Growing your group and audiences

Fantastic for Families is a UK-wide initiative of exciting theatre, dance, music and visual arts events designed to increase family participation in arts and culture. Run by Family Arts Campaign and supported by Arts Council England, Fantastic for Families aims to get your event information in front of as many families as possible.

One of the best things about busking is that anyone (over the age of 14) can do it; from seasoned veterans to someone who has yet to sing a note in public, the street is your stage.

In this resource, we'll talk about the legalities, collecting money and how to best engage with the public.

Why do it?

Busking is a great way to:

What can music groups do to widen grow their audiences? Peter Harrison tells us more about how he and Vivien Harrison, along with other people from the local community, have built Grayshott Concerts into a successful promoting group.

Background

In 2004 they organised a fundraising concert for their local church. On the back of that event they launched Grayshott Concerts, an organisation that puts on approximately six events in their local church each year featuring high quality classical musical performances.

Simon O’Hea from member group The Renaissance Choir explains how he set up Music in Portsmouth (MiP), a local classical music news and listings website designed to help connect music groups and to increase interest in regional events and music group.

You may not necessarily have the time or knowledge that Simon had to set up a resource like this but someone in your group might do. If you haven’t already, ask your members about their skills and interests and whether they could help, or might know a web developer. 

Our volunteers have been taking a look at member groups' social media to see how they measure up when it comes to engaging young people. Here are some tips they passed on to us that you might find useful.

Posting on social media can be overwhelming. What to post, when, how often, how much of other people's content should you engage with? A simple tactic to keep you on track is to follow the rule of thirds: promote, share, interact. After all, three is the magic number! 

Your local community is your biggest and best source of new contacts, whether that’s members, audience, sponsors or funders, patrons, volunteers or just general supporters. Many of our most successful groups are those who have a strong engagement with the people living and working in the surrounding area. But how do you build these relationships?

Many music groups tell us they find it challenging to attract younger members. With the help of a generous legacy from lifelong choral singer Pauline Thompson, we have been able to compile a bank of resources aimed at helping you to reach out to under-35 year olds.

We'll continue to add to these resources, but in the meantime if you think we're missing something that would be helpful for groups like yours, or if you have any questions,  just get in touch. 

Danyal Dhondy's Still the Sirens was commissioned by Making Music specifically for leisure-time groups as a companion piece to Fauré’s Requiem

Still the Sirens is approximately 28-30 minutes long, and is written for SATB choir plus organ or orchestral forces as detailed below. Music groups can purchase the parts and score by contacting composer Danyal Dhondy directly. PRS performing fees will apply as usual.

If you spend a lot of time managing event bookings via phone and email instead of organising other areas of your events, then using an online ticketing service might be just want you need.

Ticketing websites have never been more user-friendly and they can help your group save time, money, and sell more tickets. The initial setup can be slightly time-consuming but once you are up and running, the positives far outweigh the negatives…

Care homes are not often seen as places for performing music, and you’d be forgiven if you hadn’t considered doing so before.

However, according to a 2015 Treasurers survey, a number of Making Music member groups already have a relationship with their local care home.

Why perform in a care home?

It can be hugely beneficial for everyone involved: the care home, its residents and your group: