BBC Performing Arts Fund

Meet the Winners: The Choir With No Name

2013-02-12T17:19:25Z

The Choir with No Name will be using their Community Music grant to record a joint EP which will be mixed from two recordings of three choirs based in two different cities. No easy feat. So who are this nameless choir?

1. Who are The Choir With No Name?

The Choir with No Name is a charity that runs choirs for people who have experienced homelessness. We have three choirs so far: two in London, and one in Birmingham. Our choir members rehearse once a week, always sharing a hot healthy meal together afterwards – and we perform in public regularly too. Too many homeless people are isolated and lonely, this often being the reason they have 'fallen through the gaps' and become homeless in the first place, and we tackle this through choral singing.

2. How will the BBC Performing Art Fund Community Music grant help the group?

The grant is going to help us to record an EP in professional recording studios and release it for public sale. This will be a fantastic, confidence-building experience for our members – and it will also help showcase the positivity and talents of our choir members to the general public, helping shatter stereotypes about homeless people everywhere. We’re very excited about it!

3. Tell us about the best day The Choir With No Name has had to date?

We’ve had a lot of good days, but probably our best one was our Christmas gig, last December at London’s Union Chapel. It was wonderful to bring together our North London and Birmingham choirs again in front of a large audience – and we witnessed the first performance ever of our fledgling South London choir. They only had 8 (nervous) members at the time, and got the biggest cheer of the night for their only song, ‘White Christmas’. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

4. What was the best reaction from the group when they found out about winning the
PAF grant?

“Can we record it at Abbey Road?!”

5. Give us 3 words that describe a performance by The Choir With No Name

Uplifting, unique, and funny!

To find out more about the Choir with No Name and what they will be up to, you can visit their website, Facebook and Twitter page.

Meet the Winners is a feature introducing you to some of the groups and individuals who have recently received a grant from the BBC Performing Arts Fund. We get to hear about so many fantastic projects and people who are keeping the performing arts alive in the UK, that we thought you should know about them too.

Meet the Winners: Southampton Choral Society

2013-02-11T12:23:00Z

Community Music grant winner, Southampton Choral Society, has more than 130 members to get to know… We’d better get started with the introductions!

1. Who are Southampton Choral Society?

We are a group of men and women who passionately enjoy singing and we want to share our delight in classical music with other people. Our choir came together in 1943, so we have quite a long history, in fact over forty of our singers have been members for more than twenty years. Officially we exist for the purpose of giving concerts, but our choir is far more than an assembly of 135 performers. We come together on Monday evenings to learn about the minds and emotions of composers and bring their creations to life. We drink tea and laugh and talk and care about each other.

2. How will the BBC Performing Art Fund Community Music grant help the group?

We have commissioned a new work to be written especially for Southampton Choral Society and we want to share the fun and pleasure we have in giving a concert with people who do not usually have the opportunity do this sort of thing. We have invited participants from a diverse community – a Gospel Choir, two groups of sufferers of cancer and Parkinson’s Disease, secondary school choristers, a community choir, and a wheelchair-bound group of children from a Special School. We have invited a celebrity soloist to join us and it promises to be a very exciting date.

3. Tell us about the best day Southampton Choral Society has had to date?

Our best day? It might have been the moment of stunned silence when we ended the Mozart Requiem in Romsey Abbey, or the loud "Wow!" from a member of the audience at our last Messiah performance. Most choir members would say our best day was singing with Dame Emma Kirkby and discovering that we were good enough to support such an outstanding soloist.

4. What was the best reaction from the group when they found out about winning the PAF grant?

It was a new choral sound which no composer could write down – about eight seconds of cheers, wows, clapping, smiles and hugs.

5. Give us 3 words that describe a performance by Southampton Choral Society

Our performance goes from ppp to fff -- passionate, professional, progressive, to formidable, fresh and friendly.

To keep up to date with what the Southampton Choral Society, visit their website and Facebook page.

Youth Music Funding: what you need to know

2013-01-29T17:35:37Z

Searching for relevant funding can be an on-going challenge (trust us we know it’s a mystifying funding world out there). But as a little pointer, here is a blog from Youth Music who may be offering just what you’re looking for.

Youth Music distributes over £9 million annually through the Youth Music Programme. The Programme provides funding for organisations to enable them to transform the musical experiences of young people.

The programme is underpinned by the Youth Music Network which is an online community for people who work in and around music education projects in the UK. Free to join, the Youth Music Network is a space for professionals to access and share a huge range of music education.

What funding is offered?

Our grant making is structured around modules rather than individual programmes. Each module is linked to a set of intended outcomes that address an identified issue or need. Learning and participation modules encourage the growth and development of high quality music activities that impact directly on children and young people’s lives (aged 0-18, or up to 25 in special circumstances). These are direct delivery projects that achieve outcomes around young people’s musical, personal, social and emotional skills.

Strengthening the sector modules aim to encourage a stronger youth music sector by embedding capacity and expertise to support our goals (and those of a wider National Plan for Music Education) through activity that builds partnerships and collaborations, practice sharing and workforce development.

