Highnotes issue 49, summer 2022

THE MAKING MUSIC MEMBERSHIP MAGAZINE | SUMMER ISSUE 2022

Different voices Programming women composers • PAGE 8 A VOCAL PRESCRIPTION New guides to social prescribing • PAGE 14

CREATIVE SPACES The challenges of finding suitable rehearsal spaces • PAGE 17

e m e r Sha your with up! gro

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CONTENTS & EDITORIAL

SUPPORTING AND CHAMPIONING LEISURE ISURE--TIME MUSIC

CONTENTS NEWS

5 6

The bigger picture Around the UK

FEATURES

8 More musical choice 14 A vocal prescription 17 Creative spaces FROM OUR TEAM

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

11 18 19 20 21

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

If you have suggestions or would like to contribute to Highnotes, please contact the Commissioning Editor, Natalie Joanes, on 020 7939 6041 or email editor@makingmusic.org.uk The copy deadline for Highnotes Autumn 2022 (published 1 September) is 27 June.

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

Welcome ...and now for something completely different.

Let’s focus on different voices. Making Music, its Board and its team, have been absorbing debates on inclusion and diversity.

How do these relate to us as an organisation and employer?

How do, and should, they impact the services we offer and what kinds of groups we support? What do our member groups think about barriers to access for existing and potential participants and audiences?

Perhaps many of us (including me) have thought for years that this doesn’t really affect us because we are all nice people who welcome anyone in, right?

Yes and no: I am utterly convinced that the overwhelming majority of people are nice. But I have learnt that doesn’t mean we automatically speak or act in a way that feels to others like they are genuinely being invited in and welcomed as who they are, whatever that might be.

Difficult conversations, elephant of a topic; so we hope you will come on that journey with us, and that between us we can turn good intentions into action and serve all our communities even better than we always have done.

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

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Cover image: Member group, the Rehearsal Orchestra Credit: Paul Coleman

SUPPORTING AND CHAMPIONING LEISURE ISURE--TIME MUSIC

Photo: Barbara Eifler Credit: Viola Halfar

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NEWS

THE BIGGER PICTURE @makingmusicuk

SPACES FOR MUSIC MAKING...

SUPPORT FOR MUSIC MAKERS...

RECOGNITION OF MUSIC’S VALUES...

A war in Europe Barbara Eifler looks at what music groups can do We are all horrified by the war in Ukraine. So, what could music groups do?

Practical help: Many music groups fundraise – so this is an obvious contribution to make. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is best placed to receive donations, and thousands of groups shaking a bucket at concerts could make a real difference.

Musical contributions: There are now numerous free arrangements of the Ukrainian national anthem on social media.

Many groups record and share these or add the anthem to their concerts (also helps with the bucket-shake!).

But what about Russian artists and music? It’s a no brainer that collaborations with artistic institutions or artists based out of Russia should be discontinued for now, as they would be interpreted as supporting Putin’s regime.

However, it may be helpful

to continue with Russian artists or living composers no longer resident in Russia.

Having dissident Russian voices represented at your concerts can support the swathes of the Russian population disagreeing with what is being carried out in their name, and show audiences that many Russians do not agree with Putin.

And what about music by dead Russians? Nobody stopped playing Beethoven during World War II, nor would that have been helpful. On the contrary, celebrating what is great about (pre-Putin) Russian culture pulls the rug from under his claim that we’re all out to deny Russia’s greatness. Though if you are playing or presenting Tchaikovsky or Shostakovitch, you may want to put that music into context for your musicians and your audiences. For more ideas visit our resource at makingmusic. org.uk/support-for-ukraine

ELECTIONS: PLAY YOUR PART During the pandemic, Making Music stepped up its advocacy work to speak up for leisure-time musicmaking to government departments and other agencies, learning some useful lessons. First of these is that members of Making Music groups are the most powerful lobbyists of all – because they are voters in every constituency and local authority of the UK. There are elections taking place on 5 May for the Legislative Assembly in Northern Ireland and for many local authorities across England, Scotland and Wales, so here are some actions leisure-time musician-voters can take:.

1. Vote. And look at each party’s or candidate’s commitment to music-making: do they understand and value it?

2. Tell candidates what musical activity in the community needs.

Read more and download a poster: makingmusic.org.uk/election-asks LIVING WITH COVID

‘...celebrating what is great about (pre-Putin) Russian culture pulls the rug from under his claim that we’re all out to deny Russia’s greatness’

Most restrictions have gone in all four UK nations but Covid hasn’t, so we will be living with it for a while yet.

Music groups are responsible and take good care of their participants.

Knowing by now what situations and actions are likely to spread Covid means they can continue to mitigate risks successfully, even if some of the tools to do so are no longer available, e.g. the free lateral flow tests widely used to keep Covid out of the rehearsal or performance space.

There has been a real shift from a ‘must soldier on’ attitude to one of personal responsibility which recognises that spreading Covid or anything else to fellow music group members isn’t great, especially as some of them will always be vulnerable because of disabilities or long-term health conditions. For new risk assessments and resources see: makingmusic.org.uk/living-with-covid Summer 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 Left: The Royal Choral Society outside the Royal Albert Hall Photo: Kevin Day

Going strong Royal Choral Society turns 150 years old One of the UK’s oldest choirs, member group the Royal Choral Society is set to embark on a celebratory 150th anniversary season, running from Good Friday, 15 April 2022 to 7 May 2023.

