Highnotes issue 48, spring 2022

THE MAKING MUSIC MEMBERSHIP MAGAZINE | SPRING ISSUE 2022

An inclusive outlook Our plans to help groups welcome a wider range of music makers • PAGE 8 AT THE HEART OF CLASSICAL Introducing the Royal Philharmonic Society• PAGE 14

MISSING AUDIENCES Exploring the latest research about audiences returning in person• PAGE 17

e m re a h S ur o y with up! gro

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1932 - 2022

Celebrating 90 years of the Benslow Music Instrument Loan Scheme Benslow Music Instrument Loan Scheme is an inclusive and unique UK charity, offering talented young musicians affordable access to high quality instruments.

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January – June 2022 courses are now on sale!

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Benslow Music offers over 220 music courses annually for life-long learners, as well as a varied concert and events programme. Courses range from solo, chamber, orchestral, voice, classical, jazz, folk and world music; with experienced tutors guiding participants to develop their musicianship. Gift Vouchers available.

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CONTENTS & EDITORIAL

SUPPORTING AND CHAMPIONING LEISURE ISURE--TIME MUSIC

CONTENTS NEWS

5 The bigger picture 6 Around the UK

Welcome It’s behind you! Oh no it isn’t…

MEMBERS

But I’m not going to mention that C-word, as there are plenty of others to mention instead. Like Concerts (having taken place over Christmas), like Contemporary Music For all Festival (happening again in 2022), like Choirs (bravely risk-mitigating and singing joy) and Cornets (my own: playing a lot of carols at Christmas), plus Cellos, Conductors, Clarinets, Cymbals, Contraltos, Counter-tenors and Cacophony (maybe not that one, reminds me of rehearsals on Zoom!).

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We will – really! – get to the end of this. Music groups and their leaders, committees and musical directors have shown resilience, stubbornness and creativity since March 2020 and I am very confident that you will continue to do so.

FEATURES

8 A roadmap to inclusivity 14 At the heart of classical 17 Missing audiences FROM OUR TEAM

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

If you have suggestions or would like to contribute to Highnotes, please contact the Commissioning Editor, Natalie Joanes, on 020 7939 6041 or email editor@makingmusic.org.uk The copy deadline for Highnotes Summer 2022 (published 1 May) is 28 February.

Any views or opinions expressed by external contributors may not necessarily represent those of Making Music

We know, you know, and the world now knows how important music is to our well-being, our communities and our wider civil society, especially your self-organised local activity which engages everyone and brings music to many.

So believe in better this year. And by next Christmas, I hope it’ll be a case of: it’s behind you! Oh yes it is…

Highnotes is the official journal of Making Music, The National Federation of Music Societies, 8 Holyrood Street, London SE1 2EL 020 7939 6030 info@makingmusic.org.uk www.makingmusic.org.uk A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 308632 Registered charity in England and Wales no. 249219 and in Scotland no. SC038849 If you need us to make any of this information more accessible, please get in touch £6 where sold, annual subscription £15 (3 issues) Designed by Cog Design Printed by Gemini Press Advertising: Contact Sharon Maslen at Space Marketing: 01892 677742 sharonm@spacemarketing.co.uk

SUPPORTING AND CHAMPIONING LEISURE ISURE--TIME MUSIC

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

Certificate: presents 2021 winner

The Practice

Trio Bohémo

of Music Making

Sunday 20 February 2022 at 3pm 30th Anniversary Concert

/

/

Matouš Pěruška violin Kristina Vocetková cello Jan Vojtek piano

One year distance learning programme in partnership with the Open University Develop your skills with flexibility including a residential week and online learning combined

Piano trios by

Dvořák, Haydn & Liszt London SW1P 3HA

Performed in the round

Tickets £20 (students £10) by phone: 020 7222 1061 Online: sjss.org.uk/whats-on Supported by The Tertis Foundation/The Adrian Swire Charitable Trust

trinitylaban.ac.uk/certificate

NEWS

THE BIGGER PICTURE @makingmusicuk

WellRehearsed app: help collect evidence on infections at rehearsals A free and anonymous app, it takes seconds to make a submission each week if no Covid infections are reported after your rehearsal.

If there is an infection flagged, you are asked to complete an (optional) questionnaire (still anonymously) to establish rehearsal circumstances and mitigations, and how well they were followed.

But why should you?

Mitigations that groups are using are probably effective, but this app could prove it. If no infection, or one only, is reported, this means either you managed to keep anyone infectious out or, if someone infectious attended, your mitigations were robust enough to prevent them transmitting to others.

The more rehearsal reports we receive, the better we can tell that story and improve guidance from its learning – so that you can then be even safer. makingmusic.org.uk/ wellrehearsed-app

Sing or play the change Climate change – everyone can play a role, writes Barbara Eifler COP26 in Glasgow brought home – if floods, wildfires and record storms hadn’t already – how urgent it is that the global community collaborates to prevent irreversible changes to our climate which would fundamentally alter our ability to thrive on this planet.

But should music groups and their participants get involved?

And how?

It is, of course, up to each group to decide, but if there is an appetite, then there are ways in which to play (or sing) your part.

This became clear at Making Music’s first Climate Change Network event in October, which led – by popular demand – to our commitment to hosting a Climate Change Network event every term (next one: 18 February) with speakers, an opportunity to exchange ideas, and to assemble

a page with resources and tips on our website which will be updated at least termly, or more often if users submit ideas.

INCLUSION AND ACCESS

So what can music groups do?

They can reduce their own carbon footprint – sheet music, coffee cups, travel, uniforms and instruments for example.

Whatever is decided on in the group, it is likely participants will take suggestions from there into their families, friendship groups, workplaces and communities – creating a ripple effect.

And finally – you can perform or present music that speaks to this topic, my favourite so far being Haydn’s Farewell Symphony with everyone dressed as various species about to go extinct... makingmusic.org.uk/resource/ climate-change

‘Making Music believes everyone should have the opportunity to join a music group...’

Making Music believes everyone should have the opportunity to join a music group, that groups from all genres should be able to access our support, and that our staff should reflect the demographic of London where our main office is.

Updating our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policy we realised it’s not enough to say we will not discriminate against protected characteristics: we need to make sure it’s not happening inadvertently and that we work proactively to remove barriers to access.

So we created an EDI plan to improve recruitment processes, open up our services, and help members, too, to enable everyone to benefit from their activities. Expect help and support, and inspiration from Making Music. See p. 8 feature.

Spring 2022 HIGHNOTES

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NEWS

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

SCOTLAND

Inspirational music makers Member groups celebrated at RPS Awards The 2021 Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Awards were presented as part of a star-studded event at London’s Wigmore Hall on 1 November, celebrating the role classical music plays in our lives and the finest artists and creative forces at work today.

New for 2021 was the Inspiration Award, ‘for a non-professional ensemble or an individual who works with such groups, in recognition of the remarkable constellation of such music-makers nationwide, often overlooked.’

Decided by public vote, the first ever winner of the new category was named as Making Music member group Bristol Choral Society and its energetic musical director, Hilary Campbell. Not only did Hilary keep the 140-strong choir’s spirits up with online rehearsals, she also spearheaded several inspiring initiatives, including the Mary Otty Christmas Carol Composition Competition.

70 submissions were received from around the world, and a digital launch event for the choir’s first professionally recorded CD, The Big Picture, was completed before the pandemic in January 2020.

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Hilary said: ‘It’s been a challenging time for all musicians over the past two years, but amateur musicians, and in particular amateur singers, have borne the brunt of so many imposed restrictions. And yet millions of singers have continued to make music, in whatever manner they could, with unwavering optimism and passion – none more so than the members of Bristol Choral Society and their incredibly hardworking committee and chair, Joi Demery, who, when I suggested potential new projects and ways of connecting and making music that would undoubtedly create extra work for them all, always readily agreed.’

The choir and its MD were one of six Making Music member groups named in the shortlist for the Inspiration Award – the others breng the Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra; South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus; Lichfield Gospel Choir and its MD, Themba Mvula; and a joint nomination for the Aberdeenshire and Phoenix Saxophone Orchestras.

Read about Bristol Choral Society: bristolchoral.co.uk

Above left: Hilary Campbell and member group Bristol Choral Society, winners of the RPS Inspiration Award

The Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society (KOS) has helped to revive the musical legacy of Private Robert Dunsire, a local WW1 soldier who died in battle aged 24.

An accomplished local musician, Dunsire’s violin went missing when he was returning home from military training in southern England. He was eventually presented with a replacement, which happened to turn up in a Dundee salesroom just a few years ago. It was subsequently restored to playing condition.

KOS musical director Graeme Wilson used the Dunsire violin to record an instrumental version of a 1916 song commemorating Private Dunsire, which was later orchestrated

by Dunfermline composer and KOS musician, John Gourlay.

KOS gave the first performance of the song in October 2021. kirkcaldyorchestralsociety.org MANCHESTER

‘...millions of singers have continued to make music, in whatever manner they could, with unwavering optimism and passion’

The William Byrd Singers have raised £5,000 in just four weeks to fund their delayed 50th anniversary performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion, which will take place on 2 April 2022 in Stoller Hall, Manchester. Conducted by musical director Keith Orrell, the concert will feature the Byrds alongside the 18th Century Sinfonia and the choir of Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School in Atherton. Founded in 1970, the William Byrd Singers were conducted for their first 39 years by Stephen Wilkinson MBE, who sadly died last August aged 102. Before his passing, Wilkinson completed a final commission for the choir, which premiered at their opening concert of the season in November 2021. williambyrdsingers.org.uk

NEWS

Member announcements New appointments, anniversaries, awards and projects Ayr Choral Union has been shortlisted for the People’s Choice Award at the 2021 Creative Lives Awards, which focused this year on community-led groups and projects that showed resilience and imagination during the pandemic. Music director, Andrew McTaggart, organised ‘come and sing’ rehearsals, which were opened to other singers whose groups weren’t meeting online. It was the start of a fruitful period of online creativity, including an impressive virtual performance of Handel’s Messiah. ayrchoralunion.net

Members of Bristol-based concert band Westerly Winds have been exercising their musical minds with weekly music theory lessons over Zoom.

Led by musical director Andy Loveridge, the sessions provided the opportunity for the band to meet on a virtual basis and explore a side of music-making that there isn’t often time for in regular rehearsals. A small cohort of the band decided to take the plunge and sit the Grade 5 theory exam, which everyone passed with flying colours! westerlywindsstaplehill.com

Making Music is saddened to announce that former Board and committee member Alex Murchie has passed away. Alex was still an active volunteer for Making Music in recent years, in contact with many groups in the North East and assisting with advocacy and lobbying.

