More Music 3 Year Document 2012-2015

2012 - 2015

Contents 3 4 5 6 8 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Hello!

Creative Production Top Ten Memorable Gigs International Work - China & Brazil Catch the Wind Kite Festival West End Festival Winter Lantern Festival Baybeat Streetband Youth Orbit Commissions Lancashire Music Hub Lancashire Youth Vocal Ensemble (LYVE) Off Stage Folk Group / Adult Classes Stages & Stages Live Friday Night Project / Young Leaders Skelmersdale Library Young Persons Music Project Music Inclusion Projects Long Walk Chinese Orchestra / Early Years More Music in Numbers Financial Summary Thanks to all those who made it happen...

Funders

Mission Statement In our third Business Plan 2012 – 2015, we responded to the economic climate, the changing funding landscape, challenging political ideologies and uncertain future for the arts and cultural sector. We also focused on rebuilding the motivation and confidence of our organisation following a major structural change in 2011.

We are an organisation that moves with the changing times, is flexible, resilient and able to adapt to external forces, while retaining a core mission and set of values.

More Music aims to build confidence and spirit in individuals and communities through creative arts activities, particularly music.

More Music produces work that is truthful and has a powerful artistic aesthetic.

We make events that are joyful and beautiful. We use many art forms with a focus on music and take our work out across the region and country and onto the international stage. We believe in making new original work and developing a sense of place by working with and in communities.

Hello!

Much like the pause between many a musical moment in the More Music Hothouse building in the West End of Morecambe; now is the time to applaud the prolific commitment and achievements of the More Music staff, volunteers and the numerous local communities and individual participants that they support and collaborate with.

We have survived the credit crunch, weathered the worst of the financial storm and have emerged as a more focused, leaner organisation that is better placed to identify and achieve our creative ambitions.

After briefly considering whether to move location and premises, we have shown our commitment to the people of the West End of Morecambe by completing a major refurbishment of our wonderful and beloved Hothouse building.

The fully modernised Music Hall is now perhaps Morecambe’s premier music and performance venue that never fails to impress anyone who enters the light and airy space.

When you consider the breadth and depth of the work and activities that More Music undertakes, it is amazing to think of all that is achieved by a small, extremely dedicated, and creative team.

From in-school music education classes to anarchic teenage rock bands, from formal Chinese ensemble orchestras to cutting edge heartfelt rap music by local young people and from sweaty, energy filled rock gigs to heavenly choir voices; these are the kind of things that we love about the diversity of our work.

And do you know just how much we love Morecambe? Well, enough to want to encourage more people to come to our weekly sessions, events and gigs at The Hothouse. Enough to put on crowd attracting kite festivals, thought provoking pyrotechnic beach installations and creative community centred events during every season of the year, with the intention of supporting our local community and its economy, and showing what a great place Morecambe is.

In celebration of twenty years of More Music, in 2014, our highly acclaimed, and low cost, Frontierland show featured 110 of More Music staff and participants. We transported our musical postcard of Morecambe to the Nuffield Theatre at Lancaster University. Playing to full houses for two nights in a row, the experience is perhaps best described by one of the members of the audience (as I was on stage!): “Seen the most inclusive, diverse, talented true community of musicians tonight, More Music you were captivating, moving and inspirational.�

FH, Twitter.

As we plan ahead for the next three years and beyond, we are even more committed and dedicated to working locally in the West End of Morecambe and the surrounding area. We want to inspire our schoolchildren to express themselves creatively and we want to work with our local residents (from all around the world) to tell the stories that matter most to them.

More Music is for everyone - so please do get involved!

Steve Varden Chair of the More Music Board of Trustees

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Creative Production

Hothouse Events Three years worth of artists have performed. The Hothouse has welcomed nationally renowned musicians playing world, jazz, folk and contemporary music. Events were supported by local professional musicians, community bands, and choirs and audiences have risen from an average of 30 to an average of 70.

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Orbit | LRGS Big Band | Swerve Trio | European Jazz Quartet | Bill Lloyd | Lakeland Fiddlers | Roddy Woomble | Katy Pickles | Rae Morris | Howard Haigh | Ian Shaw The Millenium Singers | Baines Ukulele Orchestra | Stephen Hudson & The Fiat Pandas | Moulettes | Fields | Ark | Idol Minds | The Tapestry | Yin Ng | Reeps One | Hobbit Liz Bentley | Tom Doughty | The Wierdstring Band | Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh | Orchestre DC Dansette | Kitchen Collective | Brother and Bones | Charlie Galloway & Ella Ronson Lake Komo | Neil C Young | Sound Games | Dan Haywood | Alasdair Roberts Trio | Francesca Martinez | Desna MacKenzie | Striding Edge Ceilidh Band | The Kilcawley Family More Music Folk Group | Beat Artistes | Metamorphic | Royst | Tom Metcalfe | Gwyneth Herbert | Leap to Your Feet | Paddy Garrigan | More Like Trees | The Thyme Machine New Rope String Band | Confluence of Rivers | La Carta | Xylosounds | The Beathovens | The Manakin Birds | The Initiative | Get The Blessing | Salt Pie Lane | Euros Childs Susie Jones Band | Flutes and Co | Chris Wood | Astral Circus | Laura J Martin | The Wellgreen | The Billionaires Trio | Femi Temowo | Off the Rails | Kate Young | Troyka Lancaster Lindyhoppers | David Gibb & Elly Lucas | Paddy Steer | Roller Trio | Beccy Owen | Low Countries | Eliza Jaye | Folk to Folk | Tarang | Liam Browne & the Love Baksheesh | Sue Parish | Ludus Dance | The Bills | Soweto Kinch | Steel Crazy | Lach | ULMS Brass Quintet | Flying Folk | Joe McCorriston | Paper Cranes | A Dread Supreme Keston Cobblers’ Club | Carrie On Dancing | The Guns of Navarone | Nizlopi | Long Walk Chinese Orchestra | Philip James Turner & The Crow Mandala | Ryan Wallace | Yesa Sikyi This is the Kit | LYVE | Rozi Plain | The Fastest One Man Band in the World | Emily Barker & Gill Sandel | Ciaran Lavery�

