The first Trad Talk conference in Dundee attracted just short of 60 delegates from all parts of Scotland, representing all different kinds of traditional music activity. There were educators, activists, organisers, and musicians who enjoyed a busy day (too busy some might say) of presentations and discussion.

The first Trad Talk conference in Dundee attracted just short of 60 delegates from all parts of Scotland, representing all different kinds of traditional music activity.  There were educators, activists, organisers, and musicians who enjoyed a busy day (too busy some might say) of presentations and discussion.  I tweeted some of the headlines as we went along (find them on Twitter under the #tradtalk hashtag) but here are some of the main points that came out of the day.

Gary West giving the key note talk

A demand emerged for more information relating to the main topics: for example, for use in fund-raising campaigns (e.g. on crowd-funding, individual giving, gift-aid etc), and on social enterprises (especially arts-related ones).  There was a proposal to look at the feasibility of setting up a promoter and performer data-exchange, similar to the one they have in the Maritimes in Canada, and a need for case-studies showing good practice in community-based music organisations.  There is important work going on in the collection of heritage material, and a need to link those resources.  It is also important that material accessed by classroom teachers and music teachers can be used with confidence and that teachers have some means of knowing when they are using the good stuff.

A key point that emerged, then, was the potential role of the Traditional Music Forum as a hub for collecting and distributing information, especially via the web-site.  There is also a role for the TMF in helping to bring together networks and partnerships within the traditional music community along the lines of Aberdeenshire’s Tradlinks, and, if that sounds a bit arts-speak, more practically to make it easier (perhaps through the availability of small travel grants) for folk from different projects to visit each other and learn from each others’ practice.

Stan Reeves, Jo Miller

As far as the broader aims of the TMF go, folk thought there was a definite role for the Forum in enhancing communication within the traditional music community, and in responding to current issues.  Finally conference felt there was a value in developing a set of points that communicated the value of our music to the world at large, particularly the diversity of its growth from common roots.

There were some excellent presentations over the course of the day.  Here’s Barclay Price’s one on fund-raising strategies.

http://www.slideshare.net/ABScotland/fundraising-7426042

Jenn Butterworth’s on developing a profile as a touring folk band;

http://slidesha.re/gnZrbD

and Inner Ear’s on digital marketing for music events.

Dougal and Andy from Inner Ear

A summary of Jo Miller’s talk can be downloaded from the Library on this web-site.

Photos by Ros Gasson, www.photography-scotland.com