She sang with many choirs in Newcastle over decades and her enthusiasm and energy will be missed by us all. Read more: makingmusic.org.uk/ news

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Photo: Tim Evans

60-second interview

Richard Gonski, musical director of the Torbay Symphony Orchestra, has launched a series of online, monthly music appreciation sessions. Each class focuses on a specific work from the classical repertoire and includes a live introduction and explanation of the topic, followed by musical examples and analysis through videos and other multimedia. Classes are delivered via Zoom and last one hour. £8 per session or £80 for annual subscription. richardgonski.co.uk

Get to know Crickhowell Choral Society, a Welsh group with the local community at its heart How long has the group being running? How did it start?

Crickhowell Choral Society was founded in 1981 by Dr David Hiley, a local GP. Some of the founder members, including David, continue to sing with the choir. We are celebrating 40 years of singing this year.

How many members do you have? Who can join?

We have a membership of approximately 60 singers. We also have six young choral scholars from local high schools who are with us for several years until they continue to higher education, usually of a music-related nature.

Membership is open to anyone by audition, at which we ask people to sing a short song of their choice and show a reasonable ability to sight-sing and hold their own part.

How does the choir engage with the local community?

As part of our annual Crickhowell Music Festival, we run workshops in local schools, led by soloists and other participating bands and groups. We often have a concert to celebrate St David’s Day, singing in Welsh and English, and also a summer concert, both of which involve our

choral scholars and other local young musicians. Every December, we have a community carol concert in St Edmund’s, the local church, and we’re joined by local primary school choirs, singing their specially chosen carols. Pupils from Crickhowell High School also take part.

Do you have any special plans for 2022?

We are very hopeful of restarting our music festival which has been postponed for the past two years. The theme is ‘A Song for Mary’, and will feature some classics such as Bach’s Magnificat alongside lesser-known works by Mozart, Scarlatti and Barbara Strozzi. Soloists will include Grace Davidson, Nicholas Mulroy and Catherine King. crickhowellchoralsociety.org

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FEATURE

A roadmap to inclusivity

Alison Reeves, Making Music’s Inclusion Lead, discusses the action we can all take to welcome the widest range of music makers to our community In the last two years of turmoil, we’ve witnessed people receiving great comfort from being included in making and enjoying music. It’s the experience of being creative, but also the feeling of belonging and being valued that has meant so much to so many. Witnessing what being included means to people has influenced a recent review of Making Music’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion plan, which provides us with a roadmap towards becoming more inclusive – in our staffing and our membership.

We’ve been considering the actions we need to take to welcome the widest diversity of people and groups to our music community, which starts with a big question: what are the barriers that are excluding people? We know that people who experience barriers to engaging in arts activity are more likely to be disabled, from an ethnic minority, have a mental or physical health condition or be in challenging socio-economic circumstances. But we also know that people are excluded for a diversity of reasons, and our new plan commits us to a process of constant enquiry and knowledge gathering with the aim of addressing as many of those barriers as we can identify.

The journey towards greater inclusion is one we know that many of our members are also undertaking, or would like to embark on. If you are a member group, you are well placed to do this thinking as you are rooted in your communities. The new members and audiences

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you want to include are your neighbours, perhaps already your friends and family, so you are close to understanding what the barriers might be. You can also spot challenges that your current participants are dealing with that may become barriers if you don’t address them.

To support groups who are on this journey, we are rolling out an ongoing programme of access and inclusion work to help them adopt an inclusive approach and to make changes that will make group environments more inclusive. On the Making Music website, we are developing a new set of resources that lay out a general approach and provide guidance on creating accessible events, inclusive communications and recruiting a wider diversity of participants and freelancers. There are practical suggestions of actions you could take across your activity, from how to price your services to welcoming newcomers, setting up a rehearsal room and designing a concert programme.

However, we know that we can’t hope to identify and address all possible barriers in guides like these.

So we also lay out how to adopt a person-centred approach, to work with your participants and audiences to identify specific barriers that would stop them from being or feeling included and then take actions to address these.

People who experience barriers are the best placed

FEATURE

to suggest how to remove them, so we will also be including links to guides and resources written by people with lived experience and the organisations that support them. We’ll be hosting regular events to connect members with people who can talk to us about specific issues. In the autumn we had Chiltern Music Therapy talk to us about including people with disabilities in music making (see makingmusic.org.uk/accessinclusion-webinar) and in March we have Black

“It’s great to see the work the UK music sector is now doing in the area of inclusion; organisations are beginning important conversations and preparing for the change in all areas that is needed for music to be a truly representative sector. It’s clear that there is an intersection with race and socioeconomic background which precludes the involvement of people of colour at the very beginning of the music making journey.

Those who are able to afford to learn an instrument largely learn in a space that fails to reflect their cultural identity. Repertoire, micro-aggressions – both unintentional and sadly intentional – racism, ignorance and general cultural differences present just some of the barriers to involvement and real inclusion in music making for people of colour at grassroots level and in community music making environments.

Organisations in the sector need to educate themselves as to how to make change and

Lives in Music leading a conversation on tackling barriers experienced by people of colour.

Regularly spending a small amount of time implementing changes will make a difference.

We intend to permanently offer this support to access and inclusion work, regularly updating web resources and offering events three times a year, which will inform and grow our collective knowledge and allow us to support each other on the journey. become truly representative.

Black Lives in Music and others like us are here to support change making. Our lived experience helps to inform, educate and enlighten. Without the perspective of those who have experienced prejudice, only an internal conversation that fails to hit at the core of the problem will exist in a space where real dialogue is essential to understanding and informing change making. To find out more about the Black experience in the music industry, download the BLiM report: blim.org.uk” Roger Wilson, Director of Operations, Black Lives in Music (BLiM) Book now for the first of Making Music’s ‘Conversations about inclusion’ events starting with Black Lives in Music: makingmusic.org.uk/events-blim and access new inclusion resources: makingmusic.org.uk/resources

‘It’s the experience of being creative, but also the feeling of belonging and being valued that has meant so much to so many’

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MEMBERS

BLOW YOUR TRUMPET Monitor and mitigate Neil Whyte, treasurer of Cadenza, explains the steps the choir took to return to safe in-person rehearsals, including the use of a CO2 monitor the potential for aerosol build-up, and purchased a CO2 monitor to check air quality. We rehearse within a large, airy church sanctuary, and the typical CO2 levels recorded at the start and end were well below our target.

Engagement with our membership was also key. Members told us they were comfortable with one-metre distancing, and vaccination uptake within the choir was 100%. Regardless, we continue to ask members to take regular lateral flow tests and stay away if they feel unwell. We also provide a live Zoom stream of every rehearsal, which is recorded for members to catch up later.

It would be wrong to suggest there was no trepidation from members on returning. However, the feedback we

Photo: Cadenza rehearses

Our return to in-person rehearsals began in September, the start of our choir year.

As well as the obvious challenges posed by the pandemic, we had the added task of finding a temporary rehearsal venue while our usual space was being renovated. Add the ever-changing advice from the government, and it was a daunting undertaking coming up with a plan which would be suitable for our 50-strong choir, members of which range from those in their 20s to 80s.

Visits to the rehearsal space identified how to make best use of the available area, maintaining a minimum one-metre distance between singers. This allowed us to rehearse mask-free, though continuing to wear masks at all other times. We started with shorter rehearsals to avoid

have had since from members is that they feel safe and the rehearsal experience itself is not compromised. There was a palpable feeling of joy as the choir heard each other sing for the first time since March 2020 – and no small feeling of relief from our MD, Jenny Sumerling, when the notes fitted together! cadenza.org.uk

A symphony for Zoom When meeting in person was a long way off, Helensburgh Orchestral Society commissioned a new piece specifically to perform on Zoom. Miriam Iorwerth tells us more Like many groups, when the pandemic hit we had to cancel our upcoming concert, and wondered how we would keep our musical community going when we couldn’t meet in person. We first started weekly online social meetings, and then in autumn 2020 our musical director, Robert Baxter (recent winner of best instrumental music director at the 2021 Making Music Awards!), led us in starting Zoom rehearsals.

As time went on, and we realised the possibilities of playing together in person were a long way off, we needed a new challenge. Given that Zoom isn’t an ideal way to rehearse music composed for more traditional settings, we decided that commissioning a piece would allow a

composer, in this case Peter Longworth, to consider some of the interesting features of playing online and tailor the piece to our ensemble, as well as providing valuable work for a freelancer during the pandemic. The commissioning process was only possible due to a grant from Creative Scotland.

We had a few workshops with Peter, trying out ideas for particular instruments, to see how well they would come across online. Only one instrument could play at once on Zoom, so this idea shaped the whole piece. Peter also needed to consider how he would include cues on each part, as our conductor was unable to provide specific visual timing cues due to latency and inconsistencies in video.

Initially, we worked on putting the parts together and creating flow between them. As rehearsals progressed, we then started working on the character of the individual parts.

We recorded the piece on Zoom at the end of October. Playing in this way took a lot of concentration, remembering to mute and unmute, as well as the extra pressure of each part being heard on its own. We are delighted with the result, and it is great to be able to watch back the video and hear the piece in its entirety.

Find Helensburgh Orchestral Society’s performance of Peter Longworth’s piece on the group’s Facebook page

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FROM OUR TEAM

MEMBERSHIP AND SERVICES Helping you get the most from your membership

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

Charity Registration Service

*NEW* resources

Let us do the admin

Coronavirus •

What to do if a Covid case is reported at your rehearsal

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Webinar recording: Ventilation – how can it help manage the risk of Covid transmission?

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Case studies: Group activity during Covid

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CO2 monitor discount – testmeter

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*UPDATED* risk assessments

General resources

Making Music’s Charity Registration Service, available to all member groups and re-opening in Feburary 2022, is designed to make the process of registering as a charity as simple as possible. We’ll take the work and worry away from you, and if at the end of the process you don’t receive charity status, we we’ll give you a full refund.

To register as a charity, your group will first need a charitable constitution. We strongly recommended groups take advantage of the Making Music model constitution, or legal governing document, which has been designed specifically to give a legal framework to leisure-time music groups. The constitution will put your music group on a solid footing in terms of charity structure, regulation and governance, and will be hugely valuable in helping you run your group.

If you are based in England and Wales and have a charitable constitution, you will probably already be considered a charity. If 12

HIGHNOTES Spring 2022

this is you, and your income is over £5,000 per year (before deducting expenditure) you must register as a charity.

If you’re based in Scotland and have a charitable constitution (regardless of income), then you must register with OSCR. How does the registration process work?

We will send you a short form asking for basic information about your group and you will also need to provide certain documents, including constitution and proof of income. We will use this information to compile your application and send it back to you within ten working days. Once you’re happy with the information, we’ll submit the application on your behalf. Any questions the Charity Commission has will come to us.