Top Ten Memorable Gigs ... in no particular order!

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Jane Siberry

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Jane Siberry’s surreal world visit Morecambe from Canada and sing “Calling all Angels” with local angels in residence Dot Crotchet and the Raging Harmonies.

An early marker that collaborations between visiting artists and local community groups can be remarkable.

Soweto Kinch

This is the Kit / Rozi Plain This is the Kit/Rozi Plain a perfect fit for The Hothouse.

Songs were nurtured into being in the space. Kate and the band kept finding more for Lancashire Youth Vocal Ensemble to sing.

Moulettes Moulettes have visited the Hothouse three times now with crowds building each time. We recruited for an Orchestra of the Bottom End to play some fat riffs with the band on Lady Vengeance.

Soweto Kinch freestyling with the word MORECAMBE. His set didn’t talk down to the crowd - travelling from Joe Harriot-inspired hard bop to theatrical hip hop.

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7

Alasdair Roberts Trio found the time to work up a beautiful collaboration with The Lakeland Fiddlers.

They worked traditional tunes into a middle section of one of their songs.

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Alasdair Roberts

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Euros Childs worked up an old song to collaborate with the University of Lancaster Music Society brass quintet.

It was a rare bouncing, standing gig at the Hothouse that included the brass quintet playing Happy Birthday for Euros’ bass player.

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Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh Jali brought the house down at this gig presented as an awareness raiser for Stepping Stones Nigeria. Great dancing and lessons learnt about Kora tuning.

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Troyka Troyka played amazing uncompromising music. They were generous and encouraging in the workshop the next day with local jazzers.

Gwyneth Herbert Gwyneth Herbert brought huge enthusiasm to the Hothouse and helped out a lot in advance of the gig offering suggestions for arrangements for collaborations with the Millennium Singers. There was good post gig karaoke in a pub round the corner too.

Euros Childs

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Dread Supreme A small audience but massive music. We’ll all remember the gig! And great that we could get them back for the Catch The Wind Kite Festival the next year.

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International Work

Brazil 6

Following conference presentations and workshops in 2010 a partnership developed in the very challenged community of Cabelo Seco in the province of Para. This led to a second two week residency in May 2103, a 10 day visit from young musicians in July 2013 and presentations at the ISME Conference in Santiago and Porto Allegre in 2014.

April Hong Kong Tales songwriting training and tour.

Fuzhou & Fuijian - R&D visit.

November Macau - One Man Band performances and workshops.

Hong Kong - 24 Hours in a Tower Live Stream. Residency at Hong Kong University. Lecture and workshop tour.

Xiamen - R&D visit and performances.

China

January Lancashire - Residency, Yin Ng (Hong Kong Musician of the Year 2012).

June Lancashire - ‘Confluence of Rivers’ Show & Workshop Tour.

October Hong Kong - Lecture and workshop tour.

One Man band performances & workshops for ConFest at Hong Kong University.

Guangzhou - School workshops.

Shenzen - Community performances and workshop.

November Lancashire - Six month Clore Leadership Placement by Eric Ng.

February Morecambe - Sigh of the Sea 10 year commemoration of the cockling tragedy.

October Shenzen - 2 day workshops and performances in Dalang.

Guangzhou - 2 day schools workshop at Utaloy Int School.

Macau - Eight days community music residency including 15 workshops and performances to 1700 people with 174 participants.

Hong Kong - Confest at Hong Kong University and first session of Hong Kong Creative Musicians network.

The programme of international work commenced after the tragedy in Morecambe Bay in 2004 when 23 Chinese migrant labourers lost their lives. It has involved Pete Moser and More Music in many projects in Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Xiamen and Guangzhou. In addition there have been research visits to Beijing and Fuzhou and residencies from Hong Kong musicians in the UK. Partnerships have included four higher education institutions, eight schools, six cultural organisations and over 35 musicians. Activities have included 31 community workshops, 12 school workshops, 17 training sessions, 22 performances and 4 UK residencies.

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Catch the Wind Kite Festival Catch the Wind is an annual festival that has helped to put Morecambe back on the map as a tourist destination for a ‘grand day out’. Now in its twelfth year, it is a well established much loved highlight of Morecambe’s summer calendar.

