centre the Social Action Award. The award, Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

sponsored by HLE, went to the ‘Words Not Weapons’ project by Music Fusion in Portsmouth, a powerful example of the direct and positive impact that Youth Music funding has on the lives of young people. Chaired by Hal Leonard author YolanDa Brown, Youth Music is a charity that invests in grassroots projects nationwide so that more young people can make, learn, and earn in music, whatever their background. halleonardeurope.com youthmusic.org.uk

Impulse Music Consultants impulse-music.co.uk The Music Industry Has Evolved!

The rise of the internet and social media platforms has revolutionised how performers and composers establish and promote themselves.

Impulse was part of that initial revolution when our first website went live in 1995.

Before that, musicians would need to showcase their talents through recordings, broadcasts, tours and live performance, seeking an agent or

record label to take them on and do the work needed to get them known.

Now, social media platforms level the playing field and empower individuals and there are so many musicians who deserve the benefit of this empowerment.

Having a short, affordable, wellproduced video to promote your work is key to your visibility. Impulse have developed Creative You for those artists who want to engage with social media in a way they can manage and afford. Impulse is here to help you showcase your music and performance in a new way.

Start 2022 in a new way and find out what you can do to promote yourself and your music.

Contact geraldine@impulse-music. co.uk to find out more.

Collins Music The newest addition to the Inspiring Ideas series from Collins Music, The Primary Music Leader’s Handbook, is out now. An essential resource for any primary music subject leader, this handy little book includes information on every aspect of the role, including

defining your vision, curriculum design, assessment, extra-curricular activities and supporting colleagues.

Written by Dr Elizabeth Stafford, an internationally-recognised music education expert with over two decades’ experience as a primary music teacher, this book has been described as ‘a real treasure trove’ and will be a great support to anyone navigating the role.

The Primary Music Leader’s Handbook joins other practical guides in the range, including Rachel Shapey’s How to teach Composition in the secondary classroom and Kay Charlton’s How to teach Wholeclass instrumental lessons.

These books are packed with concise, easy to implement ideas and can all be purchased at collins.co.uk/ inspiringideas.

Middlesex University The academic year 2021-2 has seen a welcome return to largely oncampus teaching for music and other performing arts. Highlights so far include the livestreamed festival New Pathways in Improvisation, organised by Professor Benjamin Dwyer and featuring lecturer in performance Kate Ryder; and a book launch concert for Heart’s Ease: Spirituality in the music of John Tavener (edited by June Boyce-Tillman) featuring performances by students on our Performance/Composition pathway. In staff news, jazz lecturer Nikki Iles was nominated for a British Composer Award for Jazz Composition for The Caged Bird (commissioned

by The International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers). mdx.ac.uk

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Composer and performer Errollyn Wallen joins Royal Welsh College (RWCMD) as its Artist in Residence At a concert celebrating her work at St David’s Hall, Cardiff on 4 November,

composer, performer and RWCMD Fellow Errollyn Wallen, one of the most inspirational international artists, was welcomed as the college’s Artist in Residence.

Last term her work was performed across the college’s music departments.

On her visit to the college Errollyn

spent time with students, including brass and guitar students. She took part in a session with the Diversity Advisory Group for Music and a Q&A session with the RWCMD Symphony Orchestra, which then performed for her at the evening concert.

Left: Errollyn Wallen working with students at RWCMD (held prior to the changes to COVID-19 regulations in December 2021) Photo: Kirsten McTernan

Protect yourself at work with 30% off PPE Want to protect yourself while you’re teaching or performing? Ethical stationery company Ethstat offers ISM members an exclusive 30% discount on personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, hand sanitiser,

cleaning supplies, gloves, wipes and visors, as well as additional discounts on office supplies and carbon reporting.

Access the discount at ism.org/my-ism/your-discounts

Set up a Direct Debit to save money Take the hassle out of renewing your membership by setting up an annual Direct Debit. Your membership will automatically renew every year and you won’t have to contact us unless you wish to cancel or change your payment method.

If you are a full member, you will get £10 off your membership fee if you pay by annual Direct Debit.

It’s quick and easy to set up Direct Debit payments. Simply log in at ism.org/direct-debit, call us on 020 72213499 or email membership@ism.org

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

to consolidate learning and offer an extra layer of fun.

We are very grateful to all our corporate members for their support.

Stay tuned …

PLATINUM CORPORATE MEMBERS Sign up to our newsletter at collins.

GOLD CORPORATE MEMBERS

co.uk/music and follow us on Twitter

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Impulse Music Consultants London College of Music Examinations Middlesex University Music Mark Music Teachers’ Board

The Royal Central School Of Speech & Drama The Royal Philharmonic Society Trinity College London

Victoria College Exams

musicteacher.com National Preparatory School Orchestras Open College of the Arts Oxford University Press Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Stainer & Bell Ltd Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH Take it away The Academy of Music & Sound The Curious Piano Teachers The Piano Teachers’ Course UK Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance Tutti University of St Andrews

Newmoon Insurance Services

Yamaha Music Europe GmbH (UK)

For further information about our different levels of corporate membership and a full list of over 180 corporate members, visit ism.org.

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VLT Legal Services Ltd Voice Study Centre

Extraordinary music Expert guides

Moving On Together Residential Summer Conference

No. 75 • September 2021 www.international-piano.com

INSIDE EXPERT ADVICE FOR EVERY PIANO ENTHUSIAST

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Another string to his bow

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Ask me a question Marianne Schofield Double bass player Tell us a little about yourself I am a freelance double bass player based in London. I’m classically trained and also play lots of contemporary classical music as I’m part of two busy new music groups: contemporary collective Riot Ensemble, and The Hermes Experiment, which is an unusual quartet of clarinet, harp, soprano voice and double bass.

Who (or what) has most influenced you and your career?

Probably my high school music department: even though not many people at the school took GCSE or A level music in comparison to other subjects, the teachers were so knowledgeable and committed. I remember learning about music analysis, composition and harmony for the first time, and when I took up the bass aged 15, playing in orchestras at school and at borough level was a big part of my development.

What would you say is your greatest achievement to date?

It might sound silly, but I was genuinely proud when I passed my driving test a few years ago! I found learning to drive really difficult, it definitely didn’t come naturally to me, but since then it has been such a useful qualification to have, especially as a bass player. Within music, an achievement I’m also really proud of was the honour of winning an RPS award with The Hermes Experiment in 2021.

Who is your all-time favourite artist and why?

Finally, what is your ISM membership to you?

My favourite living artist is mandolin player Chris Thile. His solo playing and compositions are incredible, and his collaborations with other musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Brad Mehldau are also stunning.

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

Things have been so uncertain for everyone due to Brexit and the pandemic in the last two years, and the ISM has been working so hard to look after all musicians at this time. It’s been really reassuring to me to be part of the ISM and to know that I can access advice and guidance on so many topics, and that support is there when needed.

The album ‘All Ashore’ by Punch Brothers (another fantastic Chris Thile band: think 20th century Impressionism meets Bluegrass).

Riot Ensemble linktr.ee/riotensemble @riotens

What are your plans for the future?

Both The Hermes Experiment and Riot Ensemble have some interesting premieres and collaborations in the pipeline over the next few years, so I’m really looking forward to those.

The Hermes Experiment thehermesexperiment.com @TheHExperiment

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