Graeae - Static, previewed

Static is a new co-production between Suspect Culture and Graeae Theatre Company 14 February – 10 May, 2008 at Glasgow Tron Theatre.

Neil Cooper talks to writer Dan Rebellato in The Herald today.

Talking about teaching music

Dr Munro has given the Whittaker Library two books of conference papers, from the Estonian Academy of Music. It's hard to make conference papers sound zippy and cool, but if you're interested in techniques of teaching, then there's probably a lot here to interest you. (Relax! The papers are printed in Estonian and English.) The Estonian Academy of Music has a department called the Institute of Interpretation Pedagogics, and these papers come from recent conferences about music pedagogy.

• Just type "Estonian Academy of Music" into our

library catalogue's search-engine.

Image by Karin Elizabeth, from Flickr

Orff Summer School

Visit www.orff.org.uk to find out about the Summer School this year:- University of Cumbria (Lancaster) 28th July - 1st August. (Especially interesting to music teachers and students on the BEd. course here at RSAMD.)

Whittaker Live User Survey

Please take a few seconds to complete our quick survey - on the sidebar to the right of this posting. Your opinion counts! Thank you.

RSAMD student Gareth Williams and Scottish Opera

Gareth is one of the five composers involved in the Scottish Opera project, "Five first nights in an hour and a quarter". Read Michael Tumelty's interview with Derek Clark today in The Herald. (Weds. 13 February 2008). All power to your elbow, Gareth!

Slave songs revived - concert at Edinburgh's Queen's Hall

'A concert inspired by slavery-related items in the [National] Library's music and manuscript collections takes place at Edinburgh's Queen's Hall on 17 April.' News from "Discovery" - the National Library of Scotland's quarterly magazine, issue 7 (Winter 2008). Find out more about this event by clicking the link. Visit the Queen's Hall homepage to find out about all their events and news.

Internet users could be banned over illegal downloads

Breaking news! See the Times Online today, 12th February 2008. Thanks to the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals for alerting us to this news.

Job opportunities for Glasgow Musicians

Rage Music, a Glasgow firm, is looking for:-

• Producers
• Composers
• Male and female vocalists for radio ads

Visit their website - contact them - who knows where it might take you?

National Review of Live Art, reviewed

TRAMWAY THEATRE Mary Brennan reviews the National Review of Live Art in The Herald, 12th February 2008. Read her review here. Image by permission of The Herald.

Knuston Hall - opportunities for leisure-based learning

The Whittaker Library has just received the April-September listing of courses and events at Knuston Hall, Northamptonshire. Visit their website to find out more. Courses are provided for all kinds of leisure pursuits - so, take up reflexology, learn about lace-making, or send your adult pupils on a music course to stretch their horizons ...

NYOS launches future stars

The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland has asked us to help promote two forthcoming gigs. Here's what they say:- "NYOS FUTURES - CONTEMPORARY CLASSICS The contemporary chamber ensemble of The National Youth Orchetsra of Scotland performs and explores Harrison Birtwistle's Secret Theatre. William Conway will conduct the ensemble in this dramatic and controversial piece and will then dissect the music with the audience allowing them to fully appreciate this work. This NYOS event promises to be a revelation as NYOS Futures unveil the secrets behind this contemporary masterpiece. STUDENT TICKETS ONLY £2 Studio Theatre, Perth Theatre Saturday 16 February 2008, 7.30pm Box office: 0845 612 6324 Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh Sunday 17 February 2008, 2.30pm Box office: 0141 332 8311" For further info, please contact NYOS via their website.

Would you emigrate to further your career?

Plenty of musicians do seek work abroad - think of the people in German orchestras, for example. So - would you emigrate? The Emigration Option by Roger Jones Thinking of moving abroad for work? This jobs.ac.uk article offers advice on finding a job and making the move. (http://go.jobs.ac.uk/link/emigration/ ) A survey by YouGov discovered that 54% of Britons would like to go and live abroad. Such a move, however, involves serious planning, and the more research you do before you go the happier your landing is likely to be.