The leisure-time choir began life as the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society, formed shortly after the opening of the Royal Albert Hall in 1871. Auditions were held and the choir soon attracted over 1,000 members, giving its inaugural concert on 8 May 1872. With permission from Queen Victoria, the name was shortened to the Royal Choral Society shortly after.

Ever since, the London-based choir has continued to be associated with some of the most high profile musicians of the day.

Both Verdi and Dvořák conducted the choir in premieres of their works, as have Edwin Roxborough and Geoffrey Burgon in more recent times. Sir Malcolm Sargent, regarded as one of Britain’s greatest choral conductors, led the choir from 1928 for 40 years, during which time the Society attracted 6

HIGHNOTES Summer 2022

vast audiences for its staged performances of Samuel ColeridgeTaylor’s Hiawatha.

Led by Music Director Richard Cooke since 1995, today’s over 100-strong choir seeks to balance performances of traditional repertoire with taking part in more unique events, ranging from singing at the launch of Cunard’s Queen Mary II ocean liner and participating in the 25th anniversary of the Falklands conflict to providing vocals for Sky Sports idents.

The start of the Society’s 150th anniversary season will be marked by a performance of Handel’s Messiah, which the choir first performed at its inaugural concert in 1872. From 1876, the choir has performed the work every Good Friday at the Royal Albert Hall, with only the Blitz and the Covid pandemic preventing performances from taking place.

For more details on upcoming concerts and how to join the choir, visit royalchoralsociety.co.uk

SOUTH EAST

Making Music is saddened by the passing of Tom Hammond, a former Making Music staff member and conductor of many member groups – most recently the St Albans and Hertford symphony orchestras.

Tom was known across London and the South East as a passionate and enthusiastic conductor, committed to bringing composers to life from notes on the page.

During his time as Making Music’s Regional Development Officer for London, a role he shared with Heather Tomala, he played a key role in promoting leisure-time music across the capital and connecting member groups with larger organisations, notably helping to curate performances by members as part of the Southbank Centre’s ‘Bernstein Project’ in 2009/10.

Read a full tribute on the Making Music website at makingmusic. org.uk/news LEICESTERSHIRE CHORALE

‘From 1876, the choir has performed every Good Friday at the Royal Albert Hall, with only the Blitz and ...pandemic preventing performances from taking place’

As a parting gift to Leicestershire Chorale, President Vivian Anthony has released a book charting the chamber choir’s rich, 45-year history. Lark Ascending: A History of Leicestershire Chorale tells the story of many outstanding concerts (some involving demanding challenges) and how the group has dealt with wider problems facing chamber choirs over the years. The Chorale was founded in 1977 with the aim of raising singers’ standards to those already being achieved in the renowned Leicestershire Schools’ Symphony Orchestra. To this day, working with young people remains central to the Chorale’s objectives, and all proceeds from the new book will be used to fund the choir’s youth work and concert activities. To purchase a copy, email Vivian Anthony at vsa505@gmail. com or visit leicestershirechorale. org.uk

NEWS

Making Music announcements New appointments, anniversaries, awards and projects Making Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Miranda Glen as our new Manager, Wales. She takes over from John Rostron who held the post since October 2019.

Originally from Ontario, Canada, Miranda has lived in the UK for 12 years and mid-Wales for the past three. She pursues a broad range of musical interests, from playing piano and guitar to choral singing, and is the founder and musical director of a leisuretime choir in her hometown of Llanfyllin. She comes to the role with a wealth of experience

working in the charity sector, in both Canada and the UK, across a broad range of areas including youth work, theatre and antenatal support.

supportive and sympathetic fashion. Stephen Leeder also served on the Selected Artists Panel, holding the post of Secretary from 2011 to 2021. His experience on the panel over many years and knowledge of promoter groups in general enabled him to help shape the panel into something that continued to be useful and relevant to member groups.

Glynne Stackhouse and Stephen Leeder have been jointly awarded the 2021 President’s Award, presented to Making Music volunteers in recognition of their exceptional service. Glynne served as Chair of the Selected Artists Panel from 2017 to 2020 and helped to steer the panel through three years of considerable change, always doing so in a

60-second interview

Delayed by the pandemic, the 2020/21 round of Adopt a Music Creator projects are now reaching their conclusions, including the first Collaborate

Pathway project with the Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra, Ugie Voices and music creator, Ben Lunn. The resulting composition, Rhymes & Recollections, is based on poetry by the 19th-century poet William Thom, who lived and worked in the groups’ area of Scotland as a handloom weaver. Read about how they overcame challenges posed by the pandemic and making a recording amid storm Eunice, as well as blogs from other Adopt a Music Creator pairings at makingmusic.org.uk/news

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ond sec rview e t in

Introducing Swinton & District Excelsior Band, a brass band based in North Yorkshire with family and community at its heart Could you tell us a little about the band’s history?

We are a family band formed in 1936 by a group of exbandsmen who lived in the village and wished to resume their musical activities – following a successful Christmas raising some beer money!

What does the band look like today?

Our main band currently has about 30 members. We also have a thriving training band of over 20 players plus a beginner’s group, and we offer free individual and group lessons to members of both. The age range of our members is 8 to 80, and we even have three generations of one family playing across the groups.

As well as performing to the public, we also enjoy socialising – family days out to the beach, social evenings and calling at the local pub after rehearsals.

The band considers itself to be an extended family; we help each other out in times of need but also celebrate special occasions.

What styles of music do you play?

