Resources - TRACS

Twenty Year Syne

A sense o the past, in ballad and tale, Buried ower deep, it whiles can seem frail But it... View now

Illustrated Freelancer’s Guide

“We are encouraged to become… microentrepreneurs of the self, acting as if we are our own, precarious, freelance microenterprises... View now

Traditional Music Forum – Statement of accounts and annual report 2021-2022

TMF Statement of accounts and annual report 2021-2022 View now

Towards a Scottish Traditional Music Archive – Report

A day conference took place on Saturday 11th June 2022 at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, to discuss... View now

TradMentor Report 2020-2021

Click the blue link below to read the TradMentor Report 2020-2021. TradMentor final report 2020-21 View now

Traditional Music Forum Annual Report 2020-2021

This year the Traditional Music Forum’s annual report is in video format, featuring slides with a narrative. View now

Proposals from Phone Round

The Traditional Music Forum conducted a phone-round in the summer 2020 of most of the members of the Forum... View now

Freedom Come All Ye

Below are versions of Hamish Henderson’s Freedom Come All Ye recorded to mark the coming into force of the... View now

TMF Statement of Accounts and Annual Report 2019-2020

Click on the blue link to view the document: TMF Statement of Accounts and Annual Report 2019-2020 View now

TradMentor: Report 2019-2020

TradMentor was launched in November 2019, following the piloting by the Traditional Music Forum of elements of mentoring and... View now

TMF Statement of Accounts 2018-2019

Click the blue link to read the document: Statement of accounts 18-19 View now

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Useful Resources for Traditional Musicians

Here is a list of resources which may be useful to traditional musicians during this difficult time. Click the... View now

Working as a Traditional Musician in Scotland – Summary of Main Findings

SUMMARY OF MAIN FINDINGS This study was commissioned by the Traditional Music Forum to generate a snapshot of the... View now

Working as a Traditional Musician in Scotland – Full Report

FULL REPORT This study was commissioned by the Traditional Music Forum to generate a snapshot of the economic conditions... View now

Mentoring For The Traditional Arts

A short film from the mentoring training session run by Jo Miller for the Traditional Music Forum in 2017.... View now

Code of Practice, Quality Framework & Professional Development for non-formal education

This document is the result of a long process of discussion about ways of supporting the many groups in... View now

Three Craws

A song as part of the Gifting Every Child Resource, which is a perfect starting point for parents, teachers... View now

Census of Traditional Music in Community Settings 2015-16

Over 2016, the Traditional Music Forum undertook a census of involvement in learning of traditional music in community settings... View now

Traditions of May

May Day, or Beltane, is one of the most ancient and widely celebrated holidays worldwide, associated with many different... View now

Online Traditional Music Resources

The links below are all to freely available resources, many of which give background and contextual information as well... View now

The Benefits of Traditional Song by Christina Stewart

Why is singing good for children and what are the specific benefits associated with Gifting Every Child? As part... View now

The Miner’s Lullaby (Coorie Doon)

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/Produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child View now

The World Must Be Coming to an End

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child Listen to archive recording View now

Kittie Berdo

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child View now

The Big Ship Sails

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child Listen to archive recording View now

Aiken Drum

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child Listen to archive recording View now

The Fairy Lullaby

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child View now

Dream Angus

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child Listen to archive recording View now

Nam bu leam Fhìn thu

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded and produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child Listen to archive... View now

Brochan Lom

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded and produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child Listen to archive recording View now

Gille Beag O

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child Listen to archive recording View now

Herrin’s Heids

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child Listen to an archive recording View now

Ali Bally Bee

Sung by Christina Stewart Recorded/produced by Bob Pegg Part of Gifting Every Child View now

Music Sector Practical Information

Downloads and links to useful practical information and resources for those involved with the traditional music sector. Toolkits... View now

TMF Documents

This page contains downloadable documents relating to the Traditional Music Forum’s governance. These are intended to be dynamic documents... View now

Presentations and Notes from SSF Development Day 2024

2024-04-TRACS-Storytelling in the Community_M Bennett01 Development Day Presentation Storytelling and Drama in Scottish Prisons Presentation We’ve all got a... View now

SSF Statement of Accounts and Activity 2022/23

SSF REPORT& ACCS 2022-23 SIGNED View now

Illustrated Freelancer’s Guide

“We are encouraged to become… microentrepreneurs of the self, acting as if we are our own, precarious, freelance microenterprises... View now

Year of Stories’ Blog: A Kist Full of Gems – by Jess Smith

Jess Smith- 1st blog View now

Year of Stories’ Blogs 1-3 for Kist o Riches Storytelling Workshop – by Donald Smith

Donald Smith- 3 blogs View now

The Brave Tailor (For children with Additional Needs)

This is multi-sensory story is suitable for all ages. It is based on the traditional Scottish tale The Sprightly... View now

Jack and the Beanstalk (For children with complex additional needs, including those with PMLD (profound and multiple learning disabilities)

This sensory story version of the famous Jack folk tale was developed by storyteller Ailie Finlay for children with... View now

