Music Journal - July/August 2022

July/August 2022 Sir Harrison Birtwistle: An appreciation Focusing on our members: Reports from the ISM AGM Music in the West Midlands: The impact of Coventry City of Culture and the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Festival

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022

Welcome

Above: Deborah Annetts Photo: Emile Holba

Many thanks to all ISM members who attended the very important AGM which took place on 7 May at the Royal Over-Seas League in central London. Members Contents from across the music sector and of all ages attended from all parts of the UK. 4 ISM AGM: Thoughts about As well as the usual business of the AGM, we held two in-depth focus groups our future which explored in detail a number of issues. The contributions from members 8 ISM AGM Minutes have now been fed into the business planning process and will shape the 12 News & campaigns future direction of the ISM. 15 Legal & Business The groups covered everything including: 16 Sir Harrison Birtwistle: • Do we do too much campaigning or should we do more and are we An appreciation too soft or too robust in how we campaign?

22 Music in the West Midlands: • Which member communications are the most effective?

Coventry City of Culture • What do members think of Music Journal and how would they improve it?

2021-22 and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Festival • What do members think of ISM services and what more would they like 27 Professional development from the ISM? • Do members know what professional development is available from the ISM? • What do members think of the current name of the ISM, with a particular focus on the word Incorporated?

Front Cover One of the costumes designed by Daniel Lismore for Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s opera The Mask of Orpheus on display at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry in May 2022 Photo: Clare Stevens See feature on pages 16 and 22

The groups were intensive and members worked hard teasing out complex issues and developing ways forward. You can find out more about what came out of the focus groups in our feature on page four.

In other news, the National Plan for Music Education in Wales has now been published, and is an encouraging strategy for the future. At the time of writing we have still not seen the refreshed draft National Plan for Music Education for England, so cannot give you any update on what it contains or what its impact might be. As soon as we know more, we will of course share it with you.

Lastly, many thanks to everyone who responded to the discrimination survey.

It closed on 27 June and we are now in the process of drafting a report which will contain recommendations on what needs to happen in the music sector to eliminate all forms of inappropriate behaviours. So watch out for the report.

And in the meantime – enjoy the summer months, and come back refreshed for the autumn.

Insert images: ISM AGM Photo: Noah Da Costa See feature on pages 4 and 8 Assembly Gardens, Coventry Photo: Coventry City of Culture 2021-22

deborah@ism.org

28 29 31 36

News from our members Classified advertising News from our corporate members Ask me a question

Volume 89 / Number 2 Published by: The Incorporated Society of Musicians 4–5 Inverness Mews, London W2 3JQ T: 020 7221 3499 E: membership@ism.org W: ism.org Incorporated Society of Musicians is a limited company registered in England No. 36882. Registered Office as address above.

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

Design: cogdesign.com Typography: marcmarazzi.com Advertising: Ruth McPherson, Senior Business Development & Events Manager T. 020 7313 9316 E. Ruth.McPherson@ism.org 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.

All ISM publications are copyright Printed by Optichrome, Woking GU21 5HX ISSN 0951 5135

See feature on pages 22-26

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | ISM AGM AND FOCUS GROUPS

ISM AGM: Thoughts about our future The ISM held its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 7 May at the Royal Over-Seas League in London. We were joined in person by over 50 ISM members, the ISM Board and musician Aleph Aguiar, who provided live music for attendees to enjoy. Deborah Annetts looks back on the AGM and shares her thoughts about the day.

When we were putting together the AGM which took place on 7 May we wrote to all members and said that this was going to be a very important day for the future direction of the ISM. As well as the usual business of the AGM, there would be two intensive focus group sessions where members would be asked for their thoughts across a number of different areas. Members’ insights and contributions would then be fed into the next business plan and would directly shape the future direction of the ISM.

All photos were taken

by Noah Da Costa

To read the AGM minutes see the next feature

The staff team were delighted that over 50 members were able to attend the AGM and focus group sessions. It was particularly pleasing that they came from all parts of the music profession, were all ages and had travelled from across the UK to make the event. Having such a breadth of members meant we heard a wide range of views and it was incredibly helpful to us that members were so open in sharing their thoughts and insights. We had a fantastic day, where the ISM staff team learnt a great deal and came away with lots to think about.

When founded on 7 May 1882 the ISM’s name was the Society of Professional Musicians. The Society was set up to do two things, to be the representative body for the music profession in the same way as the Law Society is for solicitors, and to promote the art of music. These objects have not changed over the years and still lie at the heart of the ISM. However, within a few years there was the desire to give the Society greater influence with the Board of Trade which meant changing the name to Incorporated Society of Musicians. This change was opposed by some members who did not like the word incorporated but despite opposition the name was changed in 1892.

We will be 140 years old this year. The ISM has survived through recession and depression, world war and pandemics. The ISM is totally independent.

It is member-centred with members being the only people who can serve on its governing body, the Council. The ISM has continued to grow over the past two years, and we now have over 11,000 members.

The pandemic highlighted that our independence is of huge importance, as is our ability to reach all kinds of

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | ISM AGM AND FOCUS GROUPS

musicians. Throughout our history as an organisation we have evolved and adapted, and I am immensely proud of all the work we all do. And now with over 11,000 members we need to make sure we have all the building blocks in place for the future, so that we can serve musicians and the Society well for the next 140 years. It was at the virtual AGM in 2020 that an ISM member raised concerns about the current name not reflecting the dynamism and forward-looking nature of the ISM. He said that the problem was the word Incorporated - it means nothing and risks us looking old fashioned when we are anything but.

The member’s comments chimed with views held by the staff team and Council and we began to explore the idea of changing our name further. This has gathered momentum in recent months and the strong possibility of the ISM changing its name was covered by the President and President Elect in the March/April edition of Music Journal.

Since then, Council and the staff team have been reflecting on what should be the next stage in the development of the ISM. Should the name change, and if so, what are the alternatives? Is Music Journal still relevant, and if not, how should it be brought up to date? What about its frequency? And what about the website, member communications, our campaigning?

On 7 May, after the AGM, we asked members for their thoughts on these issues. Over the course of two focus group sessions we asked many questions and we gathered a mass of data which will be fed directly into the next business plan. The top lines from the sessions are set out in the next column.

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Responses to focus group questions • Members valued in particular the full range of insurances we offer and the gold standard inhouse legal services.

• Members did not know much about the other benefits and services which come with membership and we need to do more to get across to members what a comprehensive range of services and benefits you get when you become a member, eg discounts, professional development, listings in our Music Directory etc.

• Member email communications are well read, but few members engaged with the ISM on social media. When it came to Music Journal there was a strong feeling that it should be reduced to four editions per year.

• Members liked our campaigning. They certainly did not want our campaigning to be any softer, particularly when it came to music education, which was seen as a priority.

• On the current name, members felt a strong attachment to the initials ‘ISM’ but less to the word Incorporated. We will be taking this forward.

• The services provided by the ISM Members Fund such as counselling and physiotherapy were particularly valued.

So – many, many thanks to all of you who attended the AGM and the focus group sessions on 7 May. It was wonderful to see so many of you, and your contributions and insights will shape what we will be doing over the next three years. Thank you.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | ISM AGM AND FOCUS GROUPS

Attendee feedback Attending our AGM is the chance to not only connect with your fellow members but it’s also the opportunity for you to learn more about the ISM, including the services we offer, what we have achieved in the previous year, discover our future plans and to make your opinions known to us. We would like to see as many of you as possible at future AGMs, and here we share some of our attendees’ feedback:

‘Thank you for an excellent day. It was very well managed throughout, and a great opportunity to feel really involved in the ISM and be part of its future planning. The chance to chat and have a lovely lunch listening to fabulous music was absolutely marvellous!’

‘Really enjoyable day. Good to be listened to. Good to network with like-minded people.’

‘It was great to have a meeting face to face with members. It was also rather nice to ‘The discussions have stimulated me to catch up with friends whom one had not seen ask more questions. I am contacting friends because of lockdown restrictions.’ in education and music to discuss what we mean by education and the contribution made ‘I was astounded to find the ISM such by the arts and also religious studies. Subjects a radical, campaigning organisation at which are not purely academic and feed other heart – this is not what comes across in MJ – sensitivities within us. I am also looking at the and I’m heartily in favour of this.’ age demographics of local choirs and bands – groups very much based in the community and entertaining the community at events.

‘Thanks for the event, it’s been really COVID-19 has interrupted a lot of activities, but helpful as a beginner musician to learn from I have noticed for a while that gaps in music those who are already established in the provision in schools are affecting previously music industry.’ thriving groups as people move on, and there is nothing ready to replace them. I don’t know where this will lead but I am asking the questions and we’ll see how it turns out.’

Our discussions on the day revealed that some of our members are not fully aware of the breadth of services we offer.

See our feature on page 27 to learn about the professional development that you can access via the ISM Trust, and read our feature on page 15 to learn more about how your employment status can determine your legal rights at work.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | ISM AGM MINUTES

ISM AGM Minutes ISM AGM, Saturday 7 May 2022. Held in the Princess Alexandra Hall, Royal Over-Seas League, Over-Seas House, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR at 11:00am INTRODUCTION Read our previous feature to learn more about our thoughts for the future of the ISM and about members’ feedback to the work we do

Deborah Keyser (President) opened the AGM and welcomed members to the event. Before the start of the formal business, the President invited the ISM’s Chief Executive (CEO), Deborah Annetts, to introduce the day’s activities. The CEO stressed how important members are to mapping out the future work of the ISM and its direction of travel. So we had organised two focus group sessions to dig deep into key areas such as Music Journal, advocacy and campaigning, member benefits, services, the ISM brand and a possible name change. The contributions from members in these focus groups would then feed directly into the business plan for the next financial year.

The President then introduced the AGM panel: Vick Bain (President Elect) Professor Chris Collins (Past President) Ivor Flint (Treasurer) Deborah Annetts (Chief Executive) Sabrina Taylor (Director of Finance & Facilities) Apologies for absence for the meeting were recorded and all members present had a hard copy of the apologies to hand for information. The President asked for two minutes of silence to remember colleagues who had died during the past year.

The names of those ISM members who had passed away were distributed to attendees.

1. Minutes of the AGM held on 13 November 2021 The President asked if there were any amendments to the minutes of the AGM held on 13 November 2021.

There were none. The resolution to approve the minutes was proposed by Eugene Monteith and seconded by Alain Brumby. The resolution was approved.

2. To receive the Annual Report of the Council of the Society for 2020-21 The Chief Executive gave the annual report for the financial year from 1 September 2020 ending 31 August 2021.

Photos: Noah Da Costa

The Chief Executive spoke to the ISM’s response to the COVID rules and regulations, which changed over the course of the 20/21 year, and the financial impact on musicians. The ISM submitted evidence to the Treasury Select Committee and played a leading role in lobbying the Treasury for financial support for musicians during this phase of the pandemic. The ISM

coordinated an open letter which led to an extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS).

The Chief Executive covered the ISM’s support for research by Middlesex University into live streaming and Coventry University’s research into business models for creative freelancers. The ISM also welcomed the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee inquiry on streaming.

The Chief Executive spoke to the key campaign priority of music education. The ISM launched, with Music Mark and the Music Teachers’ Association, the #CanDoMusic campaign. The ISM corresponded with Schools Minister Nick Gibb, highlighting the delay in the National Plan for Music Education and calling for sustained funding for music education. The report entitled The heart of the school is missing was published following a survey with over 1,300 responses. This report revealed the detrimental impact of COVID19 and set out policy recommendations for music education in the short-term and in a post-COVID-19 world. The ISM organised the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Music Education meeting in May 2021 to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on music education, the Model Music Curriculum and other key issues.

The Chief Executive covered the work conducted on the possible adverse impact of the UK leaving the EU on musicians. The ISM continued to lobby the government on visa arrangements to allow musicians to continue earning through touring and engagement in Europe. A comprehensive guide to visa and work permits was published by the ISM at the start of 2021 and remains the most comprehensive and accurate guide available. The ISM worked with legal experts to produce a draft bespoke visa waiver agreement (VWA) which was shared with all relevant government departments. The ISM’s work in this area was recognised when the Chief Executive gave evidence to the House of Commons DCMS Select Committee as well as being invited to join the government’s touring working group. The ISM worked collaboratively with the Musicians’ Union on Brexit issues.

The Chief Executive reported the success that the ISM had with media coverage over the course of the year, along with continued growth in followers across the ISM social media channels. A wide range of speaking engagements were noted as well as the two digital conferences which were held: The Empowered Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | ISM AGM MINUTES

Musician 2020 in December and Building for the Future Expenditure finished the year at £1.70m, largely in in April 2021. line with the 2019-20 financial year. As of 31 August 2021, reserves were very strong and stood at a healthy The Chief Executive highlighted the outstanding £4.51m, an increase of 5% on the previous year. services provided by ISM to the membership which had grown to 10,650 by the end of the year. The in-house legal team remained busy with casework arising from COVID-19 as well as keeping the government guidance under review and ensuring changes. A total of 1,606 cases were opened on behalf of members and almost £170k was recovered for members in unpaid fees and compensation.

The Treasurer said the ISM had a very successful year financially, finishing with a substantial surplus of £229.4k in 2020/21 versus a small deficit in the prior year of £3.5k. This surplus was largely due to the increase in the value of investments but gave thanks to the ISM members and staff team for managing the finances diligently.

The Chief Executive reported that Errollyn Wallen CBE was awarded the Distinguished Musician Award and Professor Keith Swanwick was awarded the deferred 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award. ISM local groups continued to operate, albeit at a reduced level and held six events across the year. In terms of governance, Alice Nicholls and Dr Kirsty Devaney were elected to the Council for three-year terms and Mahaliah Edwards and Dorine Sorber were appointed to the Council. The Chief Executive expressed the thanks of the Council to Dr Jeremy Huw Williams, Professor David Smith and Dr Bushra El-Turk who retired as Council members in April 2021.

The Treasurer finished his report by thanking the Director of Finance & Facilities, the auditors, Lindeyer Francis Ferguson and investment brokers, Investec.

The Chief Executive closed her report by thanking members for giving their time as members of the ISM Council, as well as those who take part in Local Groups.

She also expressed her thanks to the fantastic ISM staff team and those many volunteers who have supported the ISM activities during these challenging times.

The resolution to receive the annual report was proposed by John Perrin and seconded by Margaret Lion. The resolution was approved.

3. To receive and approve the Accounts of the ISM for the year ending 31 August 2021 and to receive the Auditor’s Report The Treasurer spoke to the accounts for the ISM and reported that the Society’s finances remain strong as a result of the continuing growth of the ISM membership. During the year the membership grew by 5% with a net growth of over 500 members, a superb achievement as the sector continued to face disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic. Income finished the year 17% higher at £2.02m. This significant increase was largely attributable to an uplift in the value of our listed investments which increased by £277k and was a result of the stock market’s recovery from the significant drops seen in the previous year.

Membership subscription income increased by 4% during 2020/21; this is due to the continued growth in members, as subscription fees were frozen for the year and it was ensured that no member paid more in fees than they had during the previous year. However, income from cable royalties, namely the BBC, continued to decrease year on year with a reduction of 8.6% against 2019/20.

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The resolution to receive and approve the accounts was proposed by Veronica Henderson and seconded

by Jill Colton. The resolution was approved.

4. To receive the report on the ISM Members Fund and ISM Trust 2020/21 The Chief Executive spoke to the report of the Members Fund for the period ending 31 August 2021 which was for information only.

It was reported that face-to-face counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy had been added to the 24-hour personal support and advice line and that a pilot physiotherapy service had been launched.

Demand for these services grew over the year.

However, the intended launch of a service to support hearing health had been postponed due to the COVID19 pandemic. The Fund continued to prioritise support for members through the pandemic and through a partnership with Help Musicians distributed over £141k in hardship grants to 438 members.

The Chief Executive reported on the resources which had been produced by the Fund and the debt advice hub which had been created in partnership with StepChange.

During the reporting period income was £102k and expenditure was £258k meaning there was a deficit of £156k before realised and unrealised gains/losses on the revaluation of investments. Expenditure via direct charitable activities increased by £112k to £243k largely due to the introduction of the Fund’s Coronavirus Hardship Scheme which ran from February to August 2021. On 31 August 2021 free reserves totalled £243k, which was well above the target range, and the total funds held were £4.08m.

The Chief Executive then provided a short report on the ISM Trust activities for the period ending 31 August 2021 for information only.

The Trust’s activity throughout 2020/21 centred around continuing to support musicians to navigate the ongoing challenges to the profession. Teach Meets were held in May and June 2021. There were 74 attendees across three events for primary,

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | ISM AGM MINUTES

secondary and music hub teachers. The Trust was commissioned by the National College to produce six bespoke webinars on curriculum music at primary and secondary level. The Trust also extended its partnership with ABRSM to renew the inclusion of two Trust webinars in its Becoming a better music teacher course on Future Learn to spring 2022.

Across the year the Trust delivered 19 webinars.

Through a partnership with Scottish technology startup Delic, the Trust embarked upon a series of webinars on topics such as using merchandise to diversify your revenue. This will continue into 2021/22.