Applicants can apply for up to five modules in each funding round. The current Youth Music Programme modules are as follows:

1. Creating Environments for Musical Progression
2. Early Years Children at Elevated Risk
3. Elevated Risk
4. Music-based Mentoring
5. Open Module (applicants must meet one of our programme focus areas of Challenging Circumstances, Early Years and/or Encouraging Talent and Potential)
6. Young Music Leadership
7. Excellence through group singing
8. Networking: Building and maintaining networks *Limited availability – please contact funding.enquiries@youthmusic.org.uk for more information
9. Spotlighting: Enabling the sharing of effective practice

How do you go about applying?

Full details of how to apply can be found on the funding section the Youth Music Network website

Is there a deadline?

There are two application deadlines per year – the next one is on Wednesday 27th March 2013.

Is there a minimum or maximum to the amount of funding organisations can apply for?

In any one funding round you can apply for up to a maximum of £250,000 and you can hold no more than £350,000 worth of active Youth Music grants.

What are the eligibility criteria that organisations have to meet in order to apply?

In order to apply, we require you and your organisation to:

- Be based in the United Kingdom.

- Represent either a registered charity; a not-for-profit organisation; or a profit-sharing organisation who is applying for a self-contained music project that will not make profits for the organisation, and demonstrates a clear benefit to the public.

- Be from an organisation that has been legally constituted for at least one year.

- Supply the following documents to support your application:
a. Most recent set of accounts, dated no more than 18 months old.
b. An equal opportunities policy and a child protection policy.
c. Your employers’ and public liability insurance.

- Propose work that will engage and benefit participants based in England.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Ayo Ogunwumiju - Grants and Learning Team at the National Foundation for Youth Music funding.enquiries@youthmusic.org.uk

Our Year of Theatre

2013-01-15T16:56:39Z

2013 is well and truly here, and, as promised, we're all about Theatre here at the BBC Performing Arts Fund. We're currently working on refining our ideas and talking to industry professionals from the theatre performance world around the UK to make sure we're giving you the best and most relevant schemes to apply for.

We can't give away too much right now but here are a few things we can tell you:

- We WILL have a community theatre scheme [see Community Dance for how this might run]

- We WILL have a fellowship scheme [see Music Fellowships for what this might look like]

- We WON’T be funding student tuition fees (but you might want to read this blog & maybe have a look at this opportunity over at IdeasTap if that is what you are after).

- We WILL be giving £450,000 in funding to theatre this year

- We ARE very excited!

You can still come to us for gems related to music, dance and the performing arts in general - but anyone who has been waiting patiently for a theatre grant to sink your teeth into will soon be rewarded.

"Theatre" means many different things to many different people so we'll need a bit of consultation from you along the way to help us break it down and analyse it from every angle. We'll be asking you questions from time to time on Facebook so make sure you are following us if you want to give us your thoughts.

Right, that's enough from us for now. We'll be back soon with an update, in the meantime - go forth and perform!

Meet the Winners: The Band

2013-01-08T15:49:51Z

Community Music grant winner, The Band, is led by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Take a minute or two to get to know them...

1. Who are 'The Band'?

The Band is a musical ensemble made up of 15-19 year olds from South London. All instruments and levels of experience are welcomed, including Western and non-Western instruments, singers and MCs, ensuring that the group is as inclusive as possible. Led and tutored by members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the group come together to create their own music for high profile community performances that happen frequently across the year. Each week the members take inspiration from blues, hip hop, reggae, soul and many more styles to create their own new tracks… with a classical twist.

Through The Band, the London Philharmonic Orchestra predominantly work with teenagers in the Orchestra’s home boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham and Greenwich. Members of The Band come from a range of backgrounds, and many would not normally have the opportunity to create their own music alongside their peers, so the sessions are a unique opportunity to experience and perform live contemporary music and have contact with professional musicians and workshop leaders. It is widely recognised that being a member of such an ensemble has both musical and social benefits as well as boosting the members’ self-confidence and self-esteem.

2. How will the BBC Performing Art Fund Community Music grant help the group?

The BBC Performing Arts Fund grant will enable The Band to run at full capacity for the December to February project.

The legacy of The Band and this project is to embed the group in the communities the members reside in. Although a LPO-managed group, we want the members themselves to feel ownership over the work and activities. By taking this work out into the communities we want to raise the profile of its activities and the opportunities on offer to young people in South London, and encourage more people to benefit from membership of the group.

The grant will help deliver the project’s aims of providing a nurturing and supportive environment where young people can experiment with and create music, get involved with inspirational performance opportunities and regularly work alongside LPO musicians. It will also continue to develop the valuable skills that members can use in their ongoing personal development, such as collaboration, leadership and personal reflection.

3. Tell us about the best day 'The Band' has had to date?

One of our favourite projects culminated in a performance as part of the Lewisham Live festival to celebrate the Olympics in August 2012. The Lewisham Live online blog gave us a great review of the performance:

“The Band have been building an enviable reputation for the quality of their music-making this past year after two successful gigs at Royal Festival Hall. Their music is typically a blend of influences brought to the group by the younger members and the LPO musicians, and is taking on an increasingly rich and complex character.”

4. What was the best reaction from the group when they found out about winning the
PAF grant?

The next performance by The Band takes place on Saturday 22 February at Royal Festival Hall. The performance will be of their original collective composition titled Three Places in South London which has been inspired by American composer Charles Ives’ Three Places in New England, which the Orchestra will be performing that night. At the first rehearsal session for this performance one member said:

“I am so excited that because of the grant we get to do the full amount of creative sessions in the run up to our next performance. I enjoy coming along to play with people my age and appreciate learning from and getting to know the LPO musicians.”