The music we play can be anything from traditional brass band music and marches to pop, classical, and music for stage and screen. Our current programme includes Elgar alongside Meatloaf.

We perform in settings around the local community, including indoor concerts, local events, weddings, parks and also care homes. At Christmas, local residents and businesses can book us to play outside their work or home for 15- or 30-minute sessions.

Each year, we also take part in a couple of contests and in the Armistice Parade.

Describe the band in three words…

Entertaining, educational, social swinton-band.com Summer 2022 HIGHNOTES

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FEATURE

More musical choice

How do we widen our musical horizons? Natalie Joanes, Highnotes editor, discusses programming women composers There is a common misconception that there is gender parity in modern society, but this just isn’t the case, and certainly not in the world of music. According to research by the Donne Foundation, which exists to readdress gender inequality within the music industry, only 11.45% of scheduled concerts in concert halls worldwide in 2020/21 included compositions by women and just 1.11% of concerts included works by Black and Asian women. Of the 14,747 compositions performed, only 5% were by women. The F-list, a directory of female musicians, songwriters and composers, highlights in its Counting the Music Industry report that only 14% of writers currently signed to music publishers are women.

Why does it matter?

Not only are we missing out on performing or presenting fantastic music, but we’re limiting the listening experiences of our communities. At the moment we’re not even representing them – after all, 50% of the population is female, and the next generation of amateur and professional music creators have the right to have role models who are like them.

That’s not to say that if you identify as a woman, you can’t be inspired by Mozart or Beethoven. But as Elizabeth de Brito, musicologist and speaker at our event on programming women composers pointed out, what

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HIGHNOTES Summer 2022

about their female contemporaries? For example Marianna Martines, composer, pianist and singer founded a singing school in Vienna and trained many young professionals. Or Nanette Streicher, piano maker and composer. Women composers in history were not only first-rate musicians – some broke new ground too: Louise Farrenc wrote three symphonies and won the right to equal pay at the Paris Conservatoire in 1850. The Brazilian composer Chiquinha Gonzaga wrote Ô abre alas!, the first carnival march in 1899, and was the first woman to conduct an orchestra in Brazil.

There are equally exciting composers today all over the world, from Japanese composer Michiru Oshima who has written music for over 100 films and 200 TV series, both anime and live action, to UK-based Nigerian composer Edewede Oriwoh, known for her choral music, including several liturgical works.

There’s so much music out there to discover that could widen our musical horizons.

How can we bring about change?

It takes everyone in the professional music sector to achieve lasting change, but what can leisure-time music groups do? Our event on programming women composers sought to offer some practical tips.

FEATURE

1.

Start looking for sheet music around four to six months in advance of your performance to allow yourself enough time to research and change direction if you need to 2. Use free, curated online databases like thef-listmusic.uk and donne-uk.org 3. Follow @Donne_UK on Twitter. Tag Donne with what you’re looking for and they can reshare – someone in their community may have the answer 4. Listen to The Daffodil Perspective (thedaffodilperspective.org), a podcast that showcases underrepresented classical composers from all backgrounds 5. Search zinfonia.com, a music publisher portal of compositions in copyright to get an idea of cost 6. For out of copyright sheet music, use imslp. org (instrumental) and cpdl.org (vocal) 7. Find out who has recently performed the music you’re after and contact them for advice. bachtrack.com holds an archive of performances 8. Contemporary Music for All (coma.org) commissions women composers and has affordable sheet music available to buy or hire 9. If you’re a promoter, discuss the inclusion of works by women composers with your artists 10. Share what you do with others to help inspire them!

Organisations such as the Ambache Charitable Trust (ambachecharitabletrust.org) can offer

funding for particular initiatives in support of women composers. Alternatively, your members might want to help. Players in Making Music member group Harmony Sinfonia wanted to do a concert of women composers and were happy to pay a few extra pounds towards their membership subscription in support of the initiative.

Setting a target to programme women composers could be useful while you’re starting out. Whether that’s quotas or objectives, you can decide what works best for your group. The music is out there, but perhaps at the moment some of it is hard to access. If we all work to find and consistently programme it, it will become easier for more people to use it.

And hopefully one day we’ll no longer have conversations in which we highlight ‘women composers,’ or have female-composer-only performances, because they will be as widely programmed and listened to as their male counterparts!

Making Music resources To watch back our event and for more links and resources, visit: makingmusic.org.uk/ women-composers and a blog on women composers of colour: makingmusic.org.uk/ women-composers-colour

‘If we all work to find and consistently programme [this music], it will become easier for more people to use it’

The Adopt a Music Creator project has an archive of women composers to choose from and Making Music corporate members offer discounts on hiring their music (such as the Light Music Society, with nearly 130 women composers in their collection). See makingmusic.org.uk/resources

Summer 2022 HIGHNOTES

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MEMBERS

BLOW YOUR TRUMPET A long-awaited premiere Kate Foley of the City of Bristol Brass Band reflects on the successful conclusion of the group’s Adopt a Music Creator journey with creator Laura Shipsey However, almost as soon as we had picked up the gauntlet, Covid reached the UK, and the piece was left on the back burner for almost a year.

Finally, in spring 2021, we were allowed back to the band room. We returned with cautious enthusiasm, knowing there needed to be a quick turnaround with the premiere re-arranged for October.

Solo practice in lockdown had thus far denied us the opportunity to explore how our individual parts fitted together, so many hours were spent in the rehearsal room (and at home with the sound file on repeat) marking entries and learning the intricacies of the music. Confidence wavered at times, particularly due to the soloistic nature of the music, but slowly the movements started to fit together.