The Trust embarked upon a four-year partnership with NMC Records to support its Discover hub on the newly relaunched NMC website. Sales of the Trust’s publications Play and Performance Anxiety continued to perform strongly with 40 and 57 sales respectively across the year.

The Friends of the ISM Trust membership was overhauled to make the member benefits more relevant and accordingly the price was reduced to £25 per annum. This resulted in an increase in members with membership standing at 117 as at 31 August 2021.

During the reporting period, total income fell to £59k and expenditure fell to £51k providing a surplus of £8k. The ISM did not provide a donation to support the work of the Trust as the Trust had sufficient reserves to carry out its charitable activities. The Trustees acknowledged with thanks a legacy from the estate of the late Thomas Johnstone Prentice which made the work of the Trust possible. Total donations and legacies received during the year were £50k. As at 31 August 2021 the Trust had £90k of unrestricted reserves to carry forward.

The Chief Executive closed her report by setting out that the Trust would continue to offer information to support the sector around key issues such as music education, how to navigate Brexit and the ongoing impact of COVID-19.

Council and the President expressed her thanks as well.

7. To note the election of the elected Members of Council and the appointment of Appointed Members of Council ISM members were asked to note the following appointment and elections to Council as of 7 May 2022. Three members filled the Elected vacancies.

Stuart Beattie for Scotland and Northern Ireland, Dani Howard for the South and Vijay Prakash for the East.

With regards to the Appointed vacancies, Miranda Harmer and Dr Jeremy Huw Williams were appointed to Council.

Pauline Black was appointed by Council as President Elect.

8. To confirm the time and place of the next AGM The next AGM will be held in April 2023 and more details will be released to the membership in due course.

OPEN FORUM The President opened the discussion and invited members present to ask any questions or raise any matters for discussion.

Members raised concerns about music education in the state sector compared with the private sector particularly with the disparity in the funding levels and how music was viewed and used in those schools.

The benefits of teaching music to children in terms of wellbeing, how to manage emotions, and listening and focusing skills were raised. It was suggested that a map of where music provision was weakest should be published. The question of how to bypass policymakers was also raised. Members also raised diversity in music with continuing examples of bad practice when dealing with such matters.

The Chief Executive in response to the discussion around music education indicated that such 5. To reappoint Lindeyer Francis Ferguson Limited as Auditors for the ISM and to authorise the Council conversations were vital and urged members to read the latest ISM report entitled: Music: A subject in peril? to fix their income She further noted that there were many places in the The resolution to reappoint Lindeyer Francis Ferguson state sector where music was thriving but that the ISM Limited as auditors and to authorise the Council would consider writing to school governors, multito fix their income was proposed by Christopher academy trusts and local authorities where it was not.

Tinker and seconded by Margaret Lion. The resolution The production of resources by the ISM Trust was also was approved. a method by which the ISM could ensure that high quality music teaching was taking place.

6. To note the retirement of members of the The President concluded the meeting and closed the Council Forum at 12.10.

ISM members were asked to note that the following Council members retired at 7 May 2022: Dr Marius Carboni, Beth Fagg, Dr Michelle Castelletti, Trevor Ford, Professor Steve Goss, Reg Fletcher and Alice Nicholls.

The Chief Executive thanked all the Council members for their contributions during their terms on the ISM

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

News & campaigns teachers on the contents of the draft NPME before it is finalised.

Read the letter in full: ism.org/news/ ism-letter-to-baroness-barran

ISM responds to the Schools White Paper The Department for Education (DfE) has released the first Schools White Paper since 2016.

Entitled Opportunity for All, it aims to make sure every child has an excellent teacher who delivers high standards of curriculum, behaviour and attendance, and puts targeted support in place for those who need it, all underpinned by a stronger and fairer school system in England.

Much of the paper’s focus is on English and maths, with cultural education mentioned in just one paragraph: ‘As part of a richer school week, all children Why Lady Barran should not dismiss should be entitled to take part in sport, music and ‘crisis’ in creative subjects cultural opportunities. These opportunities are an essential part of a broad and ambitious curriculum, Deborah Annetts, Chief Executive of the ISM, has written to Baroness Barran, the Minister for the School and support children’s health, wellbeing and wider development, particularly as we recover from the System, about the Baroness’s recent denial that pandemic. The government will publish updated plans creative subjects are struggling in English schools. to support sport and music education in 2022, and will Lady Barran’s comment was made in a Lords’ debate publish a cultural education plan in 2023, working with about the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) and creative the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport subjects in schools. In response to a question from and Arts Council England. This will include how best to Lord Storey, Lady Barran stated: ‘We simply do not support young people who wish to pursue careers in accept that there is a crisis in creative subjects.’ our creative and cultural industries.’

The ISM believes this seriously underestimates The ISM welcomes the government’s commitment the problems facing subjects such as music in to music as part of the school week. Music brings English schools. enormous educational and emotional benefits to The letter relayed findings from the ISM’s latest report, students. However, additional funding will be required Music: A subject in peril?, which showed that music to ensure music education is delivered to all schools has been badly damaged by years of underfunding and at a high standard. and the effects of accountability measures such as We also look forward to engaging with the government the EBacc and Progress 8. It also points out concerns over the recent Schools White Paper, which has moved on the new cultural education plan. We have sought assurances from the DfE that funding for this plan will from talking about a ‘broad and balanced’ curriculum not be at the detriment of funding for Music Education to a ‘broad and ambitious’ one, suggesting a possible Hubs or indeed impact music funding in any way. narrowing of focus away from creative subjects such as music.

Read the White Paper and the ISM’s response: ism.org/news/ Finally, the letter enquired about the refreshed New ism-response-to-schools-white-paper Plan for Music Education (NPME), which was due to be published in early 2022, and requested assurances that the government will keep its promise to consult

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

ISM members respond to government consultation on its damaging plans for Higher Education Many thanks to all ISM members who responded to the Department for Education’s consultation on its plans to reform Higher Education (HE) courses.

These include introducing caps on student numbers and restricting access to loans. The ISM believes the proposals will cause particular harm to arts courses, as well as damaging the government’s own levellingup agenda.

The consultation was part of the DfE’s Review of Post18 Education and Funding, and an independent panel, chaired by Sir Philip Augar, produced a report for the review in May 2019. The consultation builds upon the HE elements of that report.

The ISM drafted a model response to the consultation, which we also submitted as an organisation.

Read the consultation’s details and our response: ism.org/news/ism-responds-to-damaginggovernment-higher-education-proposals

• a ‘Making Music with Others’ initiative, including opportunities for children and young people in secondary schools to gain industry experience through working alongside musicians and creative industries • a new national instrument and equipment library to support access to a resource bank to be shared across Wales.

To learn more about ISM members feedback on our work, see our feature on page 4

On launching the plan, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: ‘The establishment of a National Music Service for Wales is an important commitment in our Programme for Government and I’m delighted that we are delivering on this pledge.

Learning an instrument was a formative part of my upbringing and a lack of money should not be a barrier to any young person who wants to learn to play music.

We are fortunate in Wales to have a strong tradition of school, county and national ensembles, and we want to make sure that our children and young people are able to play a full part in these. This funding will support music services in schools and within the community to help nurture our young musical talent.’

The ISM is encouraged by this plan and will monitor implementation and progress closely.

Encouraging signs in Welsh National Plan for Music Education

Find out more about the plan: ism.org/news/ npme-wales-launched

The Welsh National Plan for Music Education has been released. Measures in the plan, which take effect in September, include: • funding trebled, with £13.5m invested over the next three years • a review of music tutors’ terms and conditions • a ‘First Experiences’ programme to offer children in primary schools a minimum of half a term of musical instrument taster sessions

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Update your preferences by contacting our membership team at membership@ism.org Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | NEWS & CAMPAIGNS

Cabotage solution offers little help to touring musicians Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced new provisions for specialist hauliers, aimed at ensuring British artists can tour more freely between Great Britain and the EU.

Discrimination in the music sector survey The ISM has been surveying those who work in the UK music sector on ‘discrimination in the music sector’.

The survey was a follow up to our 2018 survey, which found widespread discrimination across the music The new measure, called ‘dual registration’, will allow sector. This data was shared through the ISM’s important specialist hauliers working on touring to register Dignity at Work report and shaped our calls for legislative their vehicles in both the UK and the EU order to change. It also led to the creation of the Joint Code of travel between Britain and the EU without cabotage Practice with the Musicians’ Union, which asks music restrictions. The measure is temporary and will benefit organisations to sign up to a set of principles and hold large haulage companies working on extensive tours. themselves to those standards. Over 115 organisations have signed up to the Code so far.