5. Give us 3 words that describe a performance by The Band

Electric, exhilarating, inspirational.

You can follow The Band's progress by joining the LPO on Twitter or finding them on Facebook.

Meet the Winners: I Love Thunder

2012-12-19T11:00:00Z

We get so much joy from hearing from our grant winners and finding out what they are up to that we thought we'd let you meet them and share the fun.

It only takes a few minutes to Meet the Winners and to get an insight into how the grant will make a difference. Our first musical community group are 'I Love Thunder' - allow us to introduce you...

1. Who are 'I Love Thunder'?

I Love Thunder is an inclusive rock band which first got together at the end of 2009. We are a varied collection of individuals with a wide range of musical influences, which dictates the tunes we play. Our ages range from 16 to 66 with music being the jam that sticks us together! Our sets include songs from Taj Mahal, Wilson Pickett, Steve Harley, Rod Stewart, Bob Marley, Sha Na Na and Chuck Berry. Recently we have started working on our own material and ‘I Love Thunder’, our theme song (confusing isn’t it), is now a part of our regular set list.

As the year has progressed I think people’s reactions have definitely changed. When we start up there is often a look of surprise on people’s faces!

2. How will the BBC Performing Art Fund Community Music grant help the group?
We are planning a series of special rehearsal sessions whereby local bands from a variety of different genres (heavy metal, country, folk, jazz, reggae, indie etc) will be invited to come and rehearse with us. The final format for this is still taking shape. The idea is to expand our musical vocabulary and open us to other ideas to help in the creation of our own music.

3. Tell us about the best day 'I Love Thunder' has had so far?
We’ve played at 8 gigs this year, which was brilliant. Every time we learn something new and we continue to bond musically and are relaxing into our performance more. Our favourite gig so far was probably at the Harrow Disability Arts Festival in November although the gig at the RJT fundraiser in October was a close second.

4. What was the best reaction from the group when they found out about winning the PAF grant?
I think the reactions will really start when we start the programme in earnest.

5. Give us 3 words that describe a performance by 'I Love Thunder'
Inspirational, rocking and uplifting – well something like that anyway!

Here are some audience reactions:

"I thought the band was really great – Actually they really lifted the atmosphere as so many of the other songs were quite moody!"

"Even the female leader of the band called Grapefruit commented about I Love Thunder's timing being great"

"Great set at the Remembering Julia Trust event at Elthorne. Really enjoyed it, so many thanks!"

"Well done mighty Thunderers, keep on luvin it! Fantastic show yesterday, look forward to the next one."

"I just wanted to say thank you for the performance that I Love Thunder did at the ARC last month. The feed back was very positive and I think the band has gain new followers since their performance."

"Please will you also thank all of the band members for coming and making the evening such a great success."

"You guys were amazing today! It was a real pleasure working with you. Hope to be able to see you again some day!"

"Well done for a FANSTASTIC gig on Saturday! You were all amazing! Shall look forward to the next one xxx"

Step Up Mimbre

2012-12-17T10:00:02Z

The Step Up group were recipients of a Community Dance grant in 2011. They put their grant towards developing a new piece of work ‘Origin: London’ which explored ideas about identity and heritage. The Step Up group’s young members developed their performance from taking photos for the stimulus of the choreography right the way through to the costume design. Mimbre, the organisers of the project, tell us a bit more about the group’s achievements:

Our Youth Work

This summer the Step Up group, one of Mimbre’s more advanced youth groups, had a fantastic time performing in different arts events across Hackney and London. They created a show called ‘Origin: London’ , which turned out to be a huge success. It premiered at Chats Palace and started the summer tour on the Big Dance Bus at Woodberry Down Estate. The show went to the London Youth Dance Shoreditch Festival, Big Dance – a Mimbre Event, Torch Relay, and The National Theatre, plus the group was part of an Australian film promoting England and the Olympics to Australia.

This was a very intense project. Before we could start the programme we had to ensure that the group worked well together and that the young people were dedicated and committed to the rehearsals and performances scheduled. The Step Up group was created from committed or talented members who were passionate about performing and were made up from all of Mimbre’s youth groups.

The best advice that we can offer to a director or choreographer working with young people, is to create a performance that can be adapted to suit different numbers of young people and situations. It was impossible for the entire Step Up group to make it to every performance, so we had to adapt the show, often at the very last minute. Teaching the young people free styling skills and making sure that they were confident to improvise was very important too.

Getting family members involved in the shows and events really supported the group and meant practitioners could focus more on the performance rather than behaviour. It also meant that the young people were more likely to come along, as their parents were engaged in what they were doing.

The best day by far for the young people was when Mimbre teamed up with local charity Immediate Theatre and took part in the torch Relay parade. Wearing ‘I love Hackney’ costumes the group danced from Hyde Road N1 to Church Street N16. The parents didn’t get away either! Through the parade the young people and their parents celebrated the Olympics in London and promoted the spirit of the games through dance, acrobatics and a lot of screaming. And to top it all off after the march, the young people were introduced to an official torch bearer and were all invited to take pictures holding an official Olympic torch. They loved it.