In the end, the premiere was a

Photo: Members of Bristol Brass Band with Laura Shipsey

There is always a sense of trepidation and excitement when taking the stage, but for City of Bristol Brass Band’s performance on 17 October 2021, the stirring atmosphere was palpable. The concert signified a landmark occasion, as our Adopt a Music Creator project finally came to fruition nearly two years since Making Music paired us with up-and-coming composer Laura Shipsey.

The project officially kicked off in November 2019, with Laura bringing both the Senior and Learner bands together for a collaborative workshop. She visited again in January 2020, this time with draft excerpts of her piece now titled Of Far Flung Skies. There was a fast realisation this was going to be an eclectic and spirited piece, written in a contemporary style very different to our usual repertoire.

resounding success, and the feeling of achievement on the night was immense. We had all learnt a great deal throughout the process, both in terms of technical musical skills and self-confidence. There is now a renewed momentum and desire in the band to tackle bigger challenges and not just sit within the comfort zone of our repertoire. cobbb.co.uk

AIMing for inclusivity Sarah Dunn, chair and founder of Accessible Inclusive Music, tells us about the organisation’s busy first year running a choir for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities Accessible Inclusive Music (AIM) was set up in spring 2021 as a direct response to the lack of fully inclusive extra-curricular musical opportunities in West Yorkshire for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.

We are a non-profit organisation run by five volunteer committee members with backgrounds in education, SEND, finance, charity and lived experience of disability, all with a passion for making music accessible to all.

Our first project is a fully inclusive online choir run by one of our freelance music practitioners, Hannah, who is an experienced choir leader with a background as a Head of Performing Arts in a specialist SEND secondary school. The choir is

specifically designed to be fully inclusive on many levels – and to us the term ‘choir’ doesn’t mean just singing. Participants can join in by singing, signing, playing an instrument, moving to the music, using switches and eye gaze devices. To us, inclusivity doesn’t mean creating an activity for those who struggle to access mainstream extra-curricular activities, it means everybody can participate together whether they consider themselves to have additional needs or not.

Our choir is currently free to participants thanks to fundraising drives from committee members. Rehearsals are intentionally designed to work online, which is often well received by busy parents and carers, and those participants with additional needs

who use specialist equipment or find new environments overstimulating.

Despite only launching the choir in June, we have provided free fortnightly and weekly rehearsals to children and young people across the UK, a Christmas virtual video opportunity, run two inclusive choir summer workshops, and worked collaboratively with the Leeds based charity SNAPS Yorkshire to provide in-person inclusive choir sessions.

This is just the start, and subject to funding we hope in our next stage to provide subsidised instrumental lessons with specialist practitioners using specifically adapted instruments when required. facebook.com/accessibleinclusivemusic

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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

Could you claim Gift Aid? Donations and membership fees could be eligible

*NEW* resources Coronavirus •

Living with Covid performances

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Living with Covid - rehearsals

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These resources include *UPDATED* template risk assessments for living with Covid

General resources

If your group is a charity (this includes registered charities throughout the UK, as well as groups that are too small to register) you could be claiming 25% Gift Aid on donations made to your group. Gift Aid allows charities to claim an extra 25p for every £1 on individual donations made. Effectively, HMRC repays the tax paid by a UK taxpayer before the donation is made.

To claim Gift Aid, the group first needs to register with HMRC to be recognised as a charity. They will then need to ensure that they have collected information from their donors (a Gift Aid declaration) before they can claim. This declaration will need to include information about who the donor is, how much they are giving, as well as confirmation they want the tax to be reclaimed.

Making Music has some template Gift Aid declarations which our 12

HIGHNOTES Summer 2022

members can use, and these are suitable for single as well as multiple donations made by an individual.

Some groups can also claim Gift Aid on their member subscriptions. Making Music has updated guidance to make it easier for members to decide if they are able to claim this.

Your group can claim Gift Aid on subscriptions if the following criteria are met.

1. The membership fee does no more than secure membership of the charity.

2. The fee does not secure personal use of charity facilities or service.

To find out more about how to claim gift aid on donations and membership subscriptions, take a look at our full guidance at makingmusic.org.uk/gift-aid

‘Some groups can also claim Gift Aid on their member subscriptions.

Making Music has updated guidance to make it easier for members to decide’

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Webinar recording: Are you programming women composers?

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Webinar recording: Climate Change Network meeting

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Webinar recording: The challenges of recruiting and retaining volunteers

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Discover the Amateur Choir Licence from PMLL (for photocopying)

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Social prescribing resources

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Support for Ukraine

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An introduction to: Early Music

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Gift Aid and member subscriptions

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*UPDATED* How to claim Gift Aid for your group

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*UPDATED* Not-for-profit organisations: which bank account should we use?

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*UPDATED* Contactless payments and card readers

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 6 May: UK wide 11 May: Scotland 14 May: Treasurers’ meetup

General online events 17 May: Every penny counts 20 May: Guest speaker event: Social prescribing – what is it and is it for your group?

24 May: Making the most of your Making Music membership 25 May: Conversations about inclusion... Attitude is Everything 11 June: Applying for funding 23 June: What can our corporate members do for you?

27 June: Mailchimp for beginners 9 July: Getting to grips with Gift Aid

Conversations about inclusion A series of events to explore what the barriers 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 89 new members who joined between 1 December to 14 April!

