Creative producer Holly Hunter and composer Michael Betteridge present their co-creation project Voices Weaving, and invite members to get involved...
Charity Music for All has funding available for community music group projects and also organises the annual Learn to Play Day.
Music for All is the charity of the musical instruments industry and its motto is ‘making more musicians’ – something that chimes well with our aim of encouraging more people to discover the joys of music making.
As part of their work, Music for All provide funding via two schemes:
- For individuals: to assist with costs for instruments and tuition, and
- For groups: to help fund projects that offer people ways to discover the joy of playing an instrument
As well as the funds, Music for All run Learn to Play Day, which this year involved 129 venues taking part over one weekend in March. The date for next year will be 12 & 13 March.
So what is this to you? How could you link up with this – and how could your group benefit?
- Make this a reason to get in touch with your local music shop and see if they know about you. Are they willing to have posters/leaflets for your group and your concerts? Newcomers need inspiring – and signposting to opportunities to play.
- If your local music shop is running an event for Learn to Play Day, you could offer those who turn up on the day a free ticket to your next concert: build your local audiences!
- You could host an event yourself, whether or not your local music shop is doing one. To qualify as a Learn to Play Day event, you just need to offer the opportunity to try out an instrument – so that could be a great way to inspire some new musicians and maybe get yourself some new players or audiences!
- Or you could link up with your local music shop by doing a little performance on their premises or outside – to inspire anyone who might be trying an instrument for the first time on that day!
