TRACS launches a new season of workshops and courses this September, with sessions on topics such as Scotland’s creative culture for children, storytelling, singing and the future of the arts, all taking place at the Scottish Storytelling Centre over the coming months.
The cycle begins on Saturday 5 September with Gifting Every Child: Scotland’s Creative Culture, an exciting new project aimed at identifying a core of songs, dances, stories and customs for Scotland’s children. Bea Ferguson will lead on storytelling, Mats Melin on dance, Christina Stewart on song, and Donald Smith on calendar customs, with valuable teaching resources provided for those working with primary age children.
The centre will later host two sessions on Skills & Traditions, both intended to build confidence and develop skills. The first takes place on Saturday 12 September and focuses on Storytelling, with an emphasis on sharing between teller and listener, and between active imaginations and living environment, as well as giving advice on using traditional approaches to breathe inspiration into contemporary contexts.
The second session is entitled One Singer, One Song and celebrates the one instrument that everyone can play: the voice. In this enjoyable workshop, musicians Steve Byrne and Fiona Hunter encourage participants to explore singing with their own unique voice, based on the styles and approaches of traditional music. Further opportunities to build on this foundation session are also planned.
The following week, we’ll discuss the future of the live arts – particularly folk music, storytelling and traditional dance – at Finding the Audiences, an informative session about reaching your target market on Friday 18 September. The event will be followed by the TRACS AGM, open to members of the Traditional Music, Scottish Storytelling and Traditional Dance Forums, plus guests. Other events are planned for later in the year; check our workshops listings for the latest details.
Rooted in Scotland’s living traditions the TRACS programme reaches out to connect with world culture, and from the Storytelling centre to communities across Scotland. The new season also includes major development days for Scotland’s traditional dance networks, taking place in Glasgow on Saturday 24 October, and for traditional music, held in Dunblane on Saturday 28 October.
In November there will be two opportunities to explore living traditions, often described as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’. The first will take place on Wednesday 4 November in Edinburgh, with a national and international perspective, and the second on in Perth on Saturday 14 November, focusing on regional and international traditions. Keep an eye on the website for full details on how to get involved.
Discover your own imaginative gifts and energies by exploring the creative riches of music, song, dance and oral storytelling.