However, as ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts The new survey, which covered all protected characteristics pointed out, it is not a solution for all touring as defined in the Equality Act 2010, aimed to find companies and artists: whether there has there been any cultural change in ‘While this announcement is welcome news for the sector since the ISM’s last report, or if those working large hauliers, it is not a fix for the entirety of the in music, including education, are still subject to music sector. inappropriate behaviours and discrimination.

Organisations such as orchestras that have their own The results will be published in a new report and will specialist vehicles for touring are not likely to benefit inform our campaigning work, including formulating and still face the difficulties and significant expense meaningful solutions that will affect culture. Legislative of cabotage. Medium-sized hauliers supporting change may be part of the required solutions. smaller-scale tours may not have the resources to take advantage of “dual registration”.

ISM President Vick Bain said, ‘We need a music sector that is as open, inclusive, and safe as possible. We The Transport Secretary should treat this know through experience and research that our sector announcement as one step towards fixing the issues with cabotage and work towards a cultural exemption has at times fallen below the high standards that every musician and those in the workforce should from cabotage. That is the measure that will benefit expect. We are also acutely aware of the sometimes all touring musicians and industries.’ devastating consequences to individuals that can Read details here: ism.org/news/ occur as a result of experiencing discrimination.’ changes-to-cabotage-restrictions-announced Read about the survey: ism.org/news/discriminationin-the-music-sector-survey-launched Read Kathryn Williams’ blog on why we undertook this research: ism.org/blog/why-we-are-surveyingthe-music-sector-about-discrimination

Help to grow the ISM community Encourage your musician friends and colleagues to become ISM members and save money on your membership fee. Each time someone new joins the ISM after your recommendation, we’ll give you up to £20 off your membership fee.

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Recommend us to enough musicians and you could get your next year’s membership free of charge!

Find full details at: ism.org/recommend

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | LEGAL & BUSINESS

Know your rights – Employment status Stuart Darke, the ISM’s Director of Legal Services, answers some key questions to help you understand the legal rights of musicians and music teachers in their workplaces Employment status is the gateway to key legal rights at work, but can be a complex minefield for many musicians, especially music teachers.

Above: Stuart Darke Photo: Kirsten Peter

To make matters even more complicated, the test used by HMRC to decide whether you are ‘selfemployed’ for tax and national insurance purposes is not the same as the test used to decide what, if any, statutory employment rights you have at work.

You can be lawfully paying all your tax and national insurance on a self-employed basis while at the same time being a worker with statutory rights, such as a right to holiday pay or to protection from discrimination at work.

Many musicians operate on a genuinely selfemployed basis and are true freelancers. They run their own businesses, take financial risks in relation to activities, provide their own equipment and set their own hourly rates and other terms of business. These musicians have no employment rights because they are neither employees nor workers.

The contract document I have signed says I am a self-employed contractor – isn’t that the end of the matter?

Following the landmark Supreme Court ruling of Uber v Aslam [2021], when deciding whether someone qualifies for statutory employment rights, the Employee, worker and genuinely self-employed – employer’s documents (such as a written contract what is the difference, and why does it matter? asserting that the relationship is one of selfemployment) are not the end of the matter. Instead, Employees have the strongest legal protection, especially after two years of working. The more control what matters is how the relationship operates day to day. an organisation exerts over you, the more likely you are to be an employee. You can be an employee even The way to work out whether someone is likely to be if you have no guaranteed hours, and even if your a worker or an employee is to examine all the facts to employment contract is not written down. see how the relationship works day to day. If there is a high degree of control, you cannot send a substitute Workers lie in between employees and those who and you cannot negotiate your own fee then you are are self-employed. A worker is not fully independent more likely to be a worker or employee. of the ‘employer’ and there is still a degree of control although less than an employee. Workers have some important rights, such as a right to holiday pay, but miss out on important employee rights that are linked to job security, such as protection from unfair dismissal and redundancy, or the ability to access different forms of statutory parental leave.

Employment status – and the rights that stem from that status – is a complex and difficult issue. ISM members with concerns can email legal@ism.org for advice and access a range of resources on the website.

Gift ISM membership from just £15!

Have a pupil or know a musician who would benefit from the support, protection, and representation of the ISM? Purchase a gift ISM membership from just £15 today.

A gift ISM membership makes a great birthday or graduation present, or even a thoughtful way to congratulate someone on a new job or exam result.

Full details at ism.org/gift-membership

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | HARRISON BIRTWISTLE

Sir Harrison Birtwistle: An appreciation Clare Stevens reflects on some aspects of the life and work of the distinguished composer, who died earlier this year

Above: Clare Stevens Photo: Bruce Childs

Read our next feature to discover more about recent musical events in the West Midlands

Exploring the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry a few weeks ago, I was encouraged by enthusiastic gallery staff to visit Be Yourself; Everyone Else is Already Taken, the first solo exhibition in his home town devoted to the work of artist, designer and campaigner Daniel Lismore.

Several large rooms were full of spectacular life-size sculptures, dressed in extravagant garments made from vintage fabrics, jewellery and found objects.

Suddenly I found myself in a smaller room where the costumes seemed oddly familiar.

an irritating distraction from the music and from the superb performances by the singers and orchestra.

This was the opposite of my experience of seeing the original production of the opera 30 years previously when, new to contemporary music, I liked the more naturalistic setting but found Birtwistle’s music difficult to understand or relate to.

Tenor Daniel Norman, who sang the role of Orpheus the Myth in the recent production, admits that many people who had seen the original 1986 staging by Jocelyn Herbert found Lismore’s visuals for Predominantly featuring shocking pink, except the 2019 version distracting. But for the performers for some shiny turquoise nurses’ uniforms, they were he says it was a really joyful experience: ‘The director, the garish costumes from English National Opera Daniel Kramer, had immersed himself in the piece (ENO)’s 2019 production of The Mask of Orpheus by and really loved it; every day there was this real sense Harrison Birtwistle, which I had actually seen; but then of discovery and adventure in the rehearsal room. the pandemic came along and wiped so much from There was something about Harry’s music that really our memories, including my recollection that Daniel enforced that.’

Lismore had been the opera’s designer. At the time I found the provocative flamboyance of the costumes

Left: Sir Harrison Birtwistle Photo: Philip Gatward Right: Conductor Martyn Brabbins (left) in conversation with Sir Harrison Birtwistle about his work Photo: Screenshot from BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra video / YouTube

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | HARRISON BIRTWISTLE

Birtwistle would probably have enjoyed the story of my unexpected encounter with the Orpheus costumes. He loved surprises, serendipity and looking at a musical, visual or thematic subject from different perspectives. There is a charming illustration of his delight in the unpredictable on the NMC Records Discovery website (funded by the ISM Trust), where Birtwistle demonstrates the intriguing sonic and visual patterns made by a pebble found on Aldeburgh beach when it is placed on a glass table … it even changes direction. (nmcrec.co.uk/discover/ harrison-birtwistles-aleatoric-pebble)

Top: Celebrating Birtwistle in Birmingham – Sir Harrison Birtwistle with conductor Geoffrey Paterson and BCMG Photo: Hannah Blake-Father Above: The Mask of Orpheus Photo: Alastair Muir / English National Opera

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Jonathan Cross, Professor of Musicology at the University of Oxford and the author of two books on Birtwistle’s music, sees the two approaches to the opera as completing a circle, from its roots in 1960s experimentalism to a contemporary presentation that appealed to a new, young public not even born when it was premiered: ‘It was … thrilling to observe a new generation finding its own way in to Birtwistle’s music and being enthused by it,’ Cross wrote in a tribute to the composer following his death earlier this year.

Although a self-confessedly shy man and a famously inscrutable and enigmatic interviewee, Birtwistle did agree to talk about his work quite frequently over the course of his career, explaining how he conceived pieces in his head, usually more or less complete, often while listening to a performance of an existing piece or while looking at a painting or engaged in a practical task. Asked if he then jotted down notes as an aide memoire, he said he ‘didn’t need to’, but that he did find the process of transferring his thoughts to manuscript paper very boring. One piece usually grew out of another, with the same basic material recurring and being developed in different ways, often over many years or even decades.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | HARRISON BIRTWISTLE

‘I see each piece as a texture and in that I will hear something that can be developed further,’ he said in the 2014 Robin Orr Lecture at the Cambridge University.

‘I don’t rewrite, not because I ever think anything is perfect, but because I’m always more interested in what is coming next.’

Elaborating on his compositional technique, he added: ‘It’s as if the whole of the piece is there in your imagination. As soon as you sit down [to write] the idea fades and the interpretation takes over, so it becomes something else, for example if you imagine a place you haven’t been to … the idea of it grows in your head, and then when you go there that vision is replaced by reality.’

Birtwistle began his musical studies as a clarinettist, having played in the military band in his home town of Accrington before taking up a place at what was then the Royal Manchester, now Royal Northern College of Music. He was close friends with his contemporaries Peter Maxwell Davies and Alexander Goehr, and joined them, trumpeter Elgar Howarth and pianist John Ogdon in setting up the New Music Manchester group to explore the works of early 20th-century composers and also the newer music coming out of Paris and Darmstadt; but it was not until he had completed a postgraduate course in performance at the Royal Academy of Music and two years’ national service with the Band of the Royal Artillery that he sold his clarinets and concentrated on his career as a composer.

A Harkness Scholarship to Princeton, USA enabled him to complete Punch and Judy, the first of his seven operas, and he also spent several formative years as musical director of the newly-established National Theatre. His substantial catalogue includes both large-scale orchestral works and numerous pieces for chamber ensemble, but even his more abstract music often has a consciously theatrical or dramatic element.

Above: Daniel Norman (centre) singing the role of Judas in The Last Supper Photo: Alex Woodward BBC

Daniel Norman recalls being intrigued by Birtwistle’s music long before he had a chance to perform it: ‘I saw his opera Yan Tan Tethera on TV when I was quite young, I didn’t quite know what I was seeing or hearing but I was fascinated by it; then I went to see The Second Mrs Kong at Glyndebourne and thought it was amazing; and then I saw the second, shorter version of Gawain and the Green Knight at the Royal Opera House, and it was unlike anything else I had experienced before – or since!’

Norman has sung the role of Judas in The Last Supper with the London Sinfonietta and with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed in Yan Tan Tethera with the Britten Sinfonia. Did Birtwistle write gratefully for the voice?

‘Yes, I would say so, I find it technically easier than some Mozart or Beethoven. He writes long, arching lines, and the best way to approach them is to take a lyrical, classical approach. His music is quite hard to learn, especially if you try to just learn it in your head and then sing it. There are no short cuts; you have to really sing it into the body. But once it’s there, it’s really gratifying to perform.

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | HARRISON BIRTWISTLE

Above: The Mask of Orpheus Photos: Alastair Muir / English National Opera

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‘He never interfered,’ says Norman. ‘He would happily answer questions, and he would come to a lot of rehearsals; it was always fantastic to have him there. He would never say, “no, this means this, you don’t understand”, but if you asked him a question he would do his best to answer it. I had a great chat with him once about how to approach the role of Orpheus the Myth, because it’s hard to “play” a concept. I wanted to find some sort of character in the part, with thoughts and intentions. Harry and I sat down with the score and I was able to bounce ideas off him, and he was open to that. He had confidence in what he had done, but he was never prescriptive.’

‘I was delighted to be asked if I would consider the part in The Mask of Orpheus; I was never likely to At a time when contemporary classical music say no, but I did feel I needed to go into the Bodleian receives so little public attention, it was pleasing Library first and look at the score, think about the to see how much space and time were devoted to orchestration and work out how it would suit my voice. tributes to Birtwistle in newspapers and on broadcast ‘It was fine, but learning it was a slow process, media when his death was announced. No doubt this because you have to know the music really well so was partly because he was held in such regard by the that when you come to perform it you can really music profession, but also because of the notoriety concentrate on the text. Even if it is going to be difficult he achieved when his saxophone concerto Panic for someone hearing the piece for the first time to was included in the Last Night of the Proms in 1995 understand what’s going on, as the performer you and broadcast together with the popular second-half have to know why the character is saying something works on BBC One. A huge audience was taken by and how it will affect the other characters. Sometimes surprise by a musical style which many found alien, that will mean finding a motivation that is nowhere abrasive and much too loud, and the BBC switchboard near what Harry’s thoughts were or what the librettist received many complaints. intended when the piece was written.’

But for Birtwistle’s many fans, much of his music is Did Birtwistle get closely involved with the details characterised by beauty and delicacy. Daniel Norman of a production, or did he just hand over the score to says the passages that come to mind for him are the company and let the producer and performers sort slow-moving and lyrical, ‘quite serene, actually, and it out? all the more so because of the violence of some of the louder stuff’.

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | HARRISON BIRTWISTLE

Hearing snatches of the music on the day he died, Gillian Moore, Head of Music at the Southbank Centre, who knew Birtwistle very well, posted on Facebook that she was ‘caught off guard by how much it haunts and moves me: the opening of Secret Theatre and Silbury Air, the end of The Mask of Orpheus, Earth Dances. Even the snatch of Panic they played on the news to illustrate the shock factor was one of those long, haunting melodic lines with machines twittering around it which, for me, seemed like glorious simplicity at that moment.

‘Knowing Harry made life more vivid,’ she added.

‘Going to an exhibition with him and seeing it through his eyes, talking about his garden or the exact balance of paint colours that he’d created in his house, or about poetry or popular films and TV; and specially about food. He had great, simple taste in many things and was creative in many aspects of life beyond music.’

Sir Harrison Birtwistle, composer b. Accrington, Lancashire, 15 July 1943 d. Mere, Wiltshire, 18 April 2022 Birtwistle was one of the leading European figures in contemporary music, whose works combined a modernist aesthetic with mythic power and emotional impact. He took his inspiration from contemporary art and the rituals of classical mythology and pre-history.

Orchestral works of recent decades included The Shadow of Night commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra; The Moth Requiem, for 12 sopranos, three harps and alto flute, premiered by the Netherlands Chamber Choir; and concertos for violinist Christian Tetzlaff and pianist PierreLaurent Aimard.

Stage works included The Last Supper for Glyndebourne, The Minotaur for The Royal Opera, The Io Passion, The Corridor and The Cure.

Birtwistle won the 1986 Grawemeyer Award, 1995 Siemens Prize and 2015 Wihuri Sibelius Prize.

Noted conductors of his music included Boulez, Howarth, Eötvös, Knussen, Rattle, Dohnányi, Barenboim and Pappano.

With thanks to his publisher, Boosey & Hawkes boosey.com/composer/Harrison+Birtwistle

Right: Duets in a Frame Photo: Jack Woodhouse / London Sinfonietta

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | MUSIC IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

Music in the West Midlands As Coventry concludes its term as UK City of Culture, Clare Stevens considers the impact and legacy of its musical programme and looks forward to Birmingham’s Commonwealth Games Festival

Coventry – City of Culture 2021–22

Read our previous feature to learn more about Harrison Birtwistle.

Costumes by Daniel Lismore from the production of The Mask of Orpheus

by Harrison Birtwistle are currently on display at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry

Left: Images of Coventry City of Culture Photos clockwise from top left: Five Six Photography; Coventry CoC21; Clare Stevens; Toyin Dawudu

When the official programme for Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture came to an end in May, early analysis revealed that 389,705 tickets had been issued for live events, with a further estimated audience of 136,916 attending unticketed live events across the city. The online audience, so important for the events affected by lockdown, is still growing and is currently estimated at over 516,000 for events created by the Coventry City of Culture Trust and its partners. (The results excluded the Public Art programme, participation and workshop activity figures, and the creative programme funded by the Trust but delivered by partner organisations, which will be reported in the final evaluation, due in 2024.)

Coventry was crowned as the third UK City of Culture in December 2017, but the pandemic meant that events originally scheduled to run from January 2021 did not start until May. The competition is run every four years by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, but is not directly supported by government funding; the idea is that shining a spotlight on a city or region will foster partnerships and encourage investment through business initiatives, arts sponsorship and tourism. Coventry secured more than £172m of direct investment to support the programme of events, the activities of the Trust, and a major upgrade programme of the city’s public realm and cultural assets.

Although the year was punctuated by major national events such as the Turner Prize taking place in Coventry, the city put ‘co-creation’ at the centre of its programme, valuing local stories and the latent creativity across the city. This deeply rooted way of working, recently presented as ‘The Coventry Model’, delivered a range of both intimate events and high impact activities to deliver long-lasting social value.

Embedding engagement at a hyper-local level, it saw city communities including faith groups, community

centres, libraries, schools, community radio stations, the police, and local arts organisations all helping to shape and design the creative programme.

The music programme included the UK’s first ever exhibition devoted solely to the 2 Tone sound, which originated in Coventry’s thriving music scene of the 1970s. The legendary 2 Tone record label was founded in 1979 by Jerry Dammers of The Specials; alongside the iconic tunes there was a desire to transcend and defuse racial tensions in Britain at that time. The exhibition took place at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in the centre of the city, augmenting its existing permanent displays on Coventry’s musical life by delving more deeply into the world of 2 Tone. It was put together in partnership with the independent Coventry Music Museum, founded in 2013 and run as a labour of love by local music historian and journalist Pete Chambers, his wife Julie and a team of volunteers. Chambers is keen to stress that although 2 Tone is its USP, 55% of the museum is devoted to non-ska related displays, looking at music from Rugby, Leamington, Nuneaton, Bedworth and even Birmingham as well as Coventry.

Asked if the City of Culture events have benefited the Music Museum, Chambers says the partnership with the Herbert worked perfectly, with most visitors attending both venues. ‘The Specials were in the city, which was great; we got on the telly a few times and I was advisory editor for a 2 Tone magazine. It all helped to raise awareness of Coventry’s unique musical identity, so that was an obvious case of things improving for us.’

New public spaces created for City of Culture included the Assembly Festival Garden, which has hosted concerts, circus, comedy, acts such as The Choir of Man and the Soweto Gospel Choir, musicals and children’s shows. It features the double-decker Queen of Flanders spiegeltent, billed as the largest of its kind in the world. ‘There have been some great gigs at Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | MUSIC IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

Above left: Celebrating 2-Tone at Coventry Music Museum Above right: Choir of Man

the Assembly Festival Garden, that felt – in the nicest possible way – like you weren’t in Coventry at all,’ says Chambers. ‘We also had the BBC Big Weekends of Live Music bookending the year, Radio 2 in 2021 and Radio 1 this year, and they involved local artists. Terry Hall of The Specials programmed some interesting gigs at the cathedral and one of our other main venues, the HMV Empire, was refurbished and has hosted some big names.

‘It’s hard to tell how much of the activity was directly due to City of Culture,’ he adds, ‘but we should be able to build on the interest there has been as a result of the extra events. I’d like to think there will be a legacy, and there are some encouraging signs; for example we’re working on establishing an annual 2 Tone Day.’ Chambers is closely involved with the Godiva Festival, which takes place in the War Memorial Park on the first weekend of September. ‘It used to be Europe’s biggest free festival and it’s still very cheap though no longer free. It’s always a good event and it will be interesting to see if it attracts more people this year, when the headliners are The Libertines.’

A highlight of the City of Culture music programme was the New Music Biennial (NMB) on 22–24 April, presented in partnership with PRS Foundation, Southbank Centre in London, BBC Radio 3 and NMC Recordings, with support from Arts Council England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Launched in 2012 as New Music 20×12, part of the Cultural Olympiad programme, the festival creates a world-class programme of commissions.

This year it took place in three venues a short walk from one another: Coventry Cathedral, the historic Drapers Hall, and the HMV Empire. Each hour-long event consisted of a performance of a 15-minute piece, followed by a Q&A with the composer or one of the artists involved, and then a second performance of the same piece, giving the audience a greater appreciation of the work and the artistic intention behind it. (The programme will be reprised in the same format at the Southbank Centre 1–3 July.)

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‘To celebrate the ten-year anniversary of NMB we decided to include ten new pieces that were applied for by an open call, and ten existing pieces that were selected by a panel,’ explains Elizabeth Sills, Grants and Programmes Manager for the PRS Foundation. ‘It was great to hear the existing pieces again, sometimes with different performers or in different guises.

‘For example there was Jason Yarde’s SKIP, DASH, FLOW, which was inspired by the Olympics and full of amazing rhythms, and Illusions, a multimedia piece

by Philip Venables and David Hoyle with a powerful political message, that was written for the London Sinfonietta to perform immediately after the 2015 General Election. Hearing it again in 2022, it was clear how relevant it still is.’

The new works included Towards Renewal, composed by Philip Herbert for the BBC Concert Orchestra; Breathlines by Toby Young, commissioned by the Armonico Consort and featuring saxophonist Amy Dickson in an exploration of the importance of breath, newly appreciated by us all in the light of COVID-19; The Crossing, created by sitarist Roopa Panesar with jazz pianist Al MacSween for Opera North; From the Vestry, a shifting, disorientating vision of club music commissioned by event producers Serious and performed by South London vocalist and DJ Coby Sey; Yazz Ahmed’s surround-sound sonic artwork The Moon Has Become; and It for vocal ensemble, electronics & violin by Rakhi Singh, Vessel & NYX Electronic Drone Choir.

‘It was wonderful to have the National Youth Orchestra, National Youth Brass Band and National Youth Choir involved in various pieces this year,’ says Sills. ‘Wonderbrass, which performed the Jason Yarde piece, also includes some young players. NMB is a Keychange Pledge signatory festival, so we achieved gender equality across composer programming which was not a struggle and greatly benefits all involved – we hope this encourages more festivals and programmers to go further.’

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | MUSIC IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

NMB always attracts a lot of attention from the contemporary classical music world and social media posts popped up over the weekend from composers, performers and programmers who had never been to Coventry before and were impressed by their discoveries. But Sills says the festival was well supported by locals too.

and soundscapes, taking audiences on a physical journey between the new cathedral and the ruins of the original site, retelling the history of the space and exploring themes of reconciliation and sanctuary that characterise the city.

It could be argued that Coventry Cathedral, the city’s best-known venue, saved the best until last, celebrating the 60th anniversary of its consecration with a special service on 25 May where the music included pieces performed at the Consecration in 1962 as well as part of a new Coventry Missa Brevis by Matthew Martin.

‘But City of Culture spurred us to get back in action quickly; we’ve done some performances that we would not normally have done, forged new partnerships and found new audiences. And it’s been an excellent platform for launching our £1 million diamond jubilee appeal for the restoration of our Harrison and Harrison pipe organ, considered to be of outstanding national significance.’

Coventry Cathedral Choir took centre stage in the piece, joined by singers from Spires Music and The ‘The events were free but ticketed, and a lot sold Choir With No Name, conducted by the cathedral’s out in advance, which is pretty impressive. Walking Director of Music, Canadian organist Rachel Mahon. through town we could hear local people talking about She has only been in post since 2020 so the City of the biennial. Audience numbers were very high for Culture programme was already determined when she almost everything; you saw the same people walking arrived, and her task was to work out how to make it around and turning up at different performances, and happen, in the middle of the pandemic. they were keen to stay around for the interviews and ‘It has been a very busy year for the choir, which repeat performances. The cathedral and Drapers’ Hall has been challenging as like all choirs we’ve had to were really stunning venues, and we had a few pieces rebuild after the hiatus when we were not allowed to that involved visuals which worked really well at the sing together, and that has a particularly devastating HMV Empire. We had wonderful teams working in effect on cathedral choirs that include young these venues and they were encouraging local people choristers, who learn from one another by osmosis in to come in and see the performances. It was great to a tradition that until COVID-19 came along had been see a new music festival bringing in that many people, unbroken,’ she says. ‘Recruiting new choristers has and it’s a real legacy for the city I hope.’ also been difficult.

Earlier in the year, three chilly January evenings had seen performances of Nitin Sawhney’s Ghosts in the Ruins, a response to Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem (famously premiered in the new cathedral in May 1962) that combined choral music, poetry

coventry2021.co.uk newmusicbiennial.co.uk coventrycathedral.org.uk

Below left: Symphonic Sessions with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at Hockey Social Club Photo: Hannah Fathers Below right: Ghosts in the Ruins at Coventry Cathedral Photo: FiveSix Photography

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | MUSIC IN THE WEST MIDLANDS

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Festival At the end of May Bradford was named as UK City of Culture for 2025, but the spotlight remains on the West Midlands for the next few months, as Birmingham prepares to host the Commonwealth Games, from 28 July – 8 August. Underpinned by the core values of humanity, equality and destiny, the games aim to unite the Commonwealth family through a glorious festival of sport. Often referred to as the ‘Friendly Games’, the event is renowned for inspiring athletes to compete in the spirit of friendship and fair play.

Below: Symphony Hall and the new Birmingham Central Library, Centenary Square, Birmingham

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and closing ceremonies for the games, and youth programmes to enable children and young people to develop new skills. The aim is that once the official programme concludes, the region’s vibrant cultural life will continue to thrive.

Asked about the likely impact of the festival on musical life in the region, Stephen Maddock, chief executive of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra said: ‘This is a very wide-ranging festival, with events on every scale from the spectacular Opening Ceremony (which will feature a lot of music alongside dance, theatre and spectacle) to the smaller grass-roots activities in Birmingham’s Alongside the sporting activities and beyond to the neighbourhoods. end of September runs the Birmingham 2022 Festival, ‘The festival is providing lots of work for a £12 million cultural celebration, supported by a Birmingham-based artists and arts organisations, range of funders with the aim of animating the entire which is very welcome at this time. It has also West Midlands with ambitious creative works. Major galvanized the completion of many city centre building support has been dedicated by Arts Council England projects, which bodes well for audience access to the and the National Lottery Heritage Fund plus Spirit of city centre once the games are over.

2012, Birmingham City Council and national Trusts & ‘In terms of audience engagement it is probably Foundations such as the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. too soon to tell, but we certainly hope that the Birmingham 2022 is the biggest celebration of exposure / spotlight on Birmingham this summer will creativity ever in the region and one of the largest ever be to the benefit of everyone working in the music Commonwealth Games cultural programmes. The sector here. We plan to put on a great show! plan was simple, say the organisers: clearly lay out the opportunity, listen intently to the response, and curate Birmingham2022.com/festival as much of what was proposed back into a festival that cbso.co.uk was so free, and so publicly available, that it would bradford2025.co.uk be positively disruptive! It will include the opening

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Professional development The ISM and ISM Trust provide a huge range of resources, advice packs, webinars and events for ISM members and the wider sector. Head to our website to discover everything from our How to… guides which cover topics like getting into music teaching, working with an artist manager, and marketing yourself effectively, to our webinar archive with episodes on safeguarding, copyright, neurodiversity, and lots more.

You can also catch up with our recent Teach Meet seminars and digital conferences The Empowered Musician, Building for the future, and Where to next for music education?

Catch up on events at: ism.org/seminars

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

New album from The Girls in Belfast Heart the Magnesium Dress A new piano-based musical What do Japanese anime, harp, double bass and contemporary classical music have in common?

So far, little or nothing. Since April 2022, however, a full album by The Girls in the Magnesium Dress (Anna Astesano harp, Valentina Ciardelli double bass), entitled Rūtsu, has redefined these bonds.

experience will help you escape to a world of jigs, reels, sweeping mountains, winding roads, sunrises g g and magical kingdoms.

which require the performers to perform solo fragments freely, in spontaneous juxtaposition with one another, like mobiles. Constellations was commissioned by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and premiered in 2010. paramvir.net londonsinfonietta.org.uk/ whats-on/musicians-tomorrow-4

Taking the Japanese composer Miyagi (1900) as a starting point, the album travels around the worlds of Ravel, Stravinsky and Puccini to land on contemporary compositions, notably Mr Hirano’s Elegy, dedicated to and composed for the duo.

Rūtsu represents a turning point in the contemporary chamber music world, taking inspiration from the cultural revolution, and the string quartet experienced during the 18th century, especially for the figure of Luigi Boccherini. anna.astesano.com ruutsu. thegirlsinthemagnesiumdress.com

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Belfast Heart is an album of relaxing and uplifting piano music. There are 12 tracks, consisting of five beautifully reimagined Northern Irish folk songs alongside seven captivating original solos, all arranged, composed and performed by ISM member, teacher and Trinity examiner Darren Day.

Photo: Jen Rogers

Rūtsu (ルーツ, Japanese katakana alphabet) means ‘roots’. The recording explores the deep connections between the influences of Japanese art on Western culture and vice versa.

Nettle & Markham piano duo celebration at St Martin-in-the-Fields

David Nettle & Richard Markham will celebrate the 45th anniversary of their The track list includes ‘The Star of the piano duo at St Martin-in-the-Fields, County Down’, Belfast Heart’, ‘The Trafalgar Square, London on Thursday Mountains of Mourne’, ‘She moved 7 July at 7.30pm. They will perform through the fair’, ‘A wee Irish Spring’, Ravel’s Introduction & Allegro for ‘Kingdom of Mourne’ and ‘Danny Boy’. two pianos, followed by the original version of Rossini’s Petite Messe You can buy and download Belfast Solennelle with Edward Batting Heart from iTunes and Bandcamp. (harmonium), four distinguished soloists, The London Chorus and London premiere for conductor Ronald Corp. Rossini had a Constellations close association with Pleyel pianos and the 2.9-metre 1928 double piano Members of the London Sinfonietta to be used in the performance, one of and the London Sinfonietta Academy only a handful manufactured, is ideally 2022 will give the London premiere suited to the work, which Nettle & of Param Vir’s Constellations on Markham have performed in many Thursday 14 July 2022 in London [venue parts of the world. They were involved tbc] conducted by Geoffrey Paterson. in creating the Urtext OUP edition Constellations comprises a ritornello and their recording with the CBSO (The Milky Way) punctuated by three Chorus under Simon Halsey received soloistic constellations (Orion – Jewel critical acclaim. Among the duo’s of the Night Sky; The Plough – Tilling other recordings are Holst’s two-piano the Field; Pegasus – Dancing Horse)

ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS

The book is a great way to establish composer anniversaries and festivals.

version of The Planets (which won an MRA award for Best Chamber Music recording), Stravinsky’s four-hand transcriptions of The Rite of Spring and Petrushka and The Complete TwoPiano Works of Brahms. nettleandmarkham.com

Len Rhodes Music Dictionary of Composers The remarkable composer directory compiled by Len Rhodes (his ongoing lifetime project!) lists over 5,100 composers (!) chronologically and alphabetically – nationalities are also identified. Hundreds of contemporary composers are included, saving you hours looking for similar information online or in other reference books.

from across the globe. His most unexpected ‘thank you’ was from a prison rehabilitation course on the Thank you to my fellow ISM composers Caribbean island of Saint Kitts. for submitting their information.

Responding to his award, Stephen The Dictionary of Composers may be said, ‘I am overjoyed to receive such a purchased through Len Rhodes Music at prestigious award from YouTube. It is len-rhodes-music-inc.myshopify. extremely flattering that my videos, com/admin/products/9693504323 initially intended just for my own students, have now helped countless others around the world, to improve YouTube Award for their understanding of music.’

Stephen Wiles

Stephen Wiles, a teacher of music and computing in Sheffield, has been awarded a Silver YouTube Creator award for achieving more than 100k YouTube subscribers. His channel, MusicTheoryGuy, teaches aspiring musicians music theory.

stephenwiles.co.uk

Stephen’s videos, viewed more than nine million times, can be found embedded into a number of leading websites and have been recommended by newspapers, online musician resource guides, printed GCSE guides and classroom teachers

OBITUARIES, we are sorry to announce the deaths of the following members: Mr David E Cutforth FISM of Huddersfield Mr Anthony Gelsthorpe of Leicestershire

Miss Annemauraide Hamilton FISM of North Ayrshire

Mrs Judy Nicol MISM of Leicestershire Mr David Shillaw JP of Bridgend

Mrs Jenifer Lynch FISM of Hitchin

COMMENTS AND FEEDBACK Thank you so much for all your invaluable assistance with DBS application – it is a pleasure to be a member of the ISM. Mrs Marie Miller, ISM member since 2018

Thank you for the member update – it is really helpful.

Especially useful is the advice about living with COVID-19.

It gives more credence to what I have suggested to my private pupils.

Mrs Penelope Tweed, ISM member since 1984

Classified advertising HOW TO BOOK: please send advertisement requests and copy to the Incorporated Society of Musicians, 4–5 Inverness Mews, London W2 3JQ or email mj@ism.org. T: 020 7221 3499 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.

MUSIC LIBRARY for disposal – scores, books, orchestral parts etc. antlefleming@gmail.com

TIMPANI. Pair of Premier Concert (fibreglass) Pedal Timps. GC. £1,500 ono. 07974 412269

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NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Awards for Young Musicians Awards for Young Musicians has launched a series of filmed resources documenting its successful Arts Council funded Talent to Talent peer mentoring programme.

The programme enables young musicians to take the lead and discover their musical selves through sharing experiences with another musician at a different stage in their musical development.

The film series is a resource for music leaders. Each film explores a different theme, ranging from the purpose and process of music-based mentoring to developing skills and confidence in mentors and creating a successful mentoring environment.

Below photos: Weyside Productions

The full series is now available to watch on AYM’s YouTube Channel.

Middlesex University

Steinberg

The academic year at Middlesex University has been rounded off with a Degree Show Festival, featuring live performances from popular music students and alumni as well as screenings of animation and dance, featuring scores by musicians from all pathways. Relatedly, the Creative Graduates 2022 showcase website has been launched, following up successful initiatives in 2020 and 2021: creativegraduates.mdx.ac.uk/

Want to enjoy all of Dorico for iPad’s subscription-only features but don’t want to pay a monthly fee?

Steinberg recently announced the availability of a new Lifetime Unlock option for the top-rated music notation app for iPad, Dorico for iPad. This new option allows you to enjoy all of Dorico for iPad’s subscriptiononly features – including support for unlimited players, freehand annotations in Read mode with Apple Pencil, support for third-party Audio Unit plug-ins, and much more – without having to pay a monthly or annual fee. How? Just choose the lifetime unlock option, make a single one-off in-app purchase and access all current and future subscription-only features for life!

