Shetland-Music.com

Much of Shetland Arts Music Development Project could be deemed ' active' in terms of how it is managed and what it produces. There follows just a taste of the activities and results relating to the project to date.

Marketing

Exhibition stand

The aim of the marketing element of the project is mainly aimed at promoting Shetland music in a local, national and international context, indeed wherever there is a worthwhile market for it at home or abroad. This process dictates the need for many or all of the other main project initiatives.

This process is carried out in a number of ways, everything from this website and promotional literature to music trade fair attendance and live showcases at home and abroad.

One thing is for sure, a market for it there certainly appears to be:

Tourism

Tourists aboard the Dim Riv

The tourism element of the project is specifically aimed at increasing visitor access to Shetland music of all kinds, adding value to their visits (if they are not here directly for the music itself) and creating a positive external cultural image of the islands, especially through positive 'word of mouth' marketing. Here are just some of the ways this is achieved:

Fiery Sessions - Up-Helly-Aa Day Concert. It does what it says on the tin, a concert featuring many of Shetland's finest acts on the afternoon immediately before our world famous fire festival. As seen recently on BBC TV.

Johnsmas Foy - A new festival with many appealing individual elements, not least culture and music. A ten-day event with music featured throughout, incorporating the Shetland Blues Festival, RNLI Day and 'Flavour of Shetland' - a four day event within an event focusing largely on music, local crafts and food.

Shetland Fiddle Frenzy - Part Shetland fiddle school, part Shetland music and cultural festival, with special emphasis on our most lauded instrument. A seven-day 'frenzy' in every sense of the word. An event for all ages and all levels of talent, but not for the faint hearted. Patron Dr Aly Bain.

Peerie Willie Johnson Shetland Guitar Festival - One of Shetland's newest festivals, held and named in honour of one of our greatest ever musicians, guitarist 'Peerie Willie Johnson'. International names galore and with the patronage of no less an exponent than Dr Martin Taylor MBE - need we say more.

Individual Concerts and Events - Regular concerts featuring many of Shetland's top artists and many top visiting acts. Many of these events take place in rural areas of Shetland.

Traditional Sessions - The legendary 'stalwart' of the Shetland music scene, these take place in a number of Lerwick bars, including the Lounge (which, over the years, has deservedly gained itself an international reputation in this respect) Da Noost and the Douglas Arms (commonly known as the 'Marlex')

Education

Music tuition

An effective education policy and strategy is agreed by all to be one of the main foundations on which much of the success of Shetland music today is based. This of course takes place both in and out of school.

Shetland Arts Music Development Project seeks to work in partnership with the local authority education service throughout Shetland schools in order to provide additional music related opportunities and experiences for pupils, over and above their normal day to day music classroom and instrumental tuition activities.

This includes a programme of school-based concerts and workshops delivered by visiting artists from all over the world, visits from top local musicians, music technology training and additional support workshops for instrumental services (especially percussion, accordion and guitar)

Training

Stevie Hook explains about recording techniques

Training normally takes over where education leaves off, but in truth the two are closely combined with many young people of school age taking part in Shetland Arts training programme over and above their normal school music activities.

This programme focuses on three general areas:

• Creative Music Making
• Music Technology
• Music Business

These are the three main areas that, when addressed in general conjunction, are best served to create and support the musician or music technician of today. Many of these will inevitably be self-employed and will require particular skills in all these individual areas.

Youth Music

Young fiddler

Shetland Arts youth music programme largely focuses on rock music, mainly due to the fact that there is only limited support for this genre in Shetland schools or indeed elsewhere in the community, in a general sense at least. The programme, entitled 'Solid Rock', largely concentrates on assisting young bands to progress in terms of their musical skills, band member integration and communication, stage presence and performance and their technical knowledge.

Rural Music Programme

Karine Polwart

The promotion of music in rural areas, especially the outlying islands, is another priority area for Shetland Arts Music Development Project. This is managed via our 'Co-Promoters' scheme whereby Shetland Arts works in partnership with local community hall committee's to promote an annual series of these kind of events.

Normally the format will consist of a visiting artist / band, supported by top quality local acts.