In a Dark, Dark Wood (For young children and children with additional needs)

For children who like their stories very short and bouncy! Storyteller Ailie Finlay has developed a version of this... View now

Sensory Storytelling for Children and Adults with Complex Additional Needs

Sensory Storytelling for Children and Adults with Complex Additional Needs – A Short Introduction by storyteller Ailie Finlay View now

The Old Woman Who Tricked the Fairies

A sensory story version of the well-known traditional Scottish tale, by storyteller Ailie Finlay. This version includes lots of... View now

Scotland’s Stories – Online Teaching Resource

Scotland’s Stories presents a variety of traditional Scottish stories in written form and a collection of tales on video... View now

The Wee Bannock

Everyone knows the story of the Gingerbread Man who sang ‘Run, run as fast as you can. You can’t... View now

Le Petit Bannock

Storytelling uses verbal and non-verbal methods of communication, which means stories are ideal for sharing between languages. It can... View now

The Indigo Jackal

Contributed by Malaysian-Singapore storyteller Kamini Ramachandran as part of the Open Word – Open World Outreach Resource Pack for the... View now

The Secret of Dreaming

Just like the Halloween Guisers, modern storytellers are concerned with the environment and how people can work together through... View now

Micro-Stories

The power of words can be explored by creating and telling stories with only a hundred words or even... View now

Why the Camel Rolls in the Ashes

Storyteller Josh Colt Gambrel has contributed this Mongolian folktale which uses words, gestures, pictures, sensations and sounds in telling... View now

How the Bear Lost his Tail

Judy Paterson retells this Scandinavian folktale and states: ‘I’ve also heard it told about a rabbit where, not only... View now

Traditions of May

May Day, or Beltane, is one of the most ancient and widely celebrated holidays worldwide, associated with many different... View now

Àiridh na h-Aon Oidhche

Seo sgeulachd eagalach mu dheidhinn àite fior ann am Beinn na Faoghla, ‘Àiridh na h-Aon Oidhche’. Mar a chaidh... View now

Finding Stories to Tell

Are you keen to start telling stories, but not sure where to find them? Not to worry, as we... View now

Mar a Phòs Gille Òg Gun Tochar

Mar a chaidh innse le Tony Dilworth. Fhuair e an sgeulachd seo bho Bonaventure C. K. Mkumbi de na... View now

An Dall is an Crùbach

A story from Tanzania told by Tarvisio Mayuva of the Wanyaturu in Kondoa. Nochd an sgeul seo an toiseach... View now

Auld Cruivie

Auld Cruivie is a very old Scottish folktale that combines myth and local legend with a strong environmental message.... View now

Mallie an da paets

A story from Shetland, told in true Shetland style, exploring the theme of reward and punishment. The first document... View now

The Paddo

As told by Margaret Tollick, with credit to Robert Chambers’ Popular Rhymes of Scotland. Margaret believes passionately in the... View now

The Last Fairy o the Auld Road

An original story, told by the late, great Aberdeen Traveller storyteller, Stanley Robertson and presented in Aberdeen dialect. View now

A Ceilidh Story

Legends have a habit of travelling around – through time, language and cultures – attaching themselves to different places... View now

Guisers

The ancient tradition of guising goes back centuries in Scotland, but has been in some ways neglected lately, with... View now

Blàr Chàirinis

A story resource telling the bloody tale of the Battle of Carinish which took place in North Uist, 1601.... View now

Create your own local legend: Oak Royal

We all know that stories don’t like to sit on the page of a book and be quiet. Stories... View now

Storytelling with Older People

Some useful tips and hints from Rosie Mapplebeck on how to run a storytelling session with older people. Rosie... View now

Story Sacks

Are you a novice storyteller, an early years or primary school teacher or librarian? Does the thought of leading... View now

How to Create and Run a Storytelling Club

An information pack for anyone interested in starting or running a storytelling club for children or adults. Where you... View now

The Spider That Could Spin Golden Thread

‘I had been working in the woodlands of Perthshire and beyond on storytelling projects which help children to connect... View now

How to Create a Legend of Place

Stories of place are often telling of events that happened a long time ago, handed down generation after generation,... View now

Adapting Stories to Places

‘Choosing the best stories to tell about a certain place can be a storyteller’s biggest challenge. However, if you... View now

On the Trail of the Local Legend

‘On Knockfarrel hill above Strathpeffer are the remains of a vitrified Iron Age fort. Its stones were fused together... View now

Queen Scooter the First

This is a short traditional Czech tale translated by Barbora Voráčová as part of her internship at the Scottish... View now

The Camel

This is a traditional Indian teaching tale suitable for use with a wide age range, including special needs. With... View now

The Pirate Treasure – Primary

A short pirate tale from Anne Pitcher, suitable for primary school children (4-5 yrs): ‘This is a pirate tale... View now

Bearskin

Bearskin is an original translation of the German Grimm Brothers tale Bärenhäuter by Helena Weinberg, carried out as part... View now

The Big Wave

This is a short and simple story from Japan, with suggested activities for children over the age of 8.... View now

