Post by Admin on Dec 11, 2020 17:10:11 GMT
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A weekly two minute catch-up for members from the
TMF Director's desk
These are some of the things that have caught my attention this week.
Lots of people in our network could answer to the description 'producer', in the sense of someone who makes a project happen, whether that's as a festival organiser, project manager, venue manager, artist with ideas - you get the picture. Most TMF members in fact. Chris Grady, whose background is in theatre, runs something called the Producers' Pool, and is interested in starting up a version for people based in Scotland. As he says it's for everyone from people just starting out to 'those who've been there and got the scars'. If you're interested in sharing ideas with people across different artforms there is an online get-together which you can find more info and sign up here.
Don't forget our own online gathering 'What If...' on November 14, exploring some key issues and post-Covid ideas, with Jenn Butterworth, Steve Byrne, Malcolm Reavell, Donald Smith and Jim Sutherland.
When we did our phone round of members over the summer one of the things that came up several times was the need for some kind of training in digital marketing and online presentation. I'm pleased to say that a Creative Scotland funding bid we put together along with the Scottish Music Centre, Showcase Scotland, and Hands Up For Trad has been successful. More details soon.
I attended a Musicians Union session on racism awareness this week, which was useful. One of the things addressed was the common 'all lives matter' response to the statement that black lives matter. In addressing the question the presenter used the analogy of firefighters coming to a street where a house is on fire. The firefighters don't douse all of the houses in the street, only the one that's ablaze. Doing so is not to deny that the other ones matter. However, at the moment of danger they don't require the same attention.
Davie Robertson is a songwriter and piper from East Lothian, known for the classic chorus song The Star of the Bar. He's put up twenty new songs on a website, downloadable free of charge.
Edinburgh Folk Club's Paddy Bort Fund has now distributed around £11,000 to musicians feeling the Covid pinch. A crowd funder is planned to top up the fund but anyone wishing to donate in the meantime can do so by contacting the club here for details.
I like to think that, in terms of public policy, the traditional/folk music/arts world is as much a part of the community sector as it is culture and creative industries. The Scottish Community Alliance is looking at ways that grassroots organisations can set the agenda for social renewal and a post-carbon, sustainable world. I think we have a lot to offer in terms of connection with place, and the conviviality of the ceilidh spirit. The SCA's fortnightly newsletter Local People Leading is always an interesting read.
Speaking of community matters I found invited to a meeting this week considering how creative folk and artists could contribute to former mining communities where the now flooded mines offer possibilities for making geothermal energy (life is full of surprises). What we can offer, I hope, are creative ways, drawing on folk traditions, to help communities express how they see themselves and how they respond to change.
The North Atlantic Song Circle convenes this Sunday (1st) with contributions from Sigrid Randers-Pehrson (Norway), Màiri Britton (Nova Scotia), Tom Besford (England), and Shelley Chase (New Brunswick). An hour of song and chat on Facebook Live.
Rediscovering forgotten albums in my vinyl collection I came across one from the late Jim Couza, a fantastic hammered dulcimer player, originally from the US, but who lived in England (now no longer with us). Not an instrument we see much in Scotland. The only Scottish players I'm aware of are Jack Bethel and the late Jean Graham. Have a listen to Couza's Jenny Lind Polka.
All the best
DF
David Francis is Director of the Traditional Music Forum
Copyright © 2020 Traditional Music Forum, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email as a member of Traditional Music Forum
Our mailing address is:
Traditional Music Forum
c/o Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High St
Edinburgh, Scotland EHI15 2AU
United Kingdom
A weekly two minute catch-up for members from the
TMF Director's desk
These are some of the things that have caught my attention this week.
Lots of people in our network could answer to the description 'producer', in the sense of someone who makes a project happen, whether that's as a festival organiser, project manager, venue manager, artist with ideas - you get the picture. Most TMF members in fact. Chris Grady, whose background is in theatre, runs something called the Producers' Pool, and is interested in starting up a version for people based in Scotland. As he says it's for everyone from people just starting out to 'those who've been there and got the scars'. If you're interested in sharing ideas with people across different artforms there is an online get-together which you can find more info and sign up here.
Don't forget our own online gathering 'What If...' on November 14, exploring some key issues and post-Covid ideas, with Jenn Butterworth, Steve Byrne, Malcolm Reavell, Donald Smith and Jim Sutherland.
When we did our phone round of members over the summer one of the things that came up several times was the need for some kind of training in digital marketing and online presentation. I'm pleased to say that a Creative Scotland funding bid we put together along with the Scottish Music Centre, Showcase Scotland, and Hands Up For Trad has been successful. More details soon.
I attended a Musicians Union session on racism awareness this week, which was useful. One of the things addressed was the common 'all lives matter' response to the statement that black lives matter. In addressing the question the presenter used the analogy of firefighters coming to a street where a house is on fire. The firefighters don't douse all of the houses in the street, only the one that's ablaze. Doing so is not to deny that the other ones matter. However, at the moment of danger they don't require the same attention.
Davie Robertson is a songwriter and piper from East Lothian, known for the classic chorus song The Star of the Bar. He's put up twenty new songs on a website, downloadable free of charge.
Edinburgh Folk Club's Paddy Bort Fund has now distributed around £11,000 to musicians feeling the Covid pinch. A crowd funder is planned to top up the fund but anyone wishing to donate in the meantime can do so by contacting the club here for details.
I like to think that, in terms of public policy, the traditional/folk music/arts world is as much a part of the community sector as it is culture and creative industries. The Scottish Community Alliance is looking at ways that grassroots organisations can set the agenda for social renewal and a post-carbon, sustainable world. I think we have a lot to offer in terms of connection with place, and the conviviality of the ceilidh spirit. The SCA's fortnightly newsletter Local People Leading is always an interesting read.
Speaking of community matters I found invited to a meeting this week considering how creative folk and artists could contribute to former mining communities where the now flooded mines offer possibilities for making geothermal energy (life is full of surprises). What we can offer, I hope, are creative ways, drawing on folk traditions, to help communities express how they see themselves and how they respond to change.
The North Atlantic Song Circle convenes this Sunday (1st) with contributions from Sigrid Randers-Pehrson (Norway), Màiri Britton (Nova Scotia), Tom Besford (England), and Shelley Chase (New Brunswick). An hour of song and chat on Facebook Live.
Rediscovering forgotten albums in my vinyl collection I came across one from the late Jim Couza, a fantastic hammered dulcimer player, originally from the US, but who lived in England (now no longer with us). Not an instrument we see much in Scotland. The only Scottish players I'm aware of are Jack Bethel and the late Jean Graham. Have a listen to Couza's Jenny Lind Polka.
All the best
DF
David Francis is Director of the Traditional Music Forum
Copyright © 2020 Traditional Music Forum, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email as a member of Traditional Music Forum
Our mailing address is:
Traditional Music Forum
c/o Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High St
Edinburgh, Scotland EHI15 2AU
United Kingdom