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The festival is about vision, dreams, imagination and quality.

The sweep of Morecambe Bay and the panorama of the Lakeland Hills provide a stunning backdrop where people from around the district and across the region gather at the seaside for a weekend with a difference, combining fresh air and fun.

There are two stages featuring jazz, world and folk music, street entertainment and an extensive workshop programme of music, arts and craft activities for all ages.

An exquisitely decorated sea front with flags, bunting and wind-socks frame the event.

And then the kites‌ Spectacular aerial displays of beautiful kites of all shapes and sizes are flown by professional fliers from across the country while on the beach beside them, hundreds of people – children, teenagers and families, fly their own kites, enjoying the exhilaration of connecting with the elements.

Just over half of visitors to Catch the Wind are local and the other half come from across the North West with visitors travelling from Penrith, Ulverston, Barrow in Furness, Fleetwood, Blackpool, Chorley, Wigan, Oldham and Salford.

As well as funding from Arts Council England, Lancaster City Council and Morecambe Town Council, in 2015 the festival attracted new sponsors: Lancastrian Estates | Marsden Building Society | Aqua Engineering | Cox Motor Group | Craigwell Hotel | The Midland Hotel | Stagecoach

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West End Festival

More Music is proud to be part of the community in the West End of Morecambe where we are based. Every year we set up camp round the corner in Regent Park to celebrate all that is good about the neighbourhood. The West End Festival is unique, and in addition to providing a showcase opportunity for local talent, it also focuses on engaging people of all ages in “hands on� activities, creative arts and crafts, music workshops and physical games promoting a sense of well being and of community.

The West End Festival is a village fete that has grown over the years and gathers together local voluntary organisations, schools, artists and community groups into a day of art and celebration. In the past three years it has featured three stages and a diverse range of music including a ukelele orchestra, a Chinese ensemble, rock bands, carnival bands, solo singers and choirs. There has been dancing, cheerleading, circus, storytelling, magic, making, games, music workshops, beat boxing, maypole dancing, poi spinning and much more.

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This event helps to challenge perceptions of the West End and provides opportunities for new experiences while promoting a sense of pride in the neighbourhood.

Winter Lantern Festival The Winter Lantern festival started in 2004, and has become established as a key cultural event for the community of the West End - promoting a positive profile of the neighbourhood and contributing to its cultural regeneration.

Each year local artists make paper lanterns with local people, each year numbers of those joining the enchanting procession increases. Crowds gather as dusk falls and the streets suddenly become alive with the light from scores of lanterns.

The parade, led by Baybeat Street Band wends its way to the square in front of The Hothouse, where the lanterns create a dazzling display providing a beautiful backdrop for the musicians and street performers who entertain the crowd.

Hot drinks and mince pies, donated by local shops, are distributed to the audience.

The aim of the Winter Lantern Festival alongside the West End Festival and Catch the Wind is to create long - term high quality sustainable activities and events that engage the broadest range of local people. The Festival provides opportunities for them to try new things and to connect with each other; it promotes a sense of community through the development of new traditions and the creation of memories.

Schools, traders, churches, community groups and agencies working in the area are all represented and there are employment and performance opportunities for local artists and musicians.

This project engages people in a joyful celebration of their own neighbourhood, it magically transforms the streets which become mysterious and beautiful, and it presents a positive profile for the west end of Morecambe as a place where interesting and lovely things can happen.

More Music remains committed to the sustainability of seasonal community celebrations such as the West End Winter Lantern Festival and believes that they can have a profound effect on the way in which a community is perceived and how it sees itself. It is well documented that engagement with arts and culture has a meaningful effect on the health and wellbeing of individuals as well as other positive social and economic impacts.

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Fergus Over three years, Fergus joined the band playing the saxophone, worked with the music leaders as a trainee before ‘graduating’ … to become an accountant.

Baybeat Streetband Baybeat is More Music’s longest running project now in its twenty-first year. It is completely open access - absolutely anyone can join regardless of age, ability or experience. Over the last three years the group has changed dramatically with a greater focus on performances whilst additionally opening up progression routes to young music leaders.

The Baybeat project aims to: Build capacity in the band by training up young music leaders who were capable of running the band on, and around, a performance.

Equip our trainees with the necessary skills required to be a Music Leader.

Enable a progression route between promising Young Leaders and the More Music Freelance Music Leader team.

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Fergus was one of Baybeat’s first trainees.

When Fergus joined he was very new to the entire concept, he didn’t know any of the tunes and hadn’t experienced a parade with Baybeat. He began to run workshops with support from the lead musicians, Matt Robinson and Ben McCabe until he became confident enough to run entire rehearsals.

Eventually, Fergus became capable of running the whole band - taking charge of performances at the Kite Festival, Aspatria Gala and Bentham. He regularly took the lead in workshops and contributed massively to planning and evaluating sessions.

He now knows all the horn parts better than anyone else ever in the history of the band and between filling in spreadsheets still finds time to come back and show everyone how its done.

“I really enjoyed being a trainee with More Music. It improved my leadership and teamwork skills as well as being a lot of fun. It has built my confidence in professional and social environments and was a big help in the transition from school to work”

Youth Orbit Youth Orbit is More Music’s offer for those wishing to learn and perform jazz music. Our adult Orbit participants had always appreciated the weightier, more theoretical aspects of jazz, enjoying the opportunity to discuss and refine ideas before attempting to play them. In contrast, the younger members would switch off when sessions became too dry; they just wanted to turn up and play, to spark off each other, make personal bonds through the music and have fun.

Clearly this tension presented a challenge for the longer-term cohesion of the group, and so in 2011, before it could build to an unmanageable level, we held our first youth jazz summer school. This attracted enough young people that in the autumn term Youth Orbit became a regular session in its own right, becoming more like a youth band with regular membership than an informal group or workshop.

Led by Dave Shooter and Matt Robinson, the sessions were made more process-driven, focusing on what could be learned along the way and encouraging reflection and self-awareness rather than just seeking to attain perfection in the end product.

The approach was to introduce a new and varied repertoire – including original group compositions – to encourage individual creative responses, but also as vehicles for introducing and exploring different techniques.

Finally, Dave & Matt reinforced the sense of membership of a band and rotated roles within it to improve communication skills and behavioral competencies such as leadership and team-working.

Over time the group developed a level of maturity that enabled them to reap the rewards this approach offered to them as nascent professional musicians, building their confidence, creativity and self-expression, as well as group cohesion.

One example of this is Kate, who joined when she was

13. Her musical experience before attending Youth Orbit was purely classical, and while she had great technique she didn’t see music as something that could be viewed imaginatively or creatively, and she was extremely timid within the group.

The supportive, structured approach enabled her to contribute her ideas into discussions and see them taken onboard. She soon began to lead rehearsals and elements of the compositional process, and has now developed significantly as a musician to become a highly original player and respected member of the group.

“When I joined I thought it would just be improv but I’ve also improved my understanding of chords and scales, as well as composing and critically reviewing my work.

Orbit is my favourite thing on a Saturday – it’s about sharing ideas, not just playing together – it couldn’t get any better” Kate As well as being a prominent feature of More Music’s annual festival programme, Youth Orbit have played with Lancashire Youth Jazz Orchestra, played the headlining night at Lancaster Jazz Festival 2011 and performed in Lancaster University’s Great Hall. They have recently been selected by Lancashire Sinfonietta to form the centre-piece of the launch event for Lancashire Music Education Hub in July 2013 with nine other county youth bands.

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Sigh of the Sea

On February 4, 2014, we commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Morecambe Bay Cockling Tragedy with a beautiful and poignant community event on the beach with music, food, fire and sculpture.

Frontierland To celebrate 20 years of music-making More Music produced Frontierland at Live at LICA in February 2014. Led by young emerging artists and performed by visiting professionals alongside 110 musicians from across the community, it was acclaimed by our peers from across the region.

“Frontierland provided a magical, heartening set of experiences. Few other organisations could have realised these environments.”

Jamie Eastman, director, Live at LICA. “It was one of the very best things I have seen in a long time. The joy, energy and commitment of every musician were beautiful to see. Just truly stunning.”

Jez Dolan, artist and producer.

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Holocaust Memorial Day

Blaze Boom Bike Band Holocaust Memorial Day is in January each year - and is the day for everyone to remember the millions of people murdered in the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in the subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

For More Music, it is an annual commemoration event delivered in partnership with Lancaster and Morecambe Jewish Community Association to raise awareness of, and therefore tackle, prejudice in all its forms. A powerful multi agency, inter generational, cross art form community cohesion project that provides More Music with the opportunity to examine and to respond creatively to the the international themes set annually by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. This has been particularly significant for More Music’s young musicians who have participated in the project and whose engagement and sensitivity has been much appreciated.

“You will think I�say the same thing every year but for me,�what�is the most important part of the evening�is always�the young people's contribution. Please tell them how much we appreciate what they are doing. The future really does belong to how the young people�engage with the past and this is what you are helping them to do.”

Member of Lancaster and Lakes Jewish Community Association

Blaze is a Cultural Olympiad Legacy project that worked across Lancashire and the North West.

Blaze was set up to provide personal development, training and career progression opportunities for young people through a diverse programme of creative projects with young people very much in the driving seat; More Music’s was the Boom Bike Band.

The Boom Bike band was a unique hip-hop jazz performance ensemble built around the Boom Bike, a tricycle kitted out with a battery powered sound system.

The band comprised seven talented young musicians, Boom Bike creator Dan Fox and choreographer, Jennifer Stokes. Supported and mentored by the More Music team the young musicians developed their musical skills, their improvisational skills, their professionalism and their resilience. The impact of playing to enormous appreciative crowds had a profound impact on their confidence.

The Boom Bike band was a flagship project for the Blaze programme, and represented the project on many high profile occasions during the summer of 2012. Highly acclaimed for its excellent musicians and the vibrancy and anarchy of its performances, the Boom Bike band made friends wherever it appeared.

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Lancashire Music Hub We believe that music makes a vital and enriching contribution to the lives of young people, helping them to progress their talents and enhance their learning. The Hub brings this all together in one place making it easy for children, young people ,teachers, youth workers, musicians and schools to find great ways to make music and develop their skills.