The group have come a long way from the start of the summer tour. The once shy group of young people, most of whom were too shy to dance in class, performed in front of thousands of people throughout the summer and even began to look up at the audience, enjoy themselves and smile.

Can’t wait to do it all again next summer."

The Arts Apprenticeship - hints, tips & pointers

2012-12-06T10:10:00Z

As part of the wider London 2012 Festival, the Greater London Authority offered five full-time NVQ Level 2 paid apprenticeships to work on producing events, specifically outdoors. Ella Samoles-Little earned her place with the Barbican as Culture Squad Apprentice Producer and reflects on how you step from your education to your profession in the arts.

“I have always been fascinated with the arts world, and am constantly influenced by the world around me. Since the rise in degree fees, I think the best advise I can give towards getting into the cultural sector, would be to go out and seek opportunity. Be involved in any way you can and if you have the right attitude, it will get noticed.

My path started by exploring photography and film at A-level, I loved experimenting with the visual messages you can create in both mediums. This pushed me in the direction of filmmaking. I studied a HNC in media practice, which had a focus on production. Although I enjoyed specific areas of the degree a lot - scriptwriting and directing were always my favourite – I did feel that some of the creative degrees now stop you tackling what you have passion for in your own way. Not everyone who is interested in making films – from the horror head, to the documentarian – will learn and take information in the same way.

I didn’t finish my degree as I wanted to explore different routes and I came across Changemakers, a charity that focuses on the development of young people and helping ideas grow. I was fortunate to became part of their year scheme which developed my campaign skills, presentation and speech as well as giving me access to a personal mentoring scheme to help develop projects of my own. It was inspiring to be amongst like-minded people that wanted to make a difference.

That is where I got the chance to curate a community project with a £350 grant. Working with the people around me, I wanted to capture ‘The London Life’ through young people from 18-25 using Film, Photography, Music and Poetry. The project was a great success, and it was really interesting to see what people had to say. Also, the amount of support and involvement that was on offer was amazing.

The scheme was over and the buzz was fading from the night we pulled off. “Where to next?” was my biggest question. So, to answer this question, I turned to the internet and found the following websites useful:

- Arts Council Arts Jobs is a great way to see what work is out there

- Networking sites such as LinkedIn will help you to meet the right people.

Then to find spaces that aren’t being used or on offer to use as a work space/ office/ rehearsal space for any project you have in mind somewhereto is an organisation which can help. See more information on their website.

Apprenticeships are now becoming widely available which is great to see. It’s not only the increase in university fees that makes me a firm believer in all apprenticeship schemes. Participation on a scheme allows you to work and learn in a professional environment and really gain an insight into working within the arts. The Independent Theatre Council offer great short courses to help develop any areas you wish to know more about.

If there is any advice I can give, and what I urge you to do, is: Get out there! Speak to people with the same interest, combine ideas, get networking and get involved. Do some research into companies that produce the kind of work you are interested in and approach them about work experience opportunities. Meet people within the industry and be pro-active. And don’t forget that networking tools such as twitter and blog pages are a great way to communicate with the world and follow people that inspire you.

Find your drive, and hit the road because the opportunities are out there!

Think IdeasTap, Think help for emerging talent

2012-10-26T13:35:37Z

We get a lot of questions about where else you can find funding opportunities outside of the BBC Performing Arts Fund, so we thought we'd invite our friends at IdeasTap to introduce themselves and give you a bit of in insight into the support they can offer emerging talent.

"IdeasTap is an arts charity set up to help young, creative people at the start of their careers. Whether it’s funding, career development, advice or creative collaborators you need, we can help – whatever field you work in.

We help in a number of ways:
•    We offer funding
•    We let you know about opportunities we have on offer
•    We keep you posted on any jobs in the arts
•    Through our online magazine, IdeasMag, we offer advice

We try to make the application process for our fund and opportunities (such as live briefs and showcasing opportunities) as simple as possible. You can find out more about how we judge our briefs here.

We also offer a number of different bursaries through our funding stream IdeasFund. They look like this:

Ideas Fund Innovators
Open all year, with four deadlines for submissions, this Fund offers £1,000 awards for projects from any creative discipline. In the past we’ve funded everything from performances to photography collectives, visual artists to filmmakers.

Ideas Fund Edinburgh
Normally open for six weeks from October, the Edinburgh award provides two winning companies with £10,000 each, along with expert mentoring, to take a show to the world’s largest arts festival. For the last two years, Ideas Fund Edinburgh winners have gone on to secure Fringe First awards for their productions.

Ideas Fund Shorts
Open for six weeks from February, Shorts offers young filmmakers £5,000 to create a five-minute short film. Entries this year included documentaries, conceptual pieces, trailers for features, music videos, fashion films and animated shorts.

Top Up Fund
The Top Up Fund is managed by a changing panel of IdeasTap members, who decide the theme and award the funding. This Fund offers 20 projects a £500 cash injection, based on a particular theme.

In addition to the funding outlined above, we also partner with Sky Arts to offer the Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund. The fund aims to help five young artists (aged 18-30) to take their creative practice to the next level through £30,000 each and expert mentoring. It’s currently open to the following categories:

• Performing arts: theatre-makers including playwrights, spoken word artists, directors, puppeteers and live artists
• Dance: dancers and choreographers
• Music: musicians, composers, songwriters and conductors
• Visual art: fine artists, sculptors, photographers, animators and video artists
• Creative producing: do you bring together disparate parts of culture in exciting and innovative ways? This category is open to creative producers working in visual arts, theatre, film and performance/dance.