Sign up now for our service, which opens again in February: makingmusic.org.uk/charityreg

‘...if at the end of the process you don’t receive charity status, we will give you a full refund’

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Access and inclusion

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*UPDATED* Making Music model constitution

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Livestreaming equipment

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Webinar recording: livestreaming using Open Broadcaster Software

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Climate change: how music groups can get involved

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Webinar recording: Climate emergency - what can music groups do?

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Making Music award winners: scores for rehearsal and performance

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Copyright, licensing and permissions – Part 6: Live music online

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Modernising the way music groups are run: MM Platform case study

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Discount on online music courses – Musicgurus

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Discounts on sheet music and commissioning – Composers edition

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YouTube content claims

For all resources visit makingmusic.org.uk/resources

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

ONLINE EVENTS We’re offering free help and support with running your group that you can access wherever you are in the UK, plus events with a local focus. Find all events and book your free place online: makingmusic.org.uk/events Online member meetups 14 Jan: UK wide 18 Jan: Wales

29 Jan: Using Facebook Business Suite

Conversations about inclusion

5 Feb: Applying for funding

A series of events to explore what the barriers

12 Feb: Role of the chair

19 Jan: Scotland 1 Feb: Northern Ireland General online events

26 Feb: Creating accessible and inclusive activity

15 Jan: Role of the treasurer

5 Mar: Recruiting and retaining members

16 Sep: Making the most of your Making Music membership

26 Mar: Making the most of your Making Music membership

are to taking part in music activity and what action we can take to remove them.

Guest speaker events These events give you a chance to hear from experts on key issues, ranging from ventilation to what groups can do to tackle climate change.

Look out for upcoming events on our website: makingmusic.org.uk/events

New members A warm welcome to our 128 new members who joined between 1 August 30 November!

1st Class Brass Academix Academy of St Thomas Auntie Joy Band on the Run Beckington Village Choir Beechwood Community Choir Blackdown Acappella

Coldfall Community Choir

Frome Town Band

Coleshill Town Band

Gala Water Singers

Collective Music UK Côr Cymraeg Coventry Crescendo Diversity Music Community 1st

Frome Voices Harpenden Children’s Concert Band Heatwood Chorus Hepworth Band Heswall Concert Band High Holborn Chamber Choir

Blue Tides

Dr G’s Little Big Band

Bristol Symphony Orchestra

East Lancs Clarion Choir

Broadbeat Choir

East of Eden Mission Inspire Ladies Choir Community Choir Launceston Town Edinburgh Band Chamber Orchestra Level Ten Elland Silver Band Leytonstone Folk Ellesmere Port Lips Choir CIC Concert Brass Liverpool Rainbow Emmanu’-EL Chorus Apostolic Gospel Academy (EAGA) London International Concert Orchestra Enigma

Bumble Bees Buskin Sharks Jazz Band Buxton Community Choir Cantorum Cantus Firmus Capital Voices Carers in Harmony Carleton Community Band Carousel Singers Central Lancashire Community Concert Band Champagne Flutes Chapel Street Music

ESO Voice Section Exeter Railway Band Farnham Sinfonia (CIO) Flint Ladies Choir

Hope Howdenshire Music Project

Manchester Wind Orchestra Marchington Singers Markham Main Colliery Band

Mind and Soul Community Choir Modality Choirs Neston Singers North West Recorder Festival Norwich Ukulele Society Oasis One World Choir

Singergie

The Flint Ladies Choir

Singing Allowed

The Golden Earrings Group

Singing for Pleasure Slaithwaite Band Soul of the City Choir Sound Waves South Bucks Choral Society South Ribble Strings

The Jurassic Coast Inspirational Choir The Lyndhurst Singers The Marchington Singers The Ness Sinfonia

Poole Borough Band

The Quayside Choir Southminster Operatic The V&A Ensemble and Choral Society Thirsk and Sowerby St Augustine’s Singers, Community Choir St Augustine Brass Tresillian Singers Station 366 Village Voices Steve Nathan Big Band Vocal Harem Stonehouse Watford Phoenix Choir Community Choir

Questa

Strings Together

Raised Voices

Sunderland Symphony Orchestra

Our Choir Oxford City Singers Oxford Millenium Orchestra Park Life Choir Penistone Ladies Choir Pershore Town Choir

Renaissance Voices Roade Community Choir Sage Gateshead Chamber Choir Saltire Steel (Wee Community Steel Band) Second Wind Seighford Singers

Folk Arts Oxford Ltd

Marnhull Community Choir

Friends of the Canbury Bandstand

Mawson Road Sing It Happy Community Orchestra

Sevenoaks Sings

Wednesday Evening Band Welford in Harmony

Surrey Rainbow Choir West London Chamber Choir Sussex Police Choir Westbury Park Thames Valley Early Orchestra Music Society Weymouth Concert The Adam Street Brass Band Singers Worcestershire Winds The Bexhill Sinfonietta Youth Music Wessex CIC Society The Cathedral Chamber Choir The Dentdale Choir

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FEATURE

At the heart of classical

Chief Executive James Murphy introduces the Royal Philharmonic Society Imagine the last year without music. Inconceivable. It’s been a firm reminder – not that anyone reading this really needed it, but perhaps to the wider world – that music isn’t merely an ornament, entertainment or diversion. For almost everyone, it’s part of who we are. A lifeblood all its own that uplifts, consoles, stirs to action, and brings us together.