Amington Band

Gelliswick Community Choir

Sheffield Youth Orchestra

Aureole Music

Glastonbury Voices Community Choir

Sing Out Strong Ltd

Aurora Choir

Global Harmony Community Choir

Sing Papworth

Aylesbury Vale Concert Orchestra

Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble

SING4FUN!

Bang to Rites Drummers

Harlekin Studio Opera

Sonoro

Barnes Concert Band

Harmonie Concert Band Solihull

Southside Org

BCOS - Bicester Choral & Operatic Society

Highland Music Trust

St Neots Big Band

Beaumaris Singers Of Newport Shropshire

Honey Belles Ladies Choir

St Paul’s Cathedral Chorus

Big Christmas Wind Orchestra & Choir

Horsley Live Music Club

Staffordshire Chamber Orchestra

Bollington Brass Band

Kensington Singers

Suffolk Community Strings

Bretforton Silver Band

Kent International Piano Courses

The Aubrey Singers

Chester Festival Chorus

Kings Clarinets

The Bryce Street Strummers

Chorlton Ukulele Group

Langholm Orchestral Society

The Extra Covers

ChromaMusic Community Group

Luton Symphony Orchestra

City Wind Orchestra

Lymm Big Sing

The Farnborough Concert Band of the Royal British Legion

Clitheroe Town Band

Meltham & Meltham Mills Band

Clydebank District Choir

Monteverdi Singers

Coasters Choir

Norwich Music Group

CODS

Oakwood Community Choir

Concerts at St. Mary’s Nantwich

One Heart Drummers

Coventry City of Culture Orchestra

One Voice Community Choir (Preston)

Coventry Savoy Opera

Persona Arts

Dalkeith and Monktonhall Colliery Brass Band

Quorn Ukulele Orchestra

Edinburgh City Orchestra

Richmond Light Orchestra

Elizabethan Singers Alford

Rosin Academy

Encore Vocal Choir

Saffron Opera Group

Ensemble East

SEMusic

Falkirk Caledonia Choir

Serenata

Finsbury Park Singers

Seriously AwEful Symphonia

Friends Aloud

Sheffield Clarinet Ensemble

The Reform Club Classical Music Society The Weekley Singers Victoria Park Singers Village Vocals Vocalising CIC VocEly Voices of Craven Waldershelf Singers Warwickshire and Coventry Youth Brass Course We Bop Choir Werneth Concert Band Wigan True Levellers Community Samba Band Wild Arts York Railway Institute Band Section

Summer 2022 HIGHNOTES

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FEATURE

A vocal prescription Baz Chapman of the Singing for Health Network introduces new guides on social prescribing In January 2019, the NHS launched its new longterm plan to develop a ‘personalised care’ approach.

Meanwhile, I find it ironic that, as we come out of the pandemic, singing – that very activity which was initially labelled a ‘superspreader’ – now has the potential to heal so much of the social, mental and, to a degree, physical damage to our health caused by Covid.

The Singing for Health Network – launched amid the second lockdown in February 2021 – harnesses the growing understanding that singing has extraordinary potential to support a range of health conditions, including dementia, Parkinson’s, chronic pain, lung problems, brain injury/stroke and mental health-related issues such as anxiety and depression (which have been exacerbated by the pandemic). The Network wanted to bring together researchers, music practitioners and health professionals to find new ways to connect singing with improving health, and you can find a summary of singing for health research at singingforhealthnetwork.co.uk/ research-overview Social prescribing is one of the best ways to make the connection between singing and health, and the exciting part is that all musical groups in the UK have the opportunity to connect with it, and to welcome people for whom the experience could be life-changing.

Social prescribing is described as a way to connect people with ‘what matters to them’. Usually hosted by GP surgeries (and often prescribed to by GPs), social prescribers – also known as link workers – develop an understanding of the various groups that exist in their communities (cycling clubs, gardening groups, sewing bees and music groups, for example), and then talk to those in their care about what interests them, or might interest them, and whether they would be willing to try one of these groups out. They then manage the referral process directly with the relevant group.

It’s interesting that, to date, group singing hasn’t 14

HIGHNOTES Summer 2022

featured particularly strongly as part of the landscape of groups receiving social prescribing. Why? Perhaps singing groups don’t know about their social prescribers, or vice versa? But there’s also something here about the fact that singing groups can vary enormously – the experience of an informal singing group that learns everything by rote is going to be pretty different from an auditioned symphony chorus. So, matching the person to the right group can be a tricky process, even for a social prescriber who knows these complexities.

How do we fix this, and open up many more doors?

There’s certainly a role for those many groups who have successfully connected with social prescribing to help spread the word and share their experiences. But at the Singing for Health Network, we also felt some guidance resources would be useful, both for singing groups and for social prescribers: Why can social prescribing to singing groups be so beneficial? What does a singing group need to have in place? How can you connect with your local social prescriber? What questions can a social prescriber ask their potential participant to ensure a good fit?

Working with partners Making Music, Music for Good, the National Academy for Social Prescribing, the Natural Voice Network, Sing for Pleasure and Sound Sense, the Singing for Health Network has recently launched two free guides on social prescribing for choirs and singing groups – one for choirs/singing groups, and one for social prescribers/link workers. The guides are available to download from singingforhealthnetwork.co.uk/ social-prescribing Making Music has adapted these resources to be useful to both singing and instrumental groups, and to tell link workers about both kinds of community music groups.

