Start the weekend on a positive note with Good Music News Friday, our summary of positive news about music, music education and anything else which captured our attention.
- Lecturer in Musicians’ Health and Well-being appointed by Royal Northern College of Music
- Every child would benefit from access to music lessons, according to Sheku Kanneh-Mason
- Big Give Christmas Challenge seeks to support 120 young musicians
- Reggae’s contribution to international discourse recognised by Unesco
- The National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) Young Composers Award is now open
- Antonia Berry summarises the transformative power of music education
The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) has become the first conservatoire to appoint a specialist Lecturer in Musicians’ Health and Wellbeing.
Sara Ascenso, a chartered clinical psychologist and trained pianist, will (from January 2019) continue to develop the health and wellbeing provision across the College, “ensuring that it is holistic, tailored to musicians’ needs, research-based and embedded in the curriculum.”
The appointment was announced at the same time as The RNCM pledged to increase its support for students, dedicating its 2018-19 Annual Appeal to health and wellbeing.
Sara Acenso said, “Adding to lecturing and research, the vision for the role also includes carefully monitoring the specific wellbeing needs of RNCM students and staff and looking at how the most recent findings in this area can shape our planning towards optimal delivery across a wide range of initiatives.
“We want our students to learn how to make music with excellence but also how to live fulfilling lives as musicians and as human beings more generally. This means that what they are learning is not only about doing but also about being. We want to maximize our efforts to make sure they experience what being well as a musician means during their time at the RNCM.”
Sheku Kanneh-Mason has spoken about the importance of every child having access to music lessons. Read his comments here on the Classic FM website.
Awards for Young Musicians (AYM) aims to raise £60,000 to support young musicians and “give talent a chance” in their Big Give Christmas Challenge. This would help 120 young people. The charity has worked with over 3,000 young people since 1998, nurturing their musical talent to help them reach their potential. Donations before 12 pm on Tues 4 December will be doubled. Donate here.
Reggae Music has been added to a list cultural institutions worthy of protection and preservation.
Unesco, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, maintains the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A committee meets annually to evaluate nominations to the list. Jamaica sought reggae for inclusion on the list earlier this year.
Unesco said reggae’s contribution to “international discourse on issues of injustice, resistance, love and humanity underscores the dynamics of the element as being at once cerebral, socio-political, sensual and spiritual.”
Other musical genres on the list include Vietnamese xoan singing and Slovakian bagpipe music.
Browse the Unesco Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Register of good safeguarding practices.
Now open for applications: The National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) Young Composers Award. This “major national annual award” is open to young composers up to the age of 25 and resident in the UK, in two age categories: 18 years and under; and 19 to 25 years. The winning works will be premiered by Liam Byrne in a public performance which will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Early Music Show.
Applicants must register their interest in the award by 11.59pm on Friday 15 February. Full details about the Awards, the Criteria and how to apply are here.
Music “boosts attainment, and transforms communities.” You know that already, of course. So does Antonia Berry, who summarises some benefits in this piece in The TES.
What next?
- Read earlier editions of Good Music News
- If there’s something you would like us to cover in Good Music News Friday, please email us.
- Here’s some good news for music teachers: our free 29 tips for a thriving music teaching business will give you things you can do immediately to boost your music teaching business. They’ll also make you smile.