For further information on the Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund visit www.ideastap.com/futuresfund

Membership is free and only takes a couple of minutes to sign up. So you see, there are loads of reasons why you should visit us and keep an eye on what we are up to".

The Community Music scheme results are in!

2012-10-24T09:02:41Z

We are absolutely thrilled to tell you that the BBC Performing Arts Fund is awarding over £250,000 to groups across the UK through its Community Music scheme!

Fireflies Choir

Grants of up to £10,000 have been awarded to 47 not-for-profit groups in order to develop the talent within the group, encourage new members, produce workshops and projects that bring them closer with their communities and raise their profile. The scheme has encouraged groups to take on more challenging projects through commissions and working collaboratively with other local organisations as well as professional artists.

The successful groups were able to demonstrate that their projects were challenging and ambitious yet achievable, that their project would develop the group and its members, and that the group would collaborate with and have an impact on the wider community. From producing a programme of workshops for marginalised youth throughout Manchester to inviting a drumming expert from Africa to the Shetland Isles for intensive tuition – the projects are as diverse in idea as they are in location.

The Aestaewast drumming group, image by Monika Parzcyh

Miriam O'Keeffe, Director of the Performing Arts Fund, said: “We are delighted to be providing an avenue for these projects to flourish. The passion these groups have for music is inspiring. The range, not only in the types of groups but also in the spread of ages, shows us that music really is for everybody.”

Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra, image by Indigenous Design & Photography Ltd

How will the Performing Arts Fund grants help these community groups? We’ll let some of the successful groups tell you for themselves:

"The support from the BBC Performing Arts Fund will enable us not only to stage a concert for some of the most vulnerable people in our community, but to develop the skills within our Choir to provide a lasting resource for the future…ReSound Community Choir, and the future audiences of West Lancashire, would like to say a big thank you!"

ReSound Community Choir, Lancashire

“…for the vast majority of our participants this will be a totally new experience - it will result in a lasting memory for the performers and have a really positive effect on music making throughout the local community.”

Dacorum Community Choir, Herts

“We now look forward to getting on with our project and producing a dynamic and tangible illustration of the enabling benefits that the Performing Arts Fund can bring to local communities and society in general.”

Voicemale Men's Choir, Northumberland

To see the full press release please visit the BBC Press Office website and you can download a list of all the winners here. To keep updated on the activity by the groups, join us on Twitter & Facebook and don't forget to sign up for our Newsletter.

Congratulations to all the groups and break a leg! We can’t wait to see the finished projects as they come together in 2013.

From Broadway to Hollywood

2012-10-23T15:47:40Z

On Friday 19th October, BBC Radio 2 broadcasted a special Friday Night is Music Night with musical theatre as the central theme. A fitting backdrop for Training in Musical Theatre 2011 beneficiary, Emily Dunn, who was given the chance to perform a solo piece. So what’s it like to get ready for radio?

My Friday Night is Music Night experience - by Emily Dunn

“Waiting expectantly in the wings, I took a deep breath to calm myself before I walked onto the stage. In some respects it seemed the enormity of what I was about to do had only just hit me. In about 30 seconds I would be singing live on Radio 2 with the BBC concert orchestra. I would be watched by a 500-strong audience and, more than that, heard by an estimated 600,000 radio listeners. I thought back to the beginning of this whole process and how extremely lucky I was to be there and to be given this amazing opportunity. But before I had to time to dwell on it, I heard Michael Ball announce, “Here’s the song that Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber wrote for Mary Magdalene, and it’s sung this evening for us… by Emily Dunn…”

The Audition
In May, we were told that our school - Arts Educational Schools London - was to take part in a very special and exciting live broadcast of BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night (FNIMN) Our director of Musical Theatre, Chris Hocking, told us that the entire year would participate as an ensemble, and there would also be parts available for soloists. I remember his words vividly, “To be a soloist you will need to have “nerves of steel!” (I’d always thought that I worked well under pressure but, as I’d never done anything like this before, I wondered if a live radio broadcast would change this). I had to admit, I wasn’t that familiar with the programme- so I went straight home that night to research it. I was surprised to find that FNIMN is the ‘world’s longest running orchestral live music programme on radio,’ which features the highly acclaimed BBC concert orchestra. Armed with this knowledge, I was delighted to find that I had been selected to audition for a solo in front of the BBC panel - Executive Producer Anthony Cherry and Co-Producer Ruth Beazley.

On the day of the auditions the panel was incredibly friendly and supportive and I left feeling that, even if I weren’t to be chosen as a soloist, it was a wonderful experience (although that didn’t stop me from feeling the gut-wrenching uncertainty that comes after an audition!) A week later I was put out of my misery with the fantastic news that I was to be one of 13 soloists.

Rehearsals
I instantly set about working on my two songs- a duet with Robin Lake, ‘You are my Lucky Star’ from the classic musical Singin’ in the Rain and the famous solo, ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him,’ from Jesus Christ Superstar. I rehearsed intensively for the next few weeks with singing teacher Ann James and Head of Music Dane Preece on my material- working particularly on the low vocal ranges which both songs covered. I worked particularly on my solo, trying to create my own interpretation of this well-known song. The BBC producers and MD Richard Balcombe came in to help all the soloists, giving us tremendous support and invaluable advice for coping specifically with Radio singing. Their tips included, when singing a high or loud note, pulling the microphone sharply away from your mouth ‘diva-style’ is a big Radio ‘no-no’!