Image by kind permission of jobs.ac.uk.

Mudcat Cafe - trad music website

The Mudcat Cafe is an American website, which traditional musicians might find useful for its digital traditional music database, and its Mudchat forum.

30 day trial to the BBC Motion Gallery

Looking for moving images in connection with your studies/ research? The Whittaker Library at RSAMD has set up a 30-day trial to the BBC Motion Gallery. (Click on the link to visit their home-page.) Highlights:-

• moving archive spanning 70 years from the BBC
• worldwide content and footage
• over 30,000 clips (250 added weekly).

As a higher education institution, RSAMD is eligible to subscribe.

We need to know if you would find it useful! RSAMD staff and students should contact Library staff (library@rsamd.ac.uk) for login details if you wish to access this trial.

Seeking work?

S1jobs.com and jobs.ac.uk are good places to start looking. Plenty of help about your job-searching and career-developing strategies, too. For example, these jobs are currently listed by S1jobs.com:- Visiting Specialist Teacher of Drama, Music, Art or PE Aberdeenshire Music Instructor (Piano/Keyboard) Stonehaven

You may also wish to look at the useful links posted to the right of this weblog.

Graeae - new production

"A story of love, loss and compilation tapes Static tells the story of a young woman who has lost her husband. Discovering a compilation tape that he made but never gave her, she becomes convinced it contains a secret message. What could the tape mean – and is he trying to communicate with her from beyond the grave? Static fuses music, dialogue, sign language and audio description to explore our complex response to love and loss. It is steeped in a love of music from Sonic Youth to The Smiths, The Ramones to The Rakes and from Girls Aloud to the Goodies (we've all got to have our guilty pleasures). Static is a new co-production between Suspect Culture and Graeae Theatre Company " 14 February – 10 May, 2008 - visit the Graeae website for further details. Information taken from Graeae website, with acknowledgements.

Music: Hebrides Ensemble, RSAMD, Glasgow

4th February - reviewed by Amy Parker: "Star rating: *** This afternoon concert at the Academy was a collaborative affair with conductor William Conway, a handful of members from the Hebrides Ensemble and students of the RSAMD's Sinfonietta..." Read the rest of the review in The Herald.

• Hebrides Ensemble website

ANKUR PRODUCTIONS forthcoming multi- cultural event

Welcome to Ankur Productions Mehfil "Mehfil (Urdu for ‘artistic gathering’) an evening of international music, poetry and storytelling. Ankur is delighted to present its second Mehfil, featuring:-

• Palestinian singer and musician Reem Kelani (accompanied by classical and jazz pianist Bruno Heinen),
• Scottish Gaelic singer Catriona Watt,
• Iranian poet and musician Vida Kashizadeh,
• Bangla-English rhythm poet and storyteller, Shamim Azad.
• Acclaimed Palestinian singer and collector of traditional songs, Reem Kelani, will headline the evening. "Reem has a voice of such power and passion that if it were one degree more intense, it would burst." (Rootsworld)

February 29th 2008. CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.Tickets: £7 (£4). Box Office: 0141 352 4900

Ankur Productions was founded in 2004 by its Artistic Director, Lalitha Rajan. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, Ankur aims to create pioneering artistic work that speaks to our contemporary shared experiences, where different languages, cultures and voices collide and cross-fertilise. We work collaboratively and across art forms to produce artistic creations that attract new audiences to experience the arts."

Information quoted from Ankur website.

The Herald - local and national news

Keep your finger on the pulse - you can read The Herald online! http://www.theherald.co.uk/

Stanza : Scotland's poetry festival

Visit the StAnza website to find out more: www.stanzapoetry.org

There is a Preview event at the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh: Friday 22nd February, 7.00 pm. Free admission.