SMG Funding Campaign

The Scots Music Group was informed by the Scottish Arts Council at the end of April 2008 that our application for funds for the next 2 financial years (April 2009 to March 2011) has been turned down. The £120,000 we were seeking is about one-third of our budgeted income for 2 years.

From September 2008 our class and events programme continued to grow in popularity. Despite this funding setback, We will continue to run our class programme as usual from September 2009

Our recent applications to the Inspire Fund and the SAC‘s Development Fund have both been successful. While this is good news, neither of these grants replace the core funding we have lost.

The Inspire funding has allowed us to run a brief pilot project, taking traditional music learning to people who are often excluded. We will now be applying ofr a grant to run a full project, running workshops in conjunction with organisations that provide support to a wide variety of people. We plan to offer ongoing support to those who are interested in learning more, to enable them to join our mainstream class programme.

The Organisational Development Fund grant is enabling us to have a thorough look at how the Scots Music Group is currently running, and to consider options open to us in the future to allow us to move away from being as reliant on grant funding. The review is being carried out by Community Enterprise. It started in early May and we will receive a final report towards the end of July

If the Scottish Parliament’s current plans are adhered to, the Scottish Arts Council will merge with Scottish Screen to become Creative Scotland, in 2010. We are lobbying to ensure there is funding for traditional music set up within this new body. In February SMG had a very successful meeting with representatives from many of the other organisations from across Scotland that do similar work. 10 different organisations had 18 representatives at the meeting. We agreed that we would continue to stay in touch, and will meet again in October. The group will feedback to the Traditional Music Forum, regarding funding and other issues that are around for organisations such as SMG

Meanwhile the board are looking into the possibility of linking up with one of Edinburgh’s local colleges, which could release some regular funds to SMG. They have already had some exploratory meetings with Telford college regarding this.

We’ll continue to send out occasional updates with information on our progress to everyone who has asked to have their details added to our funding developments contact list (see below)

What you can do:

Many current and ex SMG students and tutors have already offered us a huge amount of support. There’s more information about how you can help to ensure we can continue to take our music out into the community into the future, here
Many thanks to all of you who have given us so many ideas and suggestions for ways we might fill this funding shortfall, and also the many individual members who have already offered practical support and advice on specific issues
If you have any ideas on things that might help, please Contact Ros

Fundraising events

The Diggers session held a successful fundraising concert for the Scots Music Group in March which raised a total of £467. Sangstream, the Scots Music Group’s community choir, donated all profits from the Ceilidh Culture concert to SMG. This raised £720. The Playathon in May raised a further £940 for SMG funds. Members are running a summer session in the Whiski Bar, on the high Street. They will be donating the bulk of the proceeds from this to SMG. Many thanks to everyne who has supported these events

SMG merchandise

We are developing the range of SMG merchandise. Our first new item is the ‘Slender Tree’ tea towel, which is now avaialble to buy online, or at SMG classes and events.

Funding developments contact list

Use the contact form to let us know if you want to be on a contact list to be notified of any developments in the funding campaign (give us your postal address if you don’t have email). Please also let us know if you have any press contacts we could use, if you’d like to take an active role in the campaign in any way, or if you have experience of being involved in any similar campaigns.

After an intial email to all our current contacts, we will only contact people on this list with information on developments.

Let us know

about any replies you get from MSPs or anyone else you wite to
what you are doing to lend your support to our campaign

Press information:

As part of their ‘Folk for Folk’ campaign, the The TMSA have a petition on…

See all the news...

Comments

Alex Binnie - 30 May 2008, 14:42

The SMG means a lot to me; I have contacted my MSP and received a sympathetic letter in return.
I would be happy to help the campaign, perhaps by busking or other musical ways to get our profile across.

Marion Mullins - 1 June 2008, 22:07

Last weekend I e mailed 16 MSP‘s – my constituency MSP‘s and all members of the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture committee. So far I have had 8 supportive replies. I quote from part of my constituency MSP, Mike Pringle’s response:- “Unfortunately as you may know the Scottish Government does not involve itself with the operational decisions of the Scottish Arts Council(SAC), which are the responsibility of the joint board of SAC and Scottish Screen. However the SAC do implement national cultural initiatives on behalf of the Scottish Govenment and it is with this in mind that I am tabling the following parliamentary questions to see what can be done to support traditional forms of music, dance and song in Scotland:
– To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote traditonal music, dance and song in Scotland.
– To ask the Scottish Executive what further assistance is available to groups who have received funding cuts from the Scottish Arts Council.”

Liz Balfour - 9 June 2008, 15:13

I’m an outsider (English) so even more puzzled as to why Scottish Arts Council doesn’t continue to support Scottish music – not posh enough? not operatic enough? not cosmopolitan enough? not cool enough? Confused but not to be outdone I am writing a tune….

Elsa Sterling - 9 June 2008, 22:02

I have also written to 16 MSP‘s after I was inspired by Marrion Muliins (above). I wanted to take action to try and protect this music which I love. I have had nine positive answers from MSP‘s who seem to be on our side. I also wrote a protest song (for the first time in my life!) because I don’t think we should give up without a fight!

stan reeves - 17 June 2008, 09:27

On the 18th June at 5.30 the parliamentary “Culture and Media” are discussing funding to traditional arts. I have written a 10 point case for traditional arts and sent it to them. I enclose it below. I hope you will all continue to lobby for fairness and respect in the treatment of Trad arts. Now is the time to make a difference as the news “Creative Scotland” is set up to replace the arts council. I hope this material is helpful.

THE CASE FOR FUNDING TRADITIONAL MUSIC

1. Scotland has one of the richest living traditions in Europe
2. Traditional arts, amongst all the arts that are funded, are what make our unique and distinctive contribution to world culture.
3. For every £1 spent the we gain at least £10 of voluntary effort for those who nurture the organisations which teach and promote
4. £70million is spent on the arts in Scotland from the Government. After years of lobbying and voluntary effort there has never been more that 1 million on all the traditional art combined. It is worth more than a 70th of the funding.
5. The “National Companies” (opera, ballet, orchestras, and theatre) are guaranteed secure funding. Traditional arts much more “of the nation” having been developed over a millennium, and should have at least the same level of respect and security
6. The acoustic form and instrumentation of Traditional arts mean that it can be performed anywhere from a bar to a concert hall and can be taken into the heart of the community.
7. The traditional arts by their nature are inclusive and participative. Much of the music is designed for social dancing, and a common repertoire of classic tunes enable instant connection between musicians including the Scots Diaspora.
8. The traditional arts are more highly valued by the people of Scotland than the arts of the national companies according to much research.
9. Visitors value the traditional arts as an expression of the essence of our community and an antidote to the commercialising and commodification of art.
10. Scottish Traditional arts contain an incredibly wide range of aesthetically profound, and complex expressions of our shared humanity, which connects us to peoples across the globe

Stan Reeves
12th May 2008