Masterclass with Michael Ball
With only a couple of weeks to go, we were given the exciting news- our programme was to be fronted and presented by none other than West-End legend Michael Ball! So, in the last week of rehearsals, he came in to Arts Ed give the soloists a masterclass in performance and radio technique. It was an event for which we all eagerly awaited! He was extremely friendly and encouraging, giving us all lots of vital advice; from radio techniques like how to handle a microphone without creating distracting noise, to avoiding looking into “musical theatre middle distance” (staring into space) while performing. As the countdown to the big day began, my excitement and anticipation grew even further. I’d already had so many fantastic experiences- auditioning for a BBC panel, performing in front of Michael Ball- and we hadn’t yet made it to the performance!

Friday Night
The day of the broadcast had arrived, and I was a bundle of nerves, excitement and anticipation. After becoming initially dumbstruck by the awesome sound produced by the BBC orchestra, I knew I had to focus my attention on the task at hand. I was prepared and ready to perform. We’d rehearsed with the orchestra and Arts Ed ensemble for the past couple of days, and now the audience was beginning to fill the Mermaid theatre. Sitting on-stage, we were tuned into the 8 o’clock news on Radio 2-and then it all began.

Producer Anthony Cherry told us all that the performance would go by in a flash- and he was right. Before I knew it the FNIMN theme tune had been played, the programme had begun and, all too quickly, it was my turn to sing.

After I’d sung the first few notes of my song, I felt like everything was going to be ok, and I could relax and enjoy it. As clichéd as it might sound, it really was the best experience of my life. Thinking back on it now, I feel so proud of myself and all my classmates and what we had achieved. This whole experience made me realise just how essential and beneficial my training at Arts Ed has been- without which I wouldn’t have had the technical skill and confidence to sing on live radio. I would also like to thank the BBC Performing Arts Fund for all they have done to support my training for the past couple of years. If I could give any advice to anyone currently auditioning for musical theatre schools or perhaps trying to raise money to fund their place, it would be to absolutely keep going. The training and experiences you get (like FNIMN) make it completely worth it in the end.”

Emily Dunn was awarded with £1500 towards her training at Arts Educational Schools London as part of the 2011 Training in Musical Theatre scheme. More information about the scheme can be found here.

A summer of new music with BBC Introducing

2012-10-03T12:18:33Z

The summer of 2012 (almost a distant memory already) was jam packed with ambitious activity and cultural inspiration. One of the biggest projects for the BBC in 2012 was the Radio 1 Hackney weekend and BBC Introducing were there with their stage doing what they do best – showcasing undiscovered talent. Tom Young, Content Producer for their website, gives us a summary of this amazing weekend and what BBC Introducing is all about.

"The end of the UK festival season provides a good opportunity for BBC Introducing to reflect on another busy summer. We’ve taken our stage to Hackney Weekend, T in the Park, Manchester Jazz Festival, London Mela and Reading & Leeds festival with a huge range of artists getting exposure to some very passionate crowds.

I’ve only been in role of Content Producer for BBC Introducing for five months so it’s been a fantastic insight into the enthusiasm, drive and determination of all the artists involved with our stages and festivals. At T in the Park, local band Fatherson were handing out flyers informing the crowds of their stage time while Vigo Thieves went one better with a huge banner draped over a flyover across the M90. Following Reading & Leeds Festival, Proxies and Park Bench Society remain our two most shared acts of the festival (above Green Day and All Time Low) – testament to their dedicated fans and their abilities to generate an online buzz. These bands, singers and DJs work tirelessly to keep themselves in the spotlight.

Hackney was particularly special. We had worked with local supporters of new music including Rising Tide, Urban Development, Land of Kings Festival, Bigga Fish and Eat Your Own Ears, to give the local talent of East London the chance to play on the same bill as Jay-Z, Rihanna, Calvin Harris and many more. For most, it was the largest stage they had played and I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a few nerves showing through backstage. I managed to sneak out to watch Kersha Bailey’s headline set on Sunday (I spend most of my time trying to get videos and photos online as quickly as possible) and was asked who it was on stage by a lady in the crowd. She took a note of Kersha’s name and I’d like to think put it into Google later.

We’ve loads of highlights from this summer on our website and on YouTube that’ll be around for time to come. Have a watch and hopefully it’ll serve as inspiration in keeping with the BBC Performing Arts Fund’s focus on music this year. We’re always asked about how our BBC Introducing acts are chosen and there’s some helpful information on the site and within our blog. The first place to start is with our Uploader tool, where you can upload your best tracks for our local shows across the country to listen to. You can find us on Twitter too and we're always up for a chat."

Top 5 things you want to know about Music Fellowships

2012-09-12T11:12:04Z

The Music Fellowships scheme is now in full swing as applications and paperwork start to come in at PAF HQ. Don’t panic though – we’re nowhere near 100 applications just yet but time is ticking on so if you haven’t already started, don’t wait. Fill out the Eligibility Quiz, send us your eligibility documentation, and get started on the application form! Remember, you can save your form at any time and come back to it later.