Find these resources and a range of accompanying templates at: makingmusic.org.uk/social-prescribing You can also join Making Music’s free event on Friday 20 May (book at makingmusic.org.uk/events).

‘Singing...has the potential to heal so much of the social, mental and, to a degree, physical damage to our health caused by Covid’

MEMBERS

PROJECTS & OPPORTUNITIES Keeping you up to date with projects and programmes

Photo: Make Music Day 2021

Make Music Day is nearly here!

21 June is fast approaching, writes Barbara Eifler At Making Music, we believe that Make Music Day is a great annual opportunity to celebrate the amazing music-making you do all year round, hidden away in spaces all around the UK in every neighbourhood.

Connecting with the world on that day, when for so much of the year we focus on a tight geographical area, makes us realise we are not alone. In every country there are young and old, professional and hobby musicians, beginners and highly skilled singers and players of all ages doing just what we do.

We’re very proud to have brought this festival to the UK and nurtured it for five years – to the point that it is now an independent organisation.

To show our support, every year Making Music has also created events under our own banner as well as encouraging

all member groups to open their doors or take their music to the streets on that day.

This year is no different, and our brilliant nation managers are putting together an event in each of the UK nations to celebrate your music and Make Music Day. But consider doing your own thing – you can find inspiration and resources (including free music), and list your event at makemusicday.co.uk. This year, my band is moving its weekly rehearsal forward by a day and holding it on a bandstand - simples!

Oh, and we will be wearing the famous Make Music Day orange T-shirts, so sign up to the Make Music Day UK newsletter at makemusicday.org to find out when they are available.

Visit makemusicday.co.uk to keep up-to-date with the latest news

‘We’re very proud to have brought this festival to the UK and nurtured it for five years... it is now an independent organisation’

MEMBERS GO FOR PLATINUM

As part of its 30th birthday celebrations, and to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Making Music has teamed up with Classic FM to showcase some of the nation’s best leisure-time music groups as part of Britain’s Big Platinum Performance.

Music groups from all over the UK have been invited to submit a recording of an uplifting, celebratory piece of music to be assessed by a panel of judges (there’s still time to submit at bigplatinumperformance. classicfm.com by 8 May). Seven winners will be announced – one for each decade of The Queen’s reign – whose performances will be professionally recorded, featured on Classic FM, and gifted to Her Majesty The Queen for her Platinum Jubilee. The recordings will be narrowed down to a longlist of the top 100, judged on skill, musicality and choice of repertoire.

Showcasing hobby musicians and their outstanding contribution year in year out to local communities seems a fitting way to honour a monarch who has worked tirelessly over her reign to connect with all kinds of people across the UK. Classic FM reaches over 5.1 million global listeners a week, and we look forward to shining the spotlight on some of the nation’s hugely talented, leisure-time music groups in the months to come.

Summer 2022 HIGHNOTES

15

Sing for Pleasure Summer School

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An unforgettable week offering courses for choral enthusiasts of every kind.

For Choral Directors and Vocal Leaders: • Conductor training courses: highly acclaimed training for beginners upwards

As a member of Making Music, choose from dozens of discounts on sheet music hire and hearing protection to online ticketing, music lessons and much more.

For Singers: • Songs from the Shows course: Broadway favourites and more with Louise Ellinson

makingmusic.org.uk/discounts

• Part-week choral courses: for varying levels of singing experience • Consort Course, suitable for experienced singers and led

by Esther Jones • Alexander L’Estrange’s Zimbe! with Bradley Thornborough-Barlow

Find out more, and book online, at:

www.singforpleasure.org.uk/events Enquiries to: events@singforpleasure.org.uk

Rehearsal Orchestra Orchestral repertoire courses for advanced players

Courses at weekends in London plus Edinburgh Festival summer week

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Conducting | Singing | Musicianship | Repertoire

Artistic Director Levon Parikian

Telephone 0800 0184 164 or visit singforpleasure.org.uk

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FEATURE

Creative spaces Barbara Eifler explores Creative Lives’ survey on finding suitable rehearsal venues A perpetually rumbling issue has become more acute over the pandemic: spaces to rehearse. So we welcomed Creative Lives’ (formerly known as Voluntary Arts) survey in late 2021. It received 200 responses, of which 20% came from venues. 10% of group respondents owned their own spaces.

Post pandemic, adequate ventilation is the one requirement likely to remain with us as we ‘live with Covid’, when others, such as larger venues to accommodate social distancing, are likely to fall away.

This may mean that groups that could now return to their pre-pandemic venues are instead looking for new ones which offer better ventilation.

But the ‘normal’ priorities and challenges emerging from the survey sound familiar. Asked what their main criteria were for choosing a space, groups cited: 1. Physical accessibility of venue 2. Location, suitable travel and parking 3. Availability of suitable equipment (e.g. chairs, kitchen, urn) and flexible opening times 4. Affordability The main challenges were identified as: storage options; suitable travel and parking; flexible opening times and suitable equipment.

Storage will matter to many music groups – instrumental ensembles, particularly brass bands, may own quite a few instruments; groups frequently have two or three filing cabinets of sheet music to store; choirs may own risers, and so on. Venue flexibility is also important: in relation to the available times, but also to opening up or locking up procedures, especially if venue staff or volunteers have to be involved.

But where the survey agreed most with what we have also heard from music groups is the overwhelming

answer given by respondents to the question what one thing would make a difference: reasonable cost.

Post-pandemic, prices have gone up and are unlikely to come back down even when Covid-specific costs (e.g. cleaning) reduce, as venues face drastically increased energy bills, for instance.

