Creative Scotland supports a Festival of Making Music

Making Music is delighted to have been awarded funding from Creative Scotland towards staging A Festival of Making Music – a two day cross-genre musical experience for 60 amateur musicians from across Scotland.

This project represents an artistic development opportunity for amateur musicians, enabling Making Music to further support excellence and experimentation across Scotland’s voluntary music sector. Scotland boasts a thriving amateur music scene, and Making Music is delighted this has been recognised by Creative Scotland with this award of almost £15,000.

The weekend’s participants will be drawn from Making Music’s membership of over 200 member groups in Scotland (comprising around 12,000 individuals).

Alongside a team of experienced tutors and professional musicians led by Professor Richard Michael, participants will develop technical skills and knowledge to enrich their current repertoire and support them to move in new directions.

Alison Reeves, Making Music Manager for Scotland, said: “There is a wealth of excellent musicianship in amateur groups but all musicians, professional or amateur, need continuous development and new challenges to flourish. This award allows Making Music to make the first step towards an annual event that will cultivate and enliven amateur music societies across Scotland.”

Clare Hewitt, Music Officer at Creative Scotland said: “A Festival of Making Music is a fantastic platform for amateur musicians to work with leading musicians as their tutors across a range of musical genre, instruments and traditions. In turn this will encourage exploration and experimentation in different genres from those they normally play whilst giving them the confidence and skills to develop their music further.”

A Festival of Making Music will take place over one weekend in October 2016 for 60 instrumental and vocal participants at Kilgraston School in Perthshire. Further details to come.

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For more information contact George Acock, Publications and PR Manager at george@makingmusic.org.uk

020 7939 6041

Making Music, 8 Holyrood Street, London SE1 2EL

020 7939 6041
info@makingmusic.org.uk

www.makingmusic.org.uk

Making Music, The National Federation of Music Societies
A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 308632
Registered Charity in England and Wales no. 249219 and in Scotland no. SC038849

Notes to editors:

About Making Music

Since 1935, Making Music has been the membership organisation for amateur music in the UK, bringing together musicians and music groups of all genres and abilities.

We support, connect and champion everyone who makes, performs and presents music on a voluntary basis. The services we provide allow our members – ranging from symphony orchestras to samba bands – to cross the boring things off their ‘to-do’ lists and get on with making music.

As the voice of voluntary music among policy makers and stakeholders at a national and regional level, we aim to transform lives and enrich communities across the UK through music making.

www.makingmusic.org.uk

About Creative Scotland

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here.

We enable people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life.

We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and the National Lottery.

For further information about Creative Scotland please visit www.creativescotland.com. Follow us @creativescots and www.facebook.com/CreativeScotland