Video/audio

Our third meeting in the termly Climate Network series (previous events 8 October 2021 and 18 February 2022) was in partnership with the Association of British Choral Directors (abcd) and included contributions from speakers focusing in more detail on how music groups can implement sustainable policies, and the process of commissioning new music on the theme of climate change.

Our speakers for this event were:

In this recording of our webinar (original event 20 May 2022), guest speakers discussed what social prescribing is and how it could be a huge opportunity for music groups. 

Social prescribing is a key feature of the NHS’ long-term plan, which aims to strengthen the link between the local community and social activities such as music, sport, and arts. In this webinar, we discussed who does the prescribing, what kind of people are referred and what it would mean for your group to become ‘social prescribing friendly’.

We welcomed:

In this recording of our webinar (original event 18 March 2022), a panel of guest speakers discussed the challenges of recruiting and retaining volunteers, particularly in the context of the pandemic.

Volunteers are difficult to come by – increasing regulation, rising retirement ages, less regular working hours and less stable working lives have probably contributed to fewer people volunteering.

Our second meeting in the termly Climate Network series (original event 18 February 2022) saw contributions from Classical Declares Emergency and other speakers, providing inspiration and more ideas on what contribution music can make towards solving the issues associated with climate change - including a ‘repertoire corner’.

Our speakers discussed what contribution music can make towards solving the issues associated with climate change:

In this recording of our webinar (original event 21 January 2022), a panel of guest speakers discussed population gender balance not being reflected in the music we play, sing and listen to, as per recent research. 

We welcomed:

• Elizabeth de Brito from The Daffodil Perspective, the world’s first gender-balanced, racially equitable classical music podcast

• Helen Sanderson, trustee for The F-list, founder of Guitar Circus and Head of Guitar Studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama

With many groups now expanding their activities to include livestreamed rehearsals and performances, groups are starting to think about how they can make the end product look more professional. In this webinar, we take a look at Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) – a free piece of software that will allow you to add visual effects such as logos and overlays to your livestream, making it even more professional in quality.

The webinar covers:

In this recording of our guest speaker webinar (original event 19 November 2021), a panel of guest speakers look at ventilation and its role in mitigating the risk of Covid-19 transmission via aerosols in enclosed spaces.

We welcome:

In this recording of our guest speaker webinar (original event 8 October 2021), we look at the climate emergency and what music groups can do about it.

We welcome Ben See (composer and choir leader), Chris Hutchings (Choirs for Climate), Alison Burnley (Oi Musica) and Nina Vinther (singer and climate campaigner)

Topics covered include: 

• Practical measures music groups can implement

• The impact of group action, and the ripple effect

• How to use music and repertoire to communicate with a wider public

In this recording of our guest speaker webinar (original event 18 June 2021), we look at the latest medical evidence around Covid-19 and what it means for music groups.

We welcome Professor Jackie Cassell (back by popular demand), public health specialist and amateur musician.

Topics covered include: 

• how and why the pandemic might end
• the science on new variants
• vaccines

In this recording of our guest speaker webinar (original event 19 March 2021), we explored how to make sure you're getting the most out of technology during online rehearsals.

We welcomed David Lake (member of a Making Music group, researcher at the University of Surrey, an Engineering Technologist in the CTO group at Dell Technologies and a contributor to the Internet Engineering Task Force, the standards body of the internet), Robin Simpson (member of the Northampton Symphony Orchestra) and Leon Gower (digital producer for Making Music).