The Hub wants to make musical learning widely available across the county by increasing the opportunities for more young people to experience excellent music making.

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Facts and figures about music in Lancashire: 1.2 million people.

325 schools receive weekly whole class sessions.

3000 pupils engage with the MUSICAL SCHOOLS programme – more than any other hub in the country.

18 music centres including 3 new centres in Libraries and 3 evening centres for Rock & Pop. 6 county ensembles and orchestras.

Lancashire Youth Vocal Ensemble (LYVE) Youth Music, one of More Music’s key funders, has created many new funding steams to support the development of a Musically Inclusive England. A successful bid for the programme Excellence Through Group Singing enabled us to start an inclusive choir in Lancashire for Lancashire Music Hub, the Lancashire Youth Vocal Ensemble – LYVE. Lancashire Youth Vocal Ensemble (LYVE) is a project to bring together singers aged 12-18 from across Lancashire, to develop a diverse county young people's choir.

LYVE is directed by More Music's artistic director Pete Moser and led by a team of experienced singing leaders. LYVE is funded by Youth Music and delivered in partnership with Lancashire Music Service under the banner Lancashire Music Hub. The goal was to cover diverse musical genres, including pop, folk, hip-hop, RnB, improvisation and Asian melodies, and also to include SEN singers.

There were initially six taster sessions in Lancaster, Burnley and Preston, and then a further six sessions in Lancaster and Burnley in order to try to build numbers. However this was not really successful. The feedback from the young people was that there was too many different activities happening, and it was confusing and slightly scary! So in response a clearer, more precise offer was made.

Blackburn, which was also a success.

LYVE was re-launched in Lancaster, initially with an invited group of singers, with the focus of making music the young people would be proud to be part of, that included harmony singing, part singing and beat boxing. This model proved to be more successful and we rolled the idea out again in

The end of the three year period culminated in a residential weekend at Borwick Hall, where singers from Lancaster and Burnley sang together, recorded a promotional video and got to perform with Indie band This Is The Kit.

Also during this period we made links with the Young People’s Service in Preston and became involved in the Standing Together Against Racism project, which saw 140 children from six secondary schools come together and perform at The Charter Theatre.

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Off Stage A commitment to providing opportunities for professional and developing musicians to develop their workshop practice and creative musicianship has seen 22 sessions at the Hothouse. These have included weekend sessions Music with a Message and Making New Music. Both of these featured musicians from diverse communities including TĂŠa Hodzic, Leon Patel, Claude Deppa, Carlos Fuentes, Baluji Shrivastav and Guo Yue. Single day creative training has been run

by Tarang, Troyka, Steve Berry and Soweto Kinch.

Over three years of Ways into Workshop sessions trainees have learnt about the basics of community music making and start to gain confidence and skills.

We have been looking to support the development and employment of musicians from BAME communities; we have delivered training, commissioned research and produced a report, Tell Me More, with funding from Paul Hamlyn Foundation.

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Adult Classes 2012 – 2015 Bowland Community Choir Clapping Song Folk Dance Folk Group Guitar Class The More Music folk group is run in conjunction with the Adult College.

It's currently in its fourth year and is still going strong with around 16 regular participants attending for two hours every Monday night from 7pm to 9pm. The group is a really lovely bunch of people and it's been fantastic, as the group leader, to see the progress they've all made since attending the group (some of the participants just keep returning to learn more and extend their repertoires).

We currently boast two cellos, five accordions (piano and button), two melodeons, several violins and mandolins, two flutes, a ukulele and even a hurdy-gurdy. Sheet music is available in various clefs and in tab, but everyone is encouraged to learn 'by ear' where possible.

As well as the music, we also learn associated songs, dances and history as well as suggested ornamentation, chords or counter-melodies, giving a more rounded understanding of the music, where it's from and how it's 'supposed' to be played.

Music is selected from the British Isles and Europe, but

Folk Group

by Ben Farmer

Homeless Action Long Walk Chinese Orchestra Lune Valley Voices

we've also enjoyed learning music from further afield too, such as Guatamala, Australia and China. Participants are encouraged to suggest new repertoire and often solos are taken during our concerts and ceilidhs, which now include professional 'gigs' for local charities and private functions.

Music Technology

A normal session may include everyone learning some new music for the first 45/50 minutes at a steady pace, followed by a well-earned tea-break. Then we're back in the hall to return to past repertoire chosen by the participants in the same way as might be encouraged in a folk club, circling the room and asking for suggestions.

Rock School

We have, as a group, also taken part in various collaborations with other ceildih bands, the Chinese ensemble and more recently on stage with BAFTA winner, Emily Barker.

Ukulele Players

Music Theory On the Beat

Song Writing Ukulele Beginners

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Stages & Stages Live More Music has a long history of developing young musicians in the community. We have seen some of our alumni undergo remarkable personal developments and go on to earn a living as musicians.

But we have also learned that the transition from the safety of the classroom to performing on the UK’s live music circuit can come as quite a shock. Venue managers, promoters and sound engineers, as well as other artists, do appreciate some degree of professionalism from those on their line-up. For this reason, we conceived Stages Live, to give young people a taste of what to expect and what will be expected of them the first time they are booked to play at an actual venue. To make this possible, we built on our long standing Stages project, a weekly session for aspiring rock and indie musicians aged 11-19 that had been running for six years.