As well as those important application forms, we’re also getting lots and lots of queries about the scheme and a few questions keep coming up a lot. So, here are our responses to the top 5 things you guys seem to want to know about the scheme.

1.    I can’t find the Eligibility Quiz!

Alright, alright. We admit it. We’ve definitely confused you on this one so sorry about that! To set things straight once and for all here’s what you need to do to access that elusive Eligibility Quiz…

All Fellowship applications must be made online using our application system. To access the system, first up you need to go to the Music Fellowships page and click on ‘Apply Now’. This will open a new page where you’ll need to register on the system as a new applicant. You can also download some handy PDF instructions from that page which will tell you how to complete your application and navigate around the system.

Once you’ve registered for an account you will be able to access the Eligibility Quiz. Only if you complete and pass the Eligibility Quiz will you have the option to start filling out the Application Form.

2.    I’ve started filling out the form but it keeps referring to an organisation. I’m an individual – I’m confused.

Filling out an application isn’t the most riveting of pastimes, so please don’t waste your time starting an application form as an individual as it won’t be eligible and won’t be assessed.

To be totally clear then – rather than awarding grants directly to individuals through the scheme, we’re looking for applications from professional music companies, organisations, venues and festivals from across the UK to take on an individual as a Fellow within their organisation. So it should be the organisation looking to host that individual that should submit the application to us, not the individual themselves. Clear? Good.

However as an individual interested in the scheme we don’t want you to feel that it’s entirely out of your reach! Definitely have a think about your own development and which organisations you might benefit from working with. Approach them, let them know about the opportunity if they don’t already, arrange to meet for a cup of tea and let them know you’d be interested in undertaking a Fellowship with them. Don’t ask – don’t get.

3.    Our organisation is just not going to be able to select a Fellow before the application deadline.

We appreciate that for a variety of reasons, finding a Fellow prior to submitting an application could be tricky for some organisations. However, the nominated Fellow, that selected individual person, is ultimately what the scheme is all about so without that information it’s pretty impossible for our assessors to score them accurately.

For this reason, a significant part of the application form is about that person and understanding how the organisation might be able to help their specific needs. So if an organisation does want to apply under the scheme, they will already have had to select a Fellow – we can’t make exceptions to that.

When it comes to finding a Fellow, we don’t insist that a formal recruitment process is carried out if that’s just going to take too long or isn’t suitable but we do ask that organisations ensure that the person is selected in a way that is fair and transparent.

4.    We’d like to pay the Fellow for the work they carry out with us through the Fellowship.

We like that organisations are asking us this, we really do, however the Fellowship is exactly that – a Fellowship. It’s not a job. The grant is there to allow that individual to be able to take up the Fellowship within an organisation as part of their professional development.

Of course we don’t want anyone to be significantly out of pocket, or even unable to undertake the Fellowship because they can’t afford it but the grant is not to be used as a wage. With this in mind, when it comes to the Fellowship budget we’re looking for a significant portion to be set aside to support the Fellow in order to allow them to carry out the Fellowship. This should be allocated to the Fellow as per diems, travel costs, accommodation costs etc.

5.    We keep failing the Eligibility Quiz. We’ve read the Terms & Conditions but we can’t get through the next stage. There must be some mistake.

We would suggest that you read the Terms & Conditions again.

Currently, the most common question that makes an organisation ineligible is ‘Has the Fellow ever undertaken paid work for the organisation before?’ The answer to this question should be NO. The Fellow might have undertaken voluntary work for the organisation before, or carried out a work experience placement for example where they received expenses – in fact we anticipate that this might be quite common, that’s fine – but they should not have been paid by the organisation for any work done before the Fellowship.

These are just the most common questions we’ve had so far, but there’s plenty more information in the Music Fellowships FAQs for you to digest.

And remember, the deadline for applications is the 15th October but you must send your eligibility documentation to us by 5pm on the 21st September or your application form won’t be assessed. We need both your application form and the eligibility documentation for your application to be counted.

How Awards for Young Musicians could help you

2012-08-22T10:49:37Z

We know there are lots of talented musicians out there who need support with their music making, particularly when it comes to hiring or purchasing an instrument. So, we asked Beverley Mason, Trustee at Awards for Young Musicians, to tell us how they might be able to help.

"As an assessor for the BBC PAF Community Music scheme, during the London 2012 Olympics season I often found myself reveling in the talent of our young British athletes. It was equally encouraging for me to discover the high levels of determination, creativity, and commitment of applicants to the scheme to reach new levels of excellence, raise their game as performers, and inspire the communities around them.

It’s not easy to find the support - financial or pastoral - to create art in the community, so I feel equally fortunate to be part of a team of brilliant people at Awards for Young Musicians (AYM).

AYM was founded in 1998 through the legacy of Robert Lewin, a man who left an extraordinary collection of instruments in his will, which were by his request sold to create an endowment fund to help support the education and development of the UK's most talented young musicians.

How AYM can help

AYM run an annual Awards programme for young instrumentalists aged between 5 and 18. Individual awards range between £200 and £2,000, totaling a minimum of £50,000 per year.

We support all instrumentalists making music in any genre but unfortunately we don’t support singers. However, we’ve compiled a helpful list of places where you might wish to apply for other kinds of funding on our website.

