Rachel Holt, a singer in the Stay At Home Choir, reflects on the music industry’s rapid digital response to COVID-19, and the silver linings that might come from making music online during isolation.
We are in a weird twilight zone of music making at the moment. From living room concerts, to livestreams, Zoom chats and virtual choirs – it’s both uplifting and thought-provoking to see the instantaneous way in which the music industry has adapted to this new digital arena.
Making Music Chair and viola player, Dorothy Wilson, shares research into ways to play together online during coronavirus lockdown
Making Music has been supporting lawyer and community musician Ralph Riddough’s campaign, to clarify the lawfulness of fees for musical instrument tuition in Scottish state schools.
On 16 March, Ralph Riddiough received the formal response from the Scottish Government to his complaint that it is unlawful for local authorities to charge fees for the provision of musical instrument tuition in state schools. The complaint has not been upheld with no detailed reasons given.
Week two of the lockdown saw a new challenge for our Chief Executive, Barbara Eifler, and members of her brass band. Here's how she got on.
Making Music's Chief Executive, Barbara Eifler, reflects on her first week of brass banding the digital way.
Like all leisure-time music groups, my brass band, which includes three bands (main band, training band and starter band) has stopped its weekly rehearsals due to the coronavirus and we are all at home, working in ‘home offices’ or twiddling our thumbs.
Making Music’s member survey took place just before the lockdown and reveals aggregate losses of £8.8m across our music groups.
24% of members (883) responded in just three days, and they were broadly representative in terms of distribution across vocal, instrumental and promoting groups.
90% of respondents have had to cancel public events, and almost all of those who had regular weekly activity (e.g. rehearsals) had already cancelled these, too.
The international celebration of music, Make Music Day, has set up a number of online initiatives to connect everyone through music on 21 June.
Unlike traditional music festivals, Make Music Day is an open invitation for everyone to make music anywhere and everywhere. While it's hoped that it will be possible to take over the streets with music on 21 June, if it's not, you can join one of the online Make Music Day initiatives that will take place no matter what.
Clare Edwards, Musical Director of Notorious Choir, tells us about the successes and challenges of the group's first online rehearsal in light of COVID-19.
Like groups all over the world, my choir, Notorious, has had to cancel our forthcoming rehearsals and concerts for at least the next couple of months.
In light of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK, Making Music has been considering how best to support staff and members in these unsettling times.
Making Music will be remaining operational and will be here for members throughout the time that extraordinary measures are in place.
Jonathan Wells, Chair of Haslingfield Choir, tells us about the choir's latest Adopt a Composer workshop with Alex Paxton.
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