We've learned that the production of a live event reflects live music industry processes and supply chain in miniature. The opportunities for learning, depending on what you chose to focus on, are almost limitless, and the fact that it's real not a simulation make the learning so much more effective.

And of course every success outside the programme is an inspiration to those still within it.

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Friday Night Project When a group of teenagers began to verbally and physically attack More Music’s staff and premises in 2006, we recognised that our relationship with the local community needed urgent attention.

Our immediate response was to consult local residents and other organisations such as the Police and Young People’s Service to identity how best to engage them. Two things became apparent: firstly, there was a clear link between the lack of constructive activities for young people and patterns of crime and antisocial behaviour, particularly on a Friday evening.

Secondly, our regular sessions for young people had evolved around participants coming from outside the immediate area interested in rock and indie music, leaving those from the West End, many of whom expressed a preference for urban and hip hop music, feeling excluded.

And so Friday Night Project was created. By 2009, Friday Night Project was almost unrecognisable

from where it had started. Many of the original participants had outgrown the session, taking increased confidence and transferrable skills with them. Significantly, a new cadre of disenfranchised young people was now waiting in the wings to replace them, rather a new generation had begun to feed into the sessions over time, who had benefited from the more positive role models they had seen amongst the older attendees. To avoid alienating this new group, the age range of the session was expanded to allow 8-12 year olds to join.

Now, Friday Night Project remains as popular as ever. The range of skills on offer continues to evolve and now includes VJing and studio production, taking advantage of More Music’s new in-house studio spaces. The Arts Award programme is embedded in the weekly activities, enabling participants to earn recognised qualifications to reflect the personal development they make.

Young Leaders Becoming a member of More Music’s Young Leaders group is a unique opportunity to get involved in More Music and the many aspects of running of gigs as well as learning about event management from behind the scenes and performance. The Young Leaders group have been at the hub of planning most creative projects at More Music, the confidence built and transferable skills gained have been invaluable development tools for the Young Leaders. The Young Leaders involved have also gained Arts Award qualifications, which at Gold level can earn UCAS points.

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Skelmersdale Library Young Persons Music Project More Music was approached to deliver music making sessions in Skelmersdale Library in Autumn 2013 by West Lancashire Council. The purpose was to find an activity that could engage the young people who often gathered at the library and whose behaviour could be disruptive to staff and other library visitors.

Sessions were based around helping young people to play instruments, write songs and learn to play together as a band. Each term worked towards a performance in the library in the final session, encouraging young people perform original songs if possible. Session numbers ranged from 15 to 25 participants every week. Each session would provide structured rehearsal time, one-on-one instrumental tuition.

Central to the Music Inclusion project was the potential to pass on music leading skills to local musicians. Andy Hilton from the YPS and Phillip Williams from Skelmersdale Library have been a key part of the sessions, assisting Frenchie in the delivery and learning how to use music to build confidence in young people.

“One regular attendee is now employed on a part-time basis as a Blaze employee which is brilliant. That is down solely to More Music's involvement because this young man performed weekly with Frenchie” Andrea Brown, District Manager West Lancashire Libraries.

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The sessions provide the young people who use the library as a meeting place with a structured, productive activity. For many, it has provided their first opportunities to play an instrument, write songs and perform.

The Blaze Festival invited several bands from the project to perform. Some of them performed for the first time and played songs they had written

themselves. A young band from More Music’s Stages project, The Hairpiece Suite, came to perform at the library as part of the festival.

Their level of proficiency and musicality was very inspiring to Skelmersdale young people, they saw musicians that were the same age as themselves playing their own material to a high standard and it showed them what was possible.

It was also the first out-of-town gig for The Hairpiece Suite and proved to be a very positive experience for them too.

Promoters Get It Loud in Libraries booked Mercury Music Prize winners Young Fathers to play at Skelmersdale Library in March 2015. As part of the music sessions, we wanted our young people to be involved in the organisation and promotion of the gig. In the end, six young people were able to go to the gig for free and were inspired by what they saw.

The change in the young people’s behaviour has been significant; the disruption that they brought to the library previously is now very rarely seen, if at all, from the regular group.

Gigs at the library have provided opportunities for young people to perform for the first time in front of an audience and helped to boost their confidence. The library were very keen to continue music sessions there and engage with new groups of young people. A Blaze Co-ordinator is now based at the library and it will be their job to co-ordinate the creative activity for young people there.