Our Awards can help with costs including:
•    Buying or hiring a musical instrument
•    Music lessons
•    Weekend music schools
•    Music courses
•    Orchestra fees
•    Travel

The application process

We have an open application process and once a year musicians and their families have the chance to apply for a grant to help towards the cost of music education, purchase of instruments, school fees and other forms of support, such as travel. Our next round of applications will close on 15 March 2013 so there is still plenty of time for young musicians to apply for a grant.

Our key criteria for instrumentalists are; financial need and exceptional musical talent. Applicants will need to:
•    Show evidence of their financial need
•    Have ideally achieved a distinction in their last music exam – or, if they haven’t taken exams, show evidence of this level of ability
•    Be recommended by their music teacher

Our expert panel of adjudicators work hard to ensure that applicants with both identifiable talent and the most potential have the opportunity to demonstrate their playing skills through an audition.

Auditions take place in London every Spring. This process helps us to determine the highest level of award and potentially create an additional tailored package of special support, because the panel looks at the whole picture, including personal circumstances, teaching and progression, as well as the narrative about the applicants’ musical development.”

Example of a past winner

Jay, a 14 year old from Manchester, won the annual AYM Edith Hemingway Memorial Award, which AYM gives to the most promising musician from the north-west of England. Gary Crosby, the internationally acclaimed artistic director of Tomorrow’s Warriors, a jazz development organisation that’s been working in partnership with AYM and was an adjudicator at Jay’s audition was so impressed by him that he went out and found a saxophone of much higher quality than the instrument Jay originally applied for funding for. Yamaha, one of our partners, agreed to supply the sax at a considerably reduced rate. Gary also arranged a masterclass for Jay with the renowned saxophonist Denys Baptiste at a famous London Jazz venue.

In Jay’s own words: “It is a great honour that AYM decided that I was worthy of receiving such an award. It helps me believe in my own abilities and strengthens my belief that I can become a great musician. Playing the saxophone has become a great source of joy in my life. Receiving this award for doing something I love is unbelievable.”

For full details about Awards for Young Musicians please visit their website or contact Caroline Harvie, AYM Awards Administrator via email on caroline.harvie@a-y-m.org.uk

Have you considered Grants for the arts?

2012-08-09T12:01:06Z

Whatever the outcome of your application to our music schemes this year, there are lots of other funding opportunities out there to help your music projects and ambitions get off the ground. Rachel Nelken, Relationship Manager – Music for Arts Council England, tells us about what’s available through their scheme Grants for the arts.

“It’s been a privilege to be an assessor for the BBC Performing Arts Fund this year; seeing such an amazing array of talented performance groups across the country, many having designed really ambitious and exciting projects. These artistic adventures offer real opportunities to groups to develop their own practice and bring it to a wider audience to enjoy.

Applicants and potential applicants to BBC Performing Arts Fund’s schemes in England this year may not be aware of an ongoing opportunity for funding which would, in many cases, be equally suitable for their projects. Arts Council England’s Grants for the arts is an open access scheme to which anyone – individuals, groups or organisations – can make an application. The grant opportunity is there broadly to support work which will achieve Arts Council’s mission of ‘Great Art for Everyone’.

Applicants need to demonstrate that their projects will fulfil four main criteria:

Artistic Quality
How can you demonstrate that your project is going to be high quality artistically?

Public engagement
What opportunities are there for the public to participate in or experience your work?

Management
How can you show you’ve got a good team/personnel in place to manage the project? What systems do you have in place to ensure the project will be well managed?

Finance
What other funding or sources of income are there for the project? How will you manage the finances of the project?

As you can see the criteria are not dissimilar to the BBC Performing Arts Fund’s Community Music scheme and projects such as commissioning, festivals or events of any kind (if they involve the public as participants or audiences) would be eligible.

You can apply for Grants for the arts at any time – it has a rolling deadline. There are two levels of funding – up to £10,000, and above £10,000. The first scheme is the one to which I normally suggest most people come for their first try. If you’re successful you can develop bigger, more ambitious projects for the bigger pot later! The under £10,000 scheme has a 6 week turnaround – pretty fast for a funding body! Be aware that Arts Council almost never fully funds a project and will be looking in most cases for a fair amount of ‘match-funding’ – cash and ‘in-kind’.

Abimaro and the Free received funding through Grants for the arts

Abimaro is a singer/songwriter who earlier this year was awarded a grant for a mini-tour of East London coffee shops. You can find out more about her experience in this video.

Don’t be daunted by the amount of information about the scheme as it’s fairly digestible, and definitely worth reading before you put in an application. I would also strongly suggest running your ideas past the very helpful and knowledgeable Grants for the arts Enquiry Team on 0845 300 6200. While you’re at it, see if you can find out the name of your nearest regional Relationship Manager.

Arts Council Relationship Managers are based across England in the Regional offices and we can help advise and support you as you make your application to Arts Council. These are eventually assessed by our central office in Manchester but Relationship Managers are given the opportunity to make additional comments and recommendations as part of the assessment process. So it’s well worth getting to know your local Relationship Manager. The best thing you can do to ensure success for your application is to get as much advice and support as possible from us as you write it. I am always amazed when I see applicants who haven’t taken that opportunity.

We’ll look forward to hearing from you soon!”

Check out all the information on the Arts Council’s website.