Guest Blog by Suzanne Houston
Suzanne Houston attended the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music (aka Plockton Music School) during her high school years. In 2011 she was heavily involved in a National campaign to save the centre from closure. Now, as well as doing trad music professionally, she is the coordinator for Friends of Plockton Music School.

Guest Blog by Suzanne Houston

Suzanne Houston attended the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music (aka Plockton Music School) during her high school years. In 2011 she was heavily involved in a National campaign to save the centre from closure. Now, as well as doing trad music professionally, she is the coordinator for Friends of Plockton Music School.

The risk of losing Plockton Music School in 2011 caused uproar across Scotland. The campaign to save it included a petition of nearly 10, 000 signatures! It was really exciting to be part of something that got so big so quickly and actually made a difference. Eventually, it was negotiated that the school would stay open but with significantly reduced funding.

So, off the back of that we have a new registered charity, Friends of Plockton Music School, to help make up for the reduced funding.

Without this trust, Plockton Music School will lose the ability to fund 3 vital activities – production of the renowned annual album, touring, and equipment purchase. The experience you get from recording a professional studio album, and from being part of a variety of tours is so valuable; it would be awful to see these things lost.

The trust is funded mainly by people signing up to be official “Friends”, which means giving a subscription of £30 once per year. The initial target income of the trust is £30,000 per year, which will directly fund the activities already mentioned. That means we’re aiming for up to 1, 000 members!

If you would like to become an official “Friend”, download the short application form at this address:

www.fpms.org.uk/support_us.asp

Coordinating Friends of Plockton Music School has been a pleasure. One of the first bits of work done to promote the trust was to make a promo video, and it was such a laugh! To view it, visit this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulQMc2d7r8o

We are also having a very exciting event on 10th October at Saint Andrews In The Square, Glasgow. We are bringing together a large number of past-participants including Ewan Robertson (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2008) and Daniel Thorpe (BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2010). Doors 7pm for 7.30 start. Tickets £10/£8.

Anyone of high school age in Scotland can audition for Plockton Music School. They then become a resident and receive regular tuition and workshops, as well as their normal schooling. The life experience you get is something past-participants comment on regularly. The tuition and support is brilliant. Read some comments and stories left by past-participants at this link:

http://www.fpms.org.uk/stories_from_plockton.asp

Visit www.musicplockton.org to find out more about the school.

Friends of Plockton Music School is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), charity number SC042890