We, as music’s practitioners and caretakers, all know this. However, hand on heart, are we collectively doing all we can to ensure others know it too? Are there ways and means, perhaps even at our fingertips, that we might make this case all the stronger?

Such thoughts were on my mind a couple of years ago when I applied for the job running the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) – a 200-year-old charity you may well not have heard of. I’d worked in classical music for years so did know of the RPS, particularly its annual awards – regarded by those aware of them as the BAFTAs for classical music – plus the grants and support that the RPS gives needful musicians year-round.

Having got the job, we set about asking what the RPS could do for the future of classical music, building on the worthwhile things it’s done in the past. In this, one tantalising conviction held fast.

There is a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), known and loved nationally, that does much worthwhile work and – through the subscription of 600,000 members – raises £30 million a year for good causes in gardening.

What if there was an equivalent for music? Doesn’t music deserve something like that? You may well be a

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member of the RHS, National Trust, or English Heritage, even though music is perhaps your first love, or at least matters to you as much as what those great institutions exist to preserve.

It was always possible to be an RPS Member, but rather a well-kept secret. We dusted off the cobwebs and have set about making it something worthwhile that the likes of you – in particular those who love classical music – can join and enjoy. RPS membership today is an invitation to further your curiosity, pride and feeling of connectivity in classical music. Through our new talks and events, for which members can book first and exclusively watch streamed at home, we want to reveal more of the personalities, humanity and passions driving classical music. With our new member magazine and e-bulletins, we’re telling more stories of musicians, professional and non-professional, who play a part in making Britain ‘philharmonic’. And we’re harnessing our members’ views, inviting them to tell us what role music plays in their lives. Also, we just presented a new RPS Award exclusively for non-professional groups, won this first year by Bristol Choral Society. This is because music makers like you matter, playing a truly fortissimo role in keeping the nation’s spirits bright with music.

With every RPS membership, we can not only help more musicians in need, but also fulfil the promise of an RHS for music – supporting, protecting and celebrating music making nationwide.

Discover more about the RPS and membership levels at royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk

Photo: Bristol Choral Society chair Joi Demery (left) and musical director Hilary Campbell with the trophy for the 2021 RPS Inspiration Award

‘There is a Royal Horticultural Society, known and loved nationally, that does much worthwhile work... What if there was an equivalent’ for music?

MEMBERS

PROJECTS & OPPORTUNITIES Keeping you up-to-date with projects and programmes PERFORM AWARD-WINNING SCORES! Member groups can now download and perform the winning compositions and arrangements from the 2021 Making Music Awards – available free of charge until November 2022:

Make Music Day UK New co-director Paul Gudgin shares an update It is a real privilege for Rob Guest and I to have been appointed co-directors of Make Music Day UK. Over the past five years, Make Music Day has gathered real momentum in the UK with 31,000 performers taking part in 3,500 events last year, despite the difficult circumstances. We feel 2022 is going to be such an important year for music, as we all look to return to a more familiar and normal musical landscape. Our hope is that Make Music Day 2022 can be a symbol of recovery in music making, a broad and popular expression of our shared passion. Make Music Day is such a unique occasion as it involves a broad range of musicians from community, educational and professional organisations encompassing an unbelievable mix of musical styles and genres. We want 21 June 2022 to once again be an extraordinary coming together of musicians throughout the UK.

We are developing some new initiatives such as ‘Music Towns’, where we are looking for a few towns and cities to go the extra mile to showcase their wealth of musical talent and highlight their musical history and legacy. We also have some musical marathons in preparation, where people throughout the UK can share their passion for a particular genre, composer or musical instrument with all-day celebrations. We will also be tipping our hat to the 40th anniversary of Fête de la Musique, the event founded in Paris that became the inspiration for Make Music Day celebrations in the UK and over 120 countries worldwide.

• Neil Brownless (Abingdon Concert Band) – Keep the Rhythm Going for concert band (winner of best music creator for a leisure-time group) • Paul Ayres (Harrow Choral Society) – Where’er you walk, Handel arr. for SATB choir (joint winner of best arranger) • Michael Betteridge (The Sunday Boys) – Summer will come again, Swedish psalm arr. for choir in three parts (joint winner of best arranger) A special thanks to the music creators and arrangers for agreeing to share their work with other leisure-time music groups. If your group decides to rehearse or perform one of the works – let us know!

Find out more: makingmusic. org.uk/award-scores

Visit makemusicday. co.uk to keep up-todate with the latest news, and sign up to the Make Music Day UK newsletter Spring 2022 HIGHNOTES

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FEATURE

Missing audiences Michael Pearce explores the latest research about audiences returning in person Research from the Audience Agency Cultural Participation Monitor and Insights Alliance’s Missing Audiences survey, published in the autumn of 2021, show that despite the easing of restrictions in the second half of the year, millions of people were still wary of attending public events.

Findings from the Audience Agency show that people’s willingness to attend cultural events in person had not increased since June. The proportion of people ‘happy to attend’ fell slightly to 28% in September (29% in June) as did the number ‘willing to attend with reservations’ to 29% (30% in June,).

Furthermore, while respondents’ sense of general wellbeing and ‘satisfaction with life’ improved slightly over the same period, concerns about falling ill with Covid-19 increased.