The Rattle & The Nasty Beastie

The Rattle and The Nasty Beastie are stories that involve a great deal of active participation and interaction which... View now

The Wisdom of Age and Youth

This resource is a really good starting point for your storytelling session. The activities are a fantastic way of... View now

The Tale of Atalanta

This resource includes an original retelling of the Greek tale of Atalanta and Melanion, with a live commentary of the... View now

The Fisherman, the Selkie & the Moon

This unique resource includes a retelling of a well-known traditional story in two versions, a full one for people... View now

Storytelling with Young People

A wonderfully comprehensive resource aimed at anyone already using storytelling with young people, or keen to start incorporating storytelling... View now

Children As Storytellers (Early years)

Children as Storytellers | Sample Workshop for Under 5s This resource aims to help parents and/or children to play... View now

Storymaking with Puppets (Primary, esp. special needs)

Ewan McVicar provides a step-by-step guide to group storymaking using puppets, props and objects. Particularly useful for use with... View now

Nature Story Walk (Primary)

Fun ways to use story with children to bring the natural world and its creatures to life from John... View now

Scots Rhymes, Riddles & Games (Primary)

A favourite selection of rhymes, riddles and games for children from Senga Munro. View now

Early Years Starter Pack

Some rhymes, stories and ideas to get you started with early years children and some hints and tips for... View now

Environmental Story Games

John Hamilton offers some creative ideas for exploring your local environment with children. View now

Puzzle Stories

A selection of puzzling story starters from Bob Pegg to get children and adults alike creating their own tales. View now

The Witches of Kintail

‘This story was learned from the late Angus Russell, who told it all over Scotland and England in the... View now

Foo the Adder is sae Lang

Contributed by Sheena Blackhall. This is a story incorporating movement, told in Doric. Each animal has its own movement... View now

The Star Apple

Contributed by Bea Ferguson, this extended riddle she originally heard from David Campbell always engrosses young children, amazed by... View now

Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland Accounts and Highlights for the year ended 31 March 2024

Preview and download Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 here. Alternatively, click... View now

Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023

Preview and download Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023 here. Enjoy the... View now

Trad Dance Highlights 2022-23

What does a year in the life of Traditional Dance of Scotland look like? Rewind back to relive our... View now

Illustrated Freelancer’s Guide

“We are encouraged to become… microentrepreneurs of the self, acting as if we are our own, precarious, freelance microenterprises... View now

Ceilidh and Autism

This is a 30 minute video introduction to an inclusive ceilidh with a specific focus on autism. It includes... View now

TDFS – Report and Accounts 2022

Click the blue link below to view the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland’s report and accounts for the year... View now

TDFS Statement of Accounts and Annual Report 2020 – 2021

To view the document please click on the link: TDFS Statement of Accounts and Annual Report 2020 – 2021 View now

TDFS Statement of Accounts and Annual Report 2019-2020

To view the document please click on the link: TDFS Statement of Accounts and Annual Report 2019-2020 View now

Casting A New Vision For Step Dance Education in Scotland

Day of Conversation & Professional Development Perth Theatre | Sunday 24 February 2019 This gathering of step dance... View now

ICTM World Conference 2017: Aspects of the Scottish Dance Mosaic

From 13 to 19 July 2017, the Irish World Academy for Music and Dance at the University of Limerick hosted... View now

Gifting Every Child Dance Steps

As part of TRACS Gifting Every Child resource, Mats Melin presents some key dance steps that can be used... View now

Traditions of May

May Day, or Beltane, is one of the most ancient and widely celebrated holidays worldwide, associated with many different... View now

The Benefits of Traditional Dance by Mats Melin

The gift of moving without being self conscious about it As part of TRACS’ Gifting Every Child resource, Mats... View now

Scottish Traditions of Dance Project: Angus 1998 – 2001

Research and collected information on dancing, dancers, dancing masters and musicians of Angus. Commissioned by the Scottish Traditions of... View now

Published & Unpublished Research on Scottish Dance Traditions

A reference list, collated by Mats Melin, of research conducted on Scottish dance traditions and when subsequent material was... View now

Creative Communities Resource

Introduction and Guidance for The People’s Parish initiative to explore the creative culture and heritage of every part of... View now

A Ceilidh Story

Legends have a habit of travelling around – through time, language and cultures – attaching themselves to different places... View now

Create your own local legend: Oak Royal

We all know that stories don’t like to sit on the page of a book and be quiet. Stories... View now

How to Create a Legend of Place

Stories of place are often telling of events that happened a long time ago, handed down generation after generation,... View now

Adapting Stories to Places

‘Choosing the best stories to tell about a certain place can be a storyteller’s biggest challenge. However, if you... View now

On the Trail of the Local Legend

‘On Knockfarrel hill above Strathpeffer are the remains of a vitrified Iron Age fort. Its stones were fused together... View now

Simple Singing Warm-Ups

Simple Singing Warm-ups by Christina Stewart A warm-up signals the start of the singing session and encourages all the... View now

A Scottish Seasonal Calendar

HOGMANAY TO HARVEST/HOGMANAY TAE HAIRST In this resource, storyteller and Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, Donald Smith,... View now