A surprise to us was that size, while mentioned in connection with Covid and social distancing, did not feature as an ongoing issue, which it is for many music groups; there is not usually a great choice of venues able to accommodate a choir of 200 plus or a full symphony orchestra. Many community bands of 30 to 50 members also struggle with this. That is one reason Making Music groups may stray further than they would like to in terms of rehearsal space from the postcode they are rooted in, an issue not raised in this survey: spaces for regular activity etc. Spaces for regular activity need to be hyperlocal – 20 minutes’ walk, or less than half an hour’s drive or travel.

Asked about hourly rates for spaces, groups’ answers ranged from £0 to £100 an hour, with an average of £22 an hour. Relationships with venues were equally varied – some reporting supportive spaces and helpful staff, others having little interaction with or interest from their venue.

Interestingly, 95% of the venues who responded would like to attract more creative groups, informing one of Creative Lives’ proposed pieces of work: a short guide for venues to help them host such groups. Creative Lives is also looking to advocate at local authority level and to build new alliances to open up new and more spaces to groups.

See creative-lives.org/spaces-for-creativity for more.

Contact Making Music with your rehearsal space challenges at info@makingmusic.org.uk This survey was about spaces for regular activity e.g. rehearsals, not about performance spaces, which is also an issue for music groups, but with different challenges.

Photo: Andy Marshall

‘Interestingly, 95% of the venues who responded would like to attract more creative groups...’

HIGHNOTES Summer 2022

17

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 Loving Pauper Dobby Dobson Dillinger version Loving Pauper was written by Dobby Dobson and released in 1967, but the first version I heard was a live one on Dillinger’s Cocaine album, a copy of which my mum owns, and which first inspired me to play reggae.

As a young bassist, I was struck by the lazy climbing of the sparse bass line in Loving Pauper and the roundness of its tone.

Even through my cheap stereo, I could hear the power of the

18

HIGHNOTES Summer Summer2022 2022

sound system it was recorded from. I found this particularly exciting and so I decided to learn to play reggae properly and joined the Bristol Reggae Orchestra (BRO). This introduction to reggae has taught me an invaluable lesson in bass playing – how to play less and, I believe, say more.

Participating in the BRO has been an absolute joy and I have made delightful friends. What I have learned about Jamaican music and culture through the orchestra also piqued my interest in my own family history, and has led to the discovery of my mum’s hitherto lost Jamaican relatives. Loving Pauper and the rest of the Cocaine album were the starting point for this, and so the music is even more dear to me.

I would also recommend Gregory Isaacs’ characteristically tender cover of Loving Pauper, which I had the pleasure of discovering recently.

Will Appleby Bassist, Bristol Reggae Orchestra bristolreggaeorchestra.com

FROM OUR TEAM

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

EarMaster

PHOTOCOPYING LICENCE

Michael Pearce reviews the ear training app with plenty to offer

EarMaster is an all-in-one Danish musicianship training tool, loaded with exercises to improve ear training as well as sight-singing, rhythm training and music theory.

What sets EarMaster apart from its competitors is the vast collection of 2,500 exercises, tailored for complete beginners to professionals. This might seem overwhelming, but the app is clearly laid out and split into five sections: Beginner’s Course, General Workshop, RCM Voice Levels 1 to 6 (a course based on the Canada-based Royal Conservatoire of Music voice assessments), Jazz workshops, and Customized Exercises. Each section is divided into themed lessons or activities, such as core music theory concepts (sadly the notation is only American terms, e.g. measure for bar, quarter note for crotchet); ear training exercises to hear and write intervals, chords, scales, harmonic progressions and melodies; sight-singing exercises with feedback on intonation and timing; and rhythmic exercises including dictation and clapping

back (either by tapping/clicking on your device or clapping into an external microphone).

The dictation exercises, particularly singing back, require you to be very (perhaps overly) accurate to obtain ‘five stars’. But a useful line, which looks like a soundwave, maps your efforts on top of the notation, so you can judge yourself if you feel the software was being a little harsh!

An on-screen piano is used in many exercises to input answers, so a little prior keyboard knowledge is certainly useful. But if not, particularly if you’re working through the Beginner’s Course, the app can also help you to learn the layout of a keyboard while training your ears at the same time.

A limited amount of free content is available, with different in-app purchases and subscription options available depending on your device (note there are many more in-app purchase options on mobile and tablet versions than the desktop).

Available on Android, Windows iOS and Mac for most devices and desktops

‘What sets EarMaster apart from its competitors is the vast collection of 2,500 exercises, tailored for complete beginners to professionals’

Launched on 1 April 2022, a new Amateur Choir Licence from corporate member Printed Music Licensing Limited (PMLL) allows leisure-time singing groups to photocopy a wide range of sheet music easily, without needing to obtain permission from publishers.

Since 2019, Making Music has worked with its member groups and PMLL – part of the Music Publishers Association – to create a licence that provides the leisure-time music sector with the chance to photocopy and arrange (depending on terms) works from PMLL’s music publisher members, ranging from large rights holders such as Sony, Universal and Warner Chappell to print publishers such as Faber, Hal Leonard and Oxford University Press.