Respondents were particularly concerned about the behaviour of other people. 32% of respondents to the Audience Agency survey ‘strongly agreed’ that the unsafe behaviour of others puts them off attending. This also chimes with results of the Insights Alliance survey, in which 61% of respondents said they were ‘avoiding interacting with crowds of people’ and 53% were concerned that ‘other people won’t comply with Covid safety measures’.

Both surveys also questioned audiences’ feelings towards vaccination status and testing. In the Insights Alliance survey, 67% of non-returners and 60% of returners said they were more likely to attend if they

were required to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test. Slightly lower but still significant, 35% of Audience Agency respondents ‘strongly agreed’ that only those vaccinated or with negative test results should be allowed to attend indoors (26% for outdoor events).

Aside from the behaviour of other people, a positive finding from the Audience Agency is that respondents didn’t appear to think that there was more organisations should be doing to make them feel safe. In addition, no particular mitigation stood out as being ‘very important’ – crowd management, hand sanitiser, masks, vaccine status, and one-metre-plus social distancing all attracting similar responses.

But a socially distanced audience presents another dilemma, as John Pritchard, secretary of Making Music member group Wallingford Chameleon Arts, explains: ‘To achieve financial viability, promoters need to sell as many tickets as possible, and some venues are already reverting to pre-Covid seating with no social distancing. But possibly only one-third of the potential audience will feel comfortable with this, and that probably isn’t enough to fill all the seats; it also unfairly excludes those who are more cautious about the Covid risk.’

With the rise of new variants of Covid and changing risk levels, communication is key. Be open about your risk assessment and which safety measures you have put in place, and how they will be implemented. You’re not going to please everyone, but explicit communication might be the confidence booster someone needs to feel safe attending.

For all our resources on Covid and risk management visit makingmusic.org.uk/covid-resources

‘...Be open about your risk assessment and which safety measures you have put in place, and how they will be implemented’

HIGHNOTES Spring 20221

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FEATURE

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

Jukebox Readers share how a particular piece of music inspires them Ballade in A minor Samuel ColeridgeTaylor One of my favourite all-time curtain-raisers is the glorious Ballade in A minor by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. When I was putting together the very first Chineke!

Orchestra concert in September 2015, it hit me how vitally important it was that not only should the Chineke!

Orchestra demonstrate a majority of Black and ethnically diverse musicians on stage, Board and staff, but also that the music we played should include music by composers who throughout history have largely been overlooked. I did some research and was absolutely blown away when I came across Samuel ColeridgeTaylor’s music, and I must say, it was a question of which piece to choose, because the more I listened to his music, the more I felt he really wrote from the heart.

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HIGHNOTES Spring Spring2022 2022

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We opened that inaugural concert with his Ballade in A minor, and to this day it never fails to lift my spirits, get my pulse racing and serenade me with its beautiful melodies – all in the space of about 11 minutes! From the very beginning, it explodes with a beat from the timpani and a flurry of trills in the wind for a few moments before being joined by the upper strings in an energetic theme in unison. It’s dynamic, punchy and catchy. The double basses finally join the party with a pizzicato underpinning. After such an exciting opening, the piece eventually mellows into a truly singing melody and sumptuous harmony. It closes by returning to the dynamic music from the beginning, guaranteed to raise the roof!

Absolutely none of the 62 musicians in the first Chineke! concert had ever played a piece of music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, yet this melody became the earworm throughout the week, and in every tea, coffee and lunch break one could hear someone singing or whistling it. Needless to say it brought the house down at the concert, and after the final piece in the programme, Beethoven’s Symphony No 7, the encore just had to be a repeat of the Ballade in A minor by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE, Founder and artistic director of Chineke! Orchestra

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FROM OUR TEAM

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

Liven up your livestream

PREMIUM CORPORATE MEMBER

Leon Gower introduces free Open Broadcaster Software

Many people have found themselves experimenting with the exciting yet often complex task of livestreaming concerts and rehearsals, and in doing so may have come across the free Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) – a livestreaming tool that can help you improve your livestream.

your livestreams:

What is OBS? • Video mixing software for livestreaming • Freeware – it costs nothing • Compatible with all computer operating systems

You can use all these techniques while managing a public or private livestream on any platform of your choice.

Is this an alternative streaming platform?

Not exactly. OBS is an additional tool in your livestreaming setup, but you will still need to use a streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Facebook, Zoom etc.) to broadcast to your audience. Think of OBS as a mixing desk for video and your streaming service as your television channel. OBS integrates with all major streaming services.

What can I do with it?

OBS allows you to add several professional broadcast elements to

ONLINE SINGING COURSES

• Jump between multiple camera angles • Switch between live and prerecorded content • Add logos and images • Integrate camera and audio equipment you may already own into your setup

What is it not for?

• Those wishing to stream from smartphones or tablets. This software requires a computer or laptop as the streaming device.

• Broadcasting with contributors in different locations. OBS works best if you are all in the same room or space with the streaming computer.

Where can I get OBS? Visit obsproject.com to download the software for free, and members can see our webinar on how to use OBS at makingmusic.org.uk/ resource/obs

‘Think of OBS as a mixing desk for video and your streaming service as your television channel’

MusicGurus, a Making Music premium corporate member, has one simple aim: to be the number one place to learn music online. Founded in 2015 by music enthusiasts Tom Rogers and Christopher Esclapez, MusicGurus creates interactive online music lessons for over 50,000 adult learners around the world, led by top professional musicians.

In September 2021, a new singing course led by Alfie Boe was launched, in which the West End sensation shares tips and techniques to help singers refine their voices and master the art of delivering a song.