Music Inclusion Projects 2012-2013 MUSICMAKERS Layton, Boundary and Central Libraries, Blackpool Nov 2012 - Feb 2013 FEAST OR FAMINE (delivered by Dhamak) Jan - March 2013 LOYAL TO THE MIC Kaleidoscope, Blackburn | Jan - July 2013 BLAZE LOUNGE Fanakis, Preston | Feb - April 2013 2013-2014 BLAZE LOUNGE Clayton-Le-Moors Youth Centre | June - Nov 2013 Burnley Library | Sept - Nov 2013 MAKE A NOISE Brierfield Library | Sept - Dec 2013 & June - Aug 2014 BEATVOX Blackburn Central | Sept 2013 - July 2014 BLAZE LOUNGE Skelmersdale Library | Sept 2013 - July 2014 Fanakis, Preston | Oct - Nov 2013 Morecambe Library | Oct 2013 - March 2014 Moor Nook Youth Centre, Preston | Nov - Dec 2013 Milton Street Youth Centre, Fleetwood | Nov 2013 - Feb 2014 Moor Park School, Preston | Feb - April 2014 Boundary Library, Blackpool | June - Oct 2014 2014-2015 BLAZE LOUNGE Skelmersdale Library | Sept 2014 - Mar 2015 & June - July 2015 Burnley Youth Zone, Burnley | Oct - Dec 2014

“The most positive parts for me were to see young people inspired and motivated by the music sessions and also writing and playing their own songs. I feel it is a good thing that young people can have this time and space to use. The Young Fathers gig was absolutely amazing and the success of this is something we should develop on for the future.”

Helen Spiers, Skelmersdale Library Youth Worker.

2015-2016 SOUNDTRACKS Burnley Youth Zone | Aug - Dec 2015 Skelmersdale Library | Sept - Dec 2015 FLEETWOOD STAGES Milton Street Youth Zone, Fleetwood | Oct 2015 -Feb 2016 ACE Morecambe Library | Oct - Dec 2015

These projects are funded by Youth Music who have supported our work since 1999.

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Long Walk Chinese Orchestra

Early Years For very young children More Music believes that musical communication between carergivers and infants is the basis of all subsequent communications - speaking and moving in rhythmic musical ways is the essential foundation for all forms of communication, and engaging in this can enrich relationships between caregivers and infants.

"As I have no previous knowledge of any music it is particularly challenging for me to learn Ruan. I am so pleased that not only can I play now but also that I have performed in front of a big audience. This important activity helps children and adults to grow in a safe environment.�

Kim Leong - partner (LMBCCA)

Our work with the Chinese Community has emerged since 2004 when our hometown was struck by tragedy as 23 Chinese cockle-pickers drowned in the currents and quicksands of Morecambe Bay. It has included projects, performances, training sessions and partnership development in Hong Kong and mainland China, all developing a positive social outcome from a very personal tragedy.

Our first partnership project, The Long Walk, was a collaborative musical response to the tragedy that explored the challenges of starting a new life in a new place. We discovered, in Morecambe at least, that very few Lancaster and Morecambe Bay Chinese Community Association members were musicians, could play Chinese instruments and music, or even had access to them. So, we collaborated on a successful National Lottery bid to fund the purchase of a collection of traditional Chinese instruments, carefully sourcing them through connections made during our director’s

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trip to Shanghai. With guidance and tuition from experienced Chinese musicians Cheng Yu and Guo Yue, we recruited local musicians and established the Long Walk Chinese Orchestra.

Over the last three years we have strengthened links with the Chinese community and developed musical skills and repertoire. A focus has been to engage with Lancaster University, which has a large number of Chinese students.

At the beginning of the period, Project Manager Rick Middleton visited China where he had lessons on a number of instruments and learned a great deal. This has led to the development of the orchestra’s repertoire and especially the introduction of more complicated multi part arrangements in the modern Western influenced style. Chinese music scores are now used exclusively for new pieces.

This in turn provides a backdrop for language and literacy development; group singing and performance are the perfect ways to build trust and friendships, and hands on music making provides the opportunity to develop motor skills and co-ordination.

We provide creative music making sessions in nurseries and children's centres and deliver weekly Clapping Song sessions for under-fives in and around Morecambe including at The Hothouse.

See our Early Years film at: www.moremusic.org.uk/early-years-film

More Music in Numbers 2012 - 13

2013 - 14

2014 - 15 Cups of tea drunk

Artists employed

129

127

110

2012 - 1 3 122,343

Workshops & Participatory Activities

853

689

940

2013 - 14 111,458

Performance / Events

162

318

215

Performances outside England

10

33

15

Volunteers

59

55

48

Drumsticks broken

New works commissioned

16

28

62

2013 - 14 112

7727

13988

15966

48

77

95

23831

18042

19185

222513*

102871

62990

15

15

16

122

194

Online engagement Days in Lancashire museums & libraries Total participants Total audience Permanent staff Contractual staff

2014 - 1 5 134,331

2012 - 1 3 89 2014 - 1 5 56

Maraccas for success 2012 - 1 3 8 2013 - 14 10 2014 - 1 5 14

190

* 2012 was the Olympiad Year

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Financial Summary 2012 - 2013 INCOME

EXPENDITURE

unrestricted

£404253 restricted

£229350 TOTAL

£633603

unrestricted

£388347 restricted

£202454

2013 - 2014 INCOME

EXPENDITURE

INCOME

unrestricted

£359860

unrestricted

£364329 restricted

£156876 TOTAL

£521205

£348439 restricted

£161550

EXPENDITURE

unrestricted

restricted

£144797 TOTAL

£504657

unrestricted

£345491 restricted

£160656

UNRESTRICTED INCOME CONSISTS OF: Voluntary income - £32957 Grants & Contracts - £183500 Earned income - £91694 Partnership income - £96102

UNRESTRICTED INCOME CONSISTS OF: Voluntary income - £51087 Grants & Contracts - £145782 Earned income - £73794 Partnership income - £93666

UNRESTRICTED INCOME CONSISTS OF: Voluntary income - £37765 Grants & Contracts - £145409 Earned income - £107879 Partnership income - £68807

UNRESTRICTED EXPENDITURE CONSISTS OF:

UNRESTRICTED EXPENDITURE CONSISTS OF:

UNRESTRICTED EXPENDITURE CONSISTS OF:

Direct - £310090 Support - £199899

Direct - £304162 Support - £196510

Direct - £346319 Support - £174482 Capital - £70,000

Direct - Musicians, venue, travel, marekting, production.