If you are a member of a choir and would like to copy sheet music or make minor arrangements (for example, changing of key to suit the voices of your choir), then you can purchase the new annual licence from PMLL via its online portal in just a few clicks. You will need to pay for the number of works you wish to copy and also for the number choir members using the copies. For example, if there are 30 members of the choir and you wish to use up to five pieces of music, the cost is £2.50 per choir member (plus VAT) for the year. makingmusic.org.uk/amateurchoir-licence HIGHNOTES Summer 2022

19

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

choircommunity.net

creativetaxreliefs.com

gb.abrsm.org/en

acscustom.com

thechoralhub.com

benslowmusic.org

composersedition.com

halleonardeurope.com musicgurus.com

rayburntours.com steinberg.net

techmusiced.org.uk/org.uk

ticketsource.co.uk

trybooking.com/uk tutti.space

CORPORATE MEMBERS

CORPORATE SUPPORTERS Black Cat Music Gig Heaven Last Minute Musicians Music Tutors Online

Normans Musical Instruments OneStage Specialist Concert Tours Opera Anywhere 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.

Book review: Play It Again: An Amateur Against the Impossible by Alan Rusbridger In 2010, with 15 years under his belt as editor-in-chief of The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger was struck by inspiration at his annual piano camp – what if he set himself a deadline to learn something truly magnificent? What if, in a year’s time, he could learn to play Chopin’s Ballade No 1 in G minor, one of the most notoriously difficult piano pieces in history?

It was a Herculean task, but Rusbridger went at it with his usual panache, and documented his process along the way.

Play It Again is a journal of that process, part music diary and part chronicle of his day-to-day work as an editor. The timing would turn out awkward – that year, Rusbridger would have to deal with events like the Arab Spring, the Japanese tsunami and the England-wide riots, characters such as Assange, Gaddafi and Murdoch, and ground-breaking news stories like WikiLeaks and the News of the World hacking scandal.

Still, he stubbornly persisted in stealing 20 minutes for daily practice, but it was much easier said than done.

Interwoven with his pianistic struggles and editor’s anecdotes are interviews with pianists, neuroscientists and even historians, as he tries to figure out the purpose of music in a busy adult’s life. It’s riveting to read his account, as Rusbridger gradually finds that the presence of music helps him focus, clears his head, and above everything else, brings him comfort – nowhere more evocatively demonstrated than when he tinkles a few bars of the Chopin Ballade in an abandoned hotel in Tripoli during a rescue mission in Libya, with no idea how he’s going to return to England.

This book gives an excellent example of the therapeutic effects of music, and Rusbridger’s journey will leave you yearning to create your own.

As he reflects: ‘Music’s great value is that it gives us the tools to understand many things about ourselves, about the human being, about society, about how we live, what we live for.’

- Corina Tilea

FROM OUR TEAM

MAKING MUSIC PEOPLE Meet the people behind the scenes

PROJECT SPOTLIGHT

STAFF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

COLIN RILEY

CORINA TILEA

MENTOR

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT

How long have you been involved with Adopt a Music creator (formerly Adopt a Composer)?

When did you join Making Music?

Over 20 years

What does your job entail?

What does your role involve?

A mix of marketing and communications tasks, such as editing copy for the website, drafting content for social media and handling any bits and bobs that may pop up during the week. There’s a lot of variety, which I enjoy.

The team of mentors provides advice and a helping hand at key moments to groups and music creators throughout the process. One mentor is assigned to each of the six projects. As well as attending rehearsals, we lead training through skills days for both composers and music groups.

What do you like best about being involved in the project?

It’s always a huge privilege to be part of something from inception through to completion, especially with the healthy diversity of approaches to composing involved. I also love feeling the excitement and energy from the music groups.

How did you get into composing yourself?

My first composing began when I would practise a piece and my fingers would fall on a wrong note. I often preferred ‘my version’ and would end up creating a small piece that went in that direction. Like us all, my listening widened as I got older and I composed music that sounded like the music I enjoyed. Short minuets for piano turned into sonatas, then into ambitious orchestral tone poems (which never got beyond page two). When my expanding horizons discovered rock, jazz, electronic and improvised music, things got complicated.

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

Someone whose music perfectly blends a sense of originality and seriousness with wit and a lack of pretention is Ligeti. So much of his music is a continual source of inspiration for me. He would be a fascinating guest; someone who would not only have plenty to say but also genuinely listen.

22

HIGHNOTES Summer 2022

November 2021

Where did you work previously?

I used to work in the corporate sector as a fraud investigator for four years, which is just as fun as it sounds! Before that, I was involved with a LGBTQ+ charity for around five years where I took turns wearing all the hats: volunteer, volunteer coordinator, employee and trustee.

What attracted you to return to the charity sector?

I started working in the corporate sector because I thought that’s what ‘proper’ adults did, but it turned out it wasn’t for me. Then the pandemic hit, and amidst all the chaos, it gave me the time and space needed to figure out what I really wanted to do in life.

So, I returned to my first love, which is working for a non-profit.

What are your hobbies outside work?

Anything creative! I’ve been playing piano since I was seven, I write short stories and I’m currently editing my first novel, and I took up cross stitching last year.

Who is your favourite musician or composer, past or present, and why?

Chopin! To me, nobody else even comes close as a composer, teacher and pianist. I’ve been reading his biography by Adam Zamoyski and Chopin: Pianist and Teacher, As Seen by his Pupils by Jean-Jacques Eigeldinger, which are brilliant insights into him as a person. My all-time favourite Chopin pieces are Ballade No 1 in G minor and Nocturne No 1 from Op 32 in B Major.

hull

International Choir Competition April 27 - May 1, 2023 | Hull, Great Britain

interkultur.com/Hull2023

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