Across a 90-minute masterclass filmed at London’s Abbey Road Studios, Boe demonstrates the simple exercises he uses to train his voice daily, guides singers how to improve pitch, extend vocal range and perform a song authentically. The course includes backing tracks for both female and male voices.

MusicGurus is offering Making Music members an exclusive 15% off AlfIe Boe’s singing masterclass and its other online courses. Gift vouchers are available and make an ideal present for music lovers. Visit makingmusic.org.uk/resource/ musicgurus for the promo code HIGHNOTES Spring 2022

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

360music.org.uk

britishvoiceassociation.org.uk

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club-europe.co.uk

composersedition.com

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steinberg.net singsafeuk.com

ticketsource.co.uk

benslowmusic.org

techmusiced.org.uk/org.uk

superstuffcreative.co.uk

trybooking.com/uk

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CORPORATE MEMBERS

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS Black Cat Music Gig Heaven Last Minute Musicians

Music Tutors Online Normans Musical Instruments OneStage Specialist Concert Tours

Score Exchange test-meter The International Music Exchange

MEMBERS

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

Letter: Joining the dots I started singing only recently. In school, when a choir was put together for some event, there was never much time to get things ready, so the music teacher just took people who could read music. I still remember this 40 years on, so I must have been disappointed!

But a few years ago, a friend took me to her community choir. The choir leader teaches everything by singing it to us and putting recordings on the website, so I could be a part of it without being able to read music – brilliant.

Then the last 18 months happened – lockdowns, no choir meeting. Our choir leader was great, keeping us connected and creating inspiring projects. But I was furloughed and bored. On the internet, I found there were many kinds of music to sing and events to be part of. Only I couldn’t join in, because – guess what – I don’t read music.

It made me think about the fact that I could only sing the music the choir leader was teaching us. I couldn’t just go off

Kick off the New Year with some fantastic new repertoire from Alfred Music!

and join other choirs. Perhaps this is how people feel who can’t read? Powerless, always relying on others.

So I’ve done it now; I’ve learnt to read the dots. I don’t know why I didn’t do it before – it was not that difficult! I still enjoy my choir, back in person now. But I’m also now singing with a choral society at Easter. - Anon

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FROM OUR TEAM

MAKING MUSIC PEOPLE Meet the people behind the scenes

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

STAFF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

PETE BURCHILL

RICH MATTHEWS

TRUSTEE

FINANCE OFFICER & OFFICE MANAGER

When did you join the Making Music board?

What does your role entail?

I joined in September 2021. I’d been looking for a trustee role where I could use my skills and make a real difference.

I focus on looking after the day-to-day finances of the organisation, and processing Orchestra Tax Relief claims on behalf of our members. From January I’ll also be managing the Making Music office.

What attracted you to the role?

I’ve been really inspired by the wonderful work that Making Music has done advocating for music groups over the last couple of years. It’s been a real lifeline to groups, and has helped keep them singing, playing and feeling connected through this very difficult time.

Could you sum up your other work and activities?

I spend half my time working in the community team at the Co-op, managing a team of Member Pioneers that work with good causes in their local areas. I also jointly run Singing In, a community music business based in Sheffield. The choirs and holidays that we run are open to anyone who wants to sing, even if they normally only sing in the shower!

What were your earliest musical experiences?

My earliest musical memories are probably of my dad playing the piano that proudly sat in the corner of our living room. He was an incredibly talented musician, but as a busy headteacher and father had very little time to play. Christmas was an exception though, and there’s a fantastic photograph somewhere of my younger sister sitting on his knee happily bashing away at the keys.

He played the bassoon too – which as a young child I thought made quite a frightening sound!

If you had to pick just one, what is your favourite piece of music?

Asking anyone to pick one piece is just unfair, so I’m going to break ranks and pick two! I had the privilege of singing ‘Softly’ by Will Todd at my first concert with Romulus Singers. It’s such a beautiful piece to sing – peaceful and calming with some wonderful harmonies. I’m a big fan of Massive Attack, and ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ is outstanding. Shara Nelson’s vocals are sublime, and the string section definitely makes it very special.

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Where did you work previously?

I spent the first 20 years of my working life as a sound engineer, recording and mixing music for all manner of bands and artists. The music industry changed considerably during this time, and by the end I was enjoying doing my tax return more than I was making records, which led me to a career change. I started working in accounts at a small homeless charity in West London before moving to a finance role with Wikimedia, the charity that supports Wikipedia and its sister projects here in the UK. Do you play or sing yourself?

After a few false starts with the piano and clarinet as a young child, I was introduced to the guitar and have played ever since. I don’t play particularly well, but I make up for that by playing very very loudly. Nobody needs to hear me sing!

What else do you like to do outside work?

I am a big fan of both football and cricket, watching rather than playing – although I did once score a hundred playing in the under 13s for my village, which I am inexplicably proud of to this day.

If you could invite three people to dinner, past or present, who would it be and why?

John Peel – his radio show introduced me to the music that became the soundtrack to my life. Sadly, I never had the chance to meet him, so he would be there as both guest and DJ. Umberto Eco – I love his writing, especially his novels, but didn’t understand a word of any of the last three. I would like him to explain them to me. Stewart Lee – what dinner party wouldn’t be improved by the presence of the world’s greatest living comedian? He would also hate every second of being there which would amuse me.

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

dorico.com/ipad All specifications are subject to change without notice. Copyright © 2021 Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. All rights reserved.

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