Support - Governance, administrtion, office, Hothouse venue, proffessional fees.

Capital - Completion of Phase 2 Hothouse project.

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2014 - 2015

Thanks to all those who made it happen...

TRUSTEES

CORE TEAM

Adrian Lochhead David Wood Diane Sammons Ingrid Kent Kate Marriott Keri Brown Liz Neat Oliver Plunkett Rob Cairns (Chair – Dec 2014) Steve Varden (current Chair) Sue Penney

Anni Tracy Ashley Murphy Ben Farmer Ben McCabe Bee Scott Bill Roberts Darren Leadsom Dave Shooter Frenchie Helen Chapman Jon Moore Kathryn MacDonald

Music Leader Music Leader Music Leader Creative Producer/Music Leader Marketing Officer (-2013) Music Leader E-Marketing/Project Manager Music Leader Music Leader Finance Officer Music Leader Development Director

Kerry Kalokoh Matt Robinson Maxine Dixon Pete Moser Phil Keen Rachel Parsons Rebecca Lockley Rick Middleton Sandra Wood Steve Lewis Teresa Hall

Operations Director Music Leader/Project Manager Facility Manager Artistic Director IT Manager Youth Projects Manager/Music Leader Administrator Project Manager/Music Leader Marketing Manager Music Leader General Assistant

MUSICIANS, ARTISTS, VOLUNTEERS, MANAGERS and THE REST Abdul Salek | Ailsa Nicholson | Amanda Quigley | Andy Hornby | Andy Smith | Ann Stott | Anna Daly | Anna Read | Anne Dilley | Audrey Matisse Bernie Fullalove | Beth Allen | Bill Lloyd | Bill Orrick | Campasme Johnstone | Carolyn Francis | Charlie Adams | Charlie Kondras | Chas Ambler | Chris Bissel Chris Bridges | Cilla Baines | Clare Massey | Connor Gallagher | Dan Fox | Dave Walker | Dean Drodrick | Diane Mott | Eliza Ramsey | Ellis Mason Em Whitfield Brooks | Emma Williams | Eric Ng | Erin Whalley | Eve Kondras | Fabian Schomerus | Fenfen Huang | Fergus Walsh | Gabrielle Chapman Gary Bridgens | Georgina Roberts | Gil Fourie | Glynis Johnson | Gorden Chapman-Fox | Graham Wynne | Guo Yue | Hannah Farrell | Hannah Kidd Holly Blackwell | Hope Collins | Hugh Nankivell | Jade Xue | Jaheda Choudhury-Potter | James Rhodes-Baxter | James Wood | Jane Lawrence | Jeff Borradaile Jennifer Stokes | Jez Dolan | Jill Henderson Wild | Joe Fleming | Joe Moulton | Joe Webster | John Robb | Joseph Kondras | Judi Wright | Kate Drummond Kate Howden | Katy Lord | Kim Leong | Lauren Zawadzki | Lemn Sissay | Leroy Lupton | Lily Whitfield | Louise Bryning | Luke Dillon | Madhu Tanjorkar Mari Ryan | Marina Green | Mark Clement | Marta Canellas | Martin Botham | Mary Keith | Michael Duffin | Michael Waller | Mick Armistead | Mike Willoughby Nicky Donnelly | Paedar Long | Paul Kondras | Peter Latham | Rob Herissone-Kelly | Roger Purves | Ron Johnson | Rosie Tacon Glass | Ruth Ireton | Ruth Stevenson Ruth Tyson Jones | Sam Middleton King | Sammi Smith | Sandra Blue | Semay Wu | Serge Tebu | Shane Johnstone | Sharon Durant | Sian Croose | Sian Phillips Simon Harrison | Soo Law | Stella Jackson | Steph Brandon | Su Hart | Sue Dobson | Sue Flowers | Susan Riley | Tea Hodzic | Theresa Cuthbertson Tim Fleming | Tim Moon | Tom Metcalfe | Tom Walsh | Tracey Carmen | Tristan Brady Jacobs | Vanessa Card | Wendy Meadley | Wilbert Sinzara

PHOTO CREDITS Ash Murphy | Brian Slater | Darren Andrews | Graham Wynne | Johnny Bean | Phil Keen

DESIGN Kate Drummond www.tickled-pink.org

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Young Lancashire Community First Bowland Trust LMBCCA CVS

More Music The Hothouse 13-17 Devonshire Road Morecambe LA3 1QT info@moremusic.org.uk | 01524 831997 Charity Number 1097929 : Company Number 4189582