Culture Fund: Orkney Traditional Music Project

We very much wanted to run a summer school. It has not been possible to do this for three years. We understand how much our pupils benefit from weeklong intensive tuition and from the specialist input of guest tutors from Orkney and beyond.

It has been the practice to hold a concert immediately after the summer school showcasing learning and giving the pupils experience of public performance.

In 2023 we were celebrating the 25^th anniversary of the creation of OTMP and it felt especially important to make every effort to return to full force post Covid restrictions in this year. We want our young musicians to be confident in their playing and to enjoy a range of learning and performing opportunities.

It is expensive however and we were aware that not everyone was feeling ready to sign up to group activities post Covid. A full return to the summer school with tutors from mainland Scotland and England felt like a gamble for these reasons. The grant awarded by OIC meant we were able to take the risk and go ahead with the school. It was uncertain how many people would attend but in the final event we were at almost full capacity. Actually, we were really taken aback at how successful the school was.

It was well attended and very much enjoyed. We were able to get coverage of the summer school by both The Orcadian and BBC Radio Orkney. Informal feedback from both pupils and tutors was excellent.

It’s hard to quantify the long-term benefits of a summer school. In the short term, pupils had a period of focussed learning that was fun and held in a safe and welcoming space. We were very conscious that children were forming new friendships, sharing a love of music, pursuing a worthwhile leisure interest etc and all of this can only enhance the mental wellbeing of our learners. This was especially true following a period of enforced separation.

Parents made us aware that the weeklong study period supervised by our staff and volunteers was cost effective for them in terms of childcare – we feel we got the pricing for attendance set correctly.

In the longer term these are young people who may be working in culture or tourism. It is an investment in the future workforce to have people who are knowledgeable about the special musical traditions of these islands. We are also pleased to be teaching them skills such as confidence, perseverance and resilience. At a very basic level, playing together requires teamwork and good communication.

For the organisation, a successful school and concert works benefits us enormously. It is an excellent advert for what we do and for our next summer school and concert, and it makes a significant contribution to fundraising. Put simply, an event like this is the lifeblood of OTMP. It improves our teaching skills, our organisational skills etc. It showcases and advertises what we do. It gains new pupils and secures our finances.

We could not have run the 2023 summer school without financial assistance. Going forward we think we can stand on our own feet and are actively planning the 2024 summer school now. Help recovering from Covid restrictions on fundraising has made the difference between surviving and thriving. We move ahead now with confidence.