Happy New Year to everyone and welcome to the second Newsletter produced by Perth & Kinross Music Foundation. We hope that you had a very merry, and enjoyable, Festive period.
In this issue, we bring you up to date with what we have been up to over the last 6 month, and also give you advance notice of what we are planning to get up to over the next 6 months and beyond.
We would also like to record in this Newsletter, the immense contribution to the Foundation, as well as the wider musical life of Perth & Kinross, from the late George Annan who sadly passed away in November 2018 after a short illness. George was the Founder of Perthshire Brass, and also a founder Trustee of this Foundation back in 1998. His funeral service in St John’s Kirk in Perth on 10 December 2018 was a wonderful tribute to his musical life over many years. George will be missed not only by his family and friends, but his passing leaves a huge gap in the musical life of communities across Perth & Kinross. The Trustees wish to acknowledge George’s input to the Foundation over more than 20 years.
What have we been up to over the last 6 months:
Since the last edition of our Newsletter, the Trustees have been very busy in continuing to raise funds to support our objectives.
In terms of our fundraising efforts over the last 6 months, these included a concert on 30 September 2018, in St John’s Episcopal Church entitled “Making Music Magic”. The performers for this event were staff from the Council’s Instrumental Music Service, and the concert was attended by almost 60 people plus a number of the young students of these talented musicians, who, on a daily basis, nurture and encourage all their students to achieve their best in music. The afternoon was widely acclaimed by all who attended, and the church officers and volunteers made us very welcome including providing interval refreshments for both the performers and the audience. We are in discussion with the IMS staff regarding whether or not this could become an annual event in our fundraising calendar – so watch the website for next year’s date!
During September and October we were pleased to be one of the 3 chosen local charities in the TESCO Bags of Help scheme. We were delighted to find out at the end of November that we had been awarded a grant of £2,000 towards out stated aims of “letting our children play”. Thank you to everyone who voted for us with their “wee blue tokens“ in TESCO stores over these 2 months.
What are our plans for the next 6 months and beyond?
First up, on Wednesday 6 March 2019 we will once again be holding our annual concert at the North Inch Community Campus, in North Muirton, Perth. This year the evening will showcase the musical talents of the Perth & Kinross Elementary String Orchestra, the Perth & Kinross Central Groups Choir, pupils from Kinross High School, the Perth & Kinross Percussion Ensemble, and Perthshire Youth Brass. The aim of this evening each year is to give young people (some of whom will be receiving financial support from the Foundation) an opportunity to perform in front of a keen listening audience of parents, relatives, family, and friends. For some of the youngest, this will be their first experience of playing in public and will, we are sure, be a daunting task for them. Please do come along and support our young musicians and enjoy this evening of “letting our children play”.
On 11 May 2019, 11 members of the IMS staff team plus some Trustees and friends of the Foundation, have signed up to take part in the Gung Ho Challenge in Edinburgh. This is 5km long race around an inflatable obstacle course! It promises to be a fun event for the competitors and the audience, as there are some very messy obstacles which end up in mud baths, water baths, and foam baths! Our intrepid gang will be seeking sponsors via a dedicated JustGiving Page or they can be sponsored directly. Every penny raised will go towards meeting the fees of young people from financially challenged households. If you want to see this event, it will be held on the Meadows in Edinburgh on the morning of Saturday 11 May 2019, so do come along and help these adventurers to enjoy their day out, and also give them some encouragement and help in getting really messy!
Following the success of our first ever Quiz Night fundraising venture last June, we are looking to have another one later this year. The exact date and venue have not yet been finalised but we will probably be looking at around Autumn sometime. Please keep your eyes on the Foundation’s website for more details www.pmkf.org.uk
As a Charity, we are always looking at new ways to raise funds to support our objectives and supplement the generous contributions received from local Charitable Trusts, other Groups, and individuals who are sympathetic to our aims and objective of “letting our children play”. If you have any fundraising ideas for us to try, do let us know and we will consider such an event.
Our Finances
To date, we have been successful in making grant funding applications to The Guildry Incorporation of Perth, The Cross Trust, The Gannochy Trust, The Jimmie Cairncross Trust, the Souter Charitable Foundation, TESCO Bags of Help Scheme, and the Ross & Liddle Community Bursary Scheme. We are extremely grateful to all of the Charitable Trusts that support us as these grant awards have enabled us to meet 100% of the applications received from young people for financial support. So far, this academic year we have received 119 applications (last year our final total was 83), and more keep trickling in as parents become aware of just how much Perth & Kinross Council have put the fees up by this year. This represents an increase of 43% in the number of applications received compared to 2017/18.
As well as being successful with our grant funding applications, we have also received donations from Perth based choir Encore, have had a pledge from RSPCC Childline (in recognition that the IMS staff freely give up their time for the annual Childline Fundraising Concert each December), and a number of individuals. We also now have 10 “Friends of the Foundation”. These are people who have invested in the work of the Foundation by signing up to an annual/monthly subscription which entitles them to receive this twice yearly Newsletter, and also 2 free tickets to any concert organised by the Foundation. The Trustees would like to say a huge thank you to all our sponsors and supporters. If you know of anyone else who might be interested in becoming a “Friend” please ask them to get in touch either with the Secretary or Treasurer via our website.
During the last 6 months we have received almost £28,000 in grant awards from Charitable Trusts, plus more from individuals and groups, and to date we have paid out/are due to pay out £18,400 in music tuition and central music group fees to Perth & Kinross Council. We will no doubt be due to pay more to the Council as the academic year comes to a close in the summer. So, as you can see, these grant awards, and other personal donations received from our sponsors, friends, and supporters, are very much welcomed, and indeed necessary.
Mr John Swinney’s (Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills) answers very recently in Parliament regarding Instrumental Tuition: