Watch Out for Musica Scotica! Upcoming Events ...

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling - we've got Scotland (almost) covered.

Wednesday 4 April, 7.30pm, Concert at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Glasgow:  performance of works by Robert Johnson (as a prelude to the launch of the volume)  - read an interview with editor Elaine Moohan, in The Herald, here.  NB there is a pre-concert talk at 6.30 pm, well-worth attending!

6–8 April, IAML UK Annual Study Weekend, Edinburgh, at which we will have a bookstall. Conference programme here.

20-21 April, Musica Scotica's Conference, at the Tolbooth, Stirling. Conference details and booking form, click here.

When To Visit The Whittaker Library

We're open 9-5 Monday 26 -Fri 30 March.

We're closed (sorry!) the long weekend Sat 31 March - Mon 2 April inclusive.

We reopen Tuesday 3 April, and we'll be open 9-5 for the weeks Tuesday 3 - Friday 6 April, and Monday 9 - Friday 13 April.

No weekend opening until Saturday 21st April.

Scottish Composer Julian Wagstaff

In the post today, we received leaflets about Julian Wagstaff's online catalogue, and also leaflets about the CD of his chamber opera, Breathe Freely.  We'll display the leaflets, but it seems sensible to flag up Julian's website online as well.

Quoting from Julian's website, 

"Composer Julian Wagstaff was born in Edinburgh in 1970.
"He worked as a translator and interpreter in the German language, as well as a television researcher and computer programmer, before turning to music as a profession in the late 1990s. His interest in language, political history and the sciences continues to be reflected in much of his music and in his theatre writing..."

So, here are some links for you to explore:-

http://www.julianwagstaff.com/ 
http://www.julianwagstaff.com/catalogue 
http://www.breathefreelyopera.co.uk/
https://vimeo.com/84892072 - opera video-clip excerpt

Dictionary Definitions (Bagpipes, Scottish Tunes ...)

An early nineteenth century Englishman was compiling a music dictionary.  Here are some choice examples of his definitions!  Bagpipes, Scottish Tunes, Trolling ... it's all there!  (Trolling is not quite what you would expect ...)

Who was he?  Thomas Busby, and the book was A Musical Manual, or Technical Directory (1828)

Complicated Triple-Stopping

Complicated triple-stopping?  Once you've learned it, please rub it out before returning your music to the library!  (Such a small thing to ask!)

Two Videoclips - Learn About RCS E-Resources and Referencing

• Get to Grips with E Journals and E Books
• Bibliographic Software - Karen explains Mendeley

No-one would deny that libraries pay a key role in supporting learning.  So last year, Karen did a PG Cert project to find out whether students felt they needed more support in getting the most out of our library and information provision.


Particularly for distance learners, more dependent on electronic resources than most full-time students, it seemed that accessing e-journals and e-books was sometimes a frustrating exercise, so that was one topic crying out for extra instruction.  

So, too, was the whole business of referencing, or citation.  (They're the same thing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!)  The RCS Effective Learning team is happy to help.  But so, too are your ever-present Performing Arts Librarians!

Karen produced two trial videoclips, and tested them on the whole cohort of students taking our distance-learning PG Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, or Masters in Education.

We wanted to share them with you, but circumstances meant we couldn't.  For a start, we introduced a new library system with "Catalogue Plus" offering vastly improved access to electronic resources.  Suddenly Karen's first videoclip had become obsolete!  Secondly, one of the referencing software packages that Karen had been recommending, made major changes to user subscriptions.  She can no longer recommend it.

To cut a long story short - she has made new videoclips to replace the project trial ones.  They only take a few minutes to watch, and if you need more information, please do visit the library portal pages, or get in touch with the library staff.  Don't suffer in silence - just ask!

• Get to Grips with E Journals and E Books
• Bibliographic Software - Karen explains Mendeley

DIY Bagpipes

A piece of nonsense for Monday morning.  Want your own set of bagpipes? Can't afford them?  Here is the answer.  Dig out your old school descant recorders ... 

How to Make Bagpipes out of a Garbage Bag and Recorders

Next, we'd like to learn how to make a piano accordion ... 

Digital Theatre Plus Celebrates International Women's Day 2018

We are shamelessly sharing a mailshot sent to us by one of our biggest subscriptions, Digital Theatre Plus.  It comes from their Community Manager, Alesha Tatum Howe:-

Digital Theatre+  wants to take this moment on International Women's Day to celebrate the contributions made by women on stage, backstage and behind the scenes.

At Digital Theatre+, their curation of the 900+ resources on the platform includes a commitment to diversity. This means you and your students have access to productions, interviews and study materials from famed practitioners and academics, including from the industry's leading women.

What to watch on International Women's Day A fascinating exchange between Harriet Walter and Professor Carol Rutter – an in-depth discussion of ‘Shakespeare’s Women Today’ and female roles, Shakespeare’s language and musicality, gender-blind casting, sexuality in performance, and a whole lot more. Our insightful interview with Complicite Co-Founder Annabel Arden and Artistic Director Catherine Alexander. DT+'s treasure trove of interviews with some of the most skilled and creatively courageous women in theatre. Just some we recommend watching today include: Juliet Stevenson, Imelda Staunton, Julie Walters, Zoe Waites, Meera Syal, Vicky Featherstone, Alecky Blythe, Katrina Lindsay and Imtiaz Dharker. There are some many inspirational women featured on DT+, but we hope you enjoy these recommendations with your students and colleagues on this significant day. Let us know what you and your students enjoy watching on Twitter! Happy International Women's Day.

Historical Harp Society of Ireland - Festival of Early Irish Harp

Festival of Early Irish Harp 15-21 August 2018

We received a circular about a summer festival that our harp players might enjoy:-

The Historical Harp Society of Ireland says that they are, "delighted to announce this year’s Scoil na gClairseach—Festival of Early Irish Harp: the world’s premier festival dedicated to the early harp of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands and Islands. It takes place 15–21 August 2018 at Coláiste Pobail Osraí in Kilkenny, Ireland. We have a juicy line-up of concerts, workshops, lectures and masterclasses, which will shortly be available to see at www.irishharp.org"