In research news, programme leader Dr Brian Inglis and popular music pathway leader Dr Mike Dines organised a Study Day on Music, Spirituality and Genre on 20 May, with contributions by scholars in person and across the world via Zoom, including papers by Rev Prof June Boyce-Tillman (Winchester University/ Visit the App Store today and unlock North West University, South Africa) Dorico for iPad for life! and a keynote address by Prof Richard McGregor (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland/University of Cumbria).

The day also featured performances from the University Choir (including music by Bach, Bruckner, Tavener and Finkelstein) and popular music student Lukasz Soltysiak.

Continued overleaf È

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

NCO’s annual programme welcomes around 650 remarkable young musicians, who come together in three national symphony orchestras for residential orchestral activity and in four regional project ensembles for non-residential orchestral weekends.

The programme includes in-person orchestral coaching with incredible tutors, artists and conductors, as well as enriched musical learning through NCO’s established digital programme.

Auditions for the NCO 2023 programme will be open from Wednesday 8 June to Tuesday 2 August 2022. To find out more visit nco.org.uk/join-in/ joining-nco-2023

Association of Teachers of Singers (AOTOS)

Details of all our events aotos.org.uk

The AOTOS Summer Conference is being held 22-24 July at Clare College, Cambridge. ‘Moving on Together’ brings a fantastic presenter line-up covering Vocal and Mental Health, Feldenkrais, Nutrition, Pop Music, Music Education & Transgender Voice, plus a masterclass with Roderick Williams OBE. In person/ streaming packages are available for the Saturday and recordings of most sessions for registered participants.

Fully accredited.

ABRSM has launched its new Piano Syllabuses 2023 & 2024 for Practical and Performance Grades. The syllabus National Children’s repertoire lists have been extended to 39 pieces per grade, offering a greater Orchestras of Great Britain choice of music than ever before.

Auditions for NCO 2023 – apply by There are 47 composers featured for Tuesday 2 August 2022 the first time and a series of original commissions and new arrangements.

The National Children’s Orchestras of As well as introducing fresh choices, Great Britain (NCO) support children ABRSM has retained much of the aged 8-14 to be happy and healthy 2021 and 2022 repertoire in the new through transformative orchestral lists, to give teachers and learners experiences and performances of more time to explore the pieces. exceptional quality. We inspire them The Practical Grade supporting tests to be the best musicians that they can remain unchanged. Details of the be, unlock their creative potential new syllabuses are available at and support their wellbeing, all while abrsm.org/piano. they make friends and have fun!

Teacher Training remains a vital part of our work. The online Essentials course runs throughout the year with four real-time sessions backed up with online resources. Anybody with under four years’ teaching experience is welcome.

ABRSM

The new Piano Exam Pieces books each feature nine pieces at Grades Initial to 8. The rich and varied repertoire provides an exciting selection of pieces for learners to choose from for Practical and Performance Grades. For the first time, these books come with recordings of every piece listed for the grade – 39 tracks as audio downloads. Books are also available without audio.

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 2022 | NEWS FROM OUR CORPORATE MEMBERS

Impulse Music Consultants How do I set a commission fee?

What should I charge for hire of performance materials? Where do I find a sample contract?

These are all questions we are regularly asked at Impulse. Fortunately, when it comes to teaching, examining and accompanying, we can point people to the ISM. For composers, a membership organisation is prevented from promulgating rates, but, as a commercial company, Impulse can publish rates which we do, updating them every year. This is an important resource for composers and independent publishers and provides an invaluable starting point for any commission fee negotiations. We offer this free to anyone and it can be found under the resources tab on the homepage of our website: impulse-music.co.uk.

You will also find there a straightforward commissioning contract and helpful hire fee guidelines. We want composers to have the time to do what they are best at – composing! Which is why we are only too happy to offer these free resources.

•

reduced stress, with the exam conducted in the normal lesson environment with the teacher

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instrument specialist examiners

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Visit trbc.co.uk

mushRoom

To learn more about MTB Exams, visit Families fleeing the conflict in Ukraine mtbexams.com or you can attend one have left their homes, their jobs, and of our free weekly webinars. for some, stopped their music journey. mushRoom uses our existing platform Scratch Concerts – the Airbnb for music spaces – to ® bring together hosts with their music Join us for Messiah from Scratch practice spaces to refugees who need at the Royal Albert Hall on them.

Sunday 13 November. Singers and audience should visit trbc.co.uk for more information.

We’ve just returned from a sellout trip to Trieste, singing for a capacity audience including the local archbishop. We’re currently promoting a visit to Aix-en-Provence to perform Music Teachers’ Board Requiem for an Angel composed

by ISM Member Paul Carr (21–25 The Music Teachers Board (MTB) is thrilled to have been voted the highest September), and a musical cruise on rated music exam board of 2021 by an the Rhine (28 October–4 November). independent survey of music teachers on Pianodao. We now have over 1600 exam centres in more than 50 countries. MTB exams offer: •

In the UK we invite you to Mozart’s Requiem (Central Hall, Westminster, 23 July) and our choral Summer School (Bath, 2–7 August). Come and join us, especially if you are a tenor or a bass!

We would like to invite ISM members to join us and help by offering your music space, free of charge or at a discount, through mushRoom. Support these displaced musicians to continue their music journeys, and find comfort from the crisis. mushRoom for Ukraine scheme’s partners include the Ukrainian Cultural Association in the UK. Find out more: find-mushroom.com/ for-ukraine/ Below left: Paul Carr

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ISM MUSIC JOURNAL JULY/AUGUST 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.

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Hal Leonard Europe Ltd

Printed Music Licensing Limited

London College of Music Examinations

Insure4Music

Rocksteady Music School

International School of Musicians

Middlesex University Music Mark Music Teachers’ Board musicteacher.com

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Leeds Conservatoire

London College of Music

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

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

Mark Allen Group National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain

Victoria College Exams

The Piano Teachers’ Course UK

Yamaha Music Europe GmbH (UK)

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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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Ask me a question Faye Treacy Trombonist, writer and broadcaster Tell us a little about yourself I’m a freelance trombonist, writer and broadcaster. When I’m not doing those things, you’ll find me in the comedy clubs talking about your dad.

Who or what has most influenced you and your career path?

Photo: Matt Crockett

Oh, I like doing my own thing, but I guess Victoria Wood, Bo Burnham, Tim Minchin. I find the amount of work they’ve created across the board, from writing to performing, inspiring.

What do you enjoy most about being a musician?

Playing with other people. It’s exciting, isn’t it, when you connect and lock in as a band? The second thing is the people.

I like musicians. Usually, the funniest people I know. I like the straight-upness and awkwardness of musicians. A distinct breed of people. Characters basically.

How has the pandemic affected your work (positively or negatively)?

Well, like everyone else, I started out screwed. Then I busied myself with writing and piano practice over the lockdowns.

What is your most outstanding Then I said YES to everything when we achievement to date? opened up for a whole year and gigged I like the quote, ‘a jack of all trades is a an insane amount. The pandemic taught master of none, but oftentimes better than me not to take work for granted, but while a master of one’. So I take pride in working everyone else put out constant content, I across the board. was pretty happy to just climb a tree. We need a balance.

My most outstanding achievement to date is probably my last script. The more you What piece of advice has helped you write, the stronger you get. most in your career?

What else do you want to achieve in your career?

I want to keep writing. I want to create a show where people also comment on what a banging soundtrack it had.

Obviously, I’d love my own chat show with a house band one day, but I just want to keep working and enjoying the process, really. Oh, and I want to make a podcast.

That has weekly three-hour episodes. That never ends, basically. You know the ones.

ism.org

@ism_music

You have to enjoy the art of practice. You’ll burn out if you’re always aiming for the end goal. Always look back in your diary at the end of the year rather than forward.

Remind yourself of all the work that comes in. Enjoy it. You chose to do this.

Is there an artist or musician that you are really enjoying listening to?

arrangements. Don’t Problem released an excellent EP. Loving Emma-Jean Thackray, Self Esteem, Kae Tempest. As I write my show, I often stay up with Tom Waits in the background. I like the storytelling.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

I’m off to the Edinburgh Fringe with a new show called ‘Where’s Your Head At?’ I’ve got a couple of writing projects in development. I’m back on tour with some of the bands I play in from September. So, lots to be keeping me busy.

Finally, what does your ISM membership mean to you?

One less thing to worry about when I’m gigging about the place. It’s nice to be part of a community and know I’m covered.

Also could you imagine comedians organising one of these? fayetreacy.com

Loved the new Kendrick Lamar album.

I thought the new Little Simz album was excellent. Liked the odd orchestral

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