To Begin The Dance Once More: a musician’s view of the creative process – by John Bews

📷 by Adam Bulley What can you tell me about Egyptian music? That’s a question I was pestering a lot of friends with around the end of September. We’d just had a production meeting to set out a working schedule for a new collaboration project between choreographers and dancers from Scotland and Egypt, and finding … Continued

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Iona Fyfe on touring the US; the difficulties of touring “post-pandemic” and with chronic illness

📷 by Euan Anderson, Cove One Studios Back in early 2019, Miki, my now-US booking agent approached me via email and asked if I wanted to work with her to tour the US. This was extremely exciting – I was 21 and didn’t have any agent booking for me in either the UK or Europe, … Continued

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Làithean trang le siubhail is planaichean – le Brian Ó hEadhra

09 Dàmhair 2022 Tha mi nam shuidhe aig port-adhair Barcelona a’ feitheamh airson itealan dhachaigh gu Inbhir Nis (tro Lunnainn). Tha mi air a bhith aig co-labhairt Lìonradh Folk Eòrpa ann an Catalòinia far a bheil fèill reic chiùil Fira Mediterrania sa bhaile Manresa faisg air am mainistir ainmeil Montserrat.   Thàinig barrachd na seasgad … Continued

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THE SUMMER WALKERS – by Chloë Bryce

📷 Nicky Murray 06/22 This year marks Scotland’s year of Stories, a cultural year to celebrate Scotland’s iconic stories and storytellers. I was lucky enough to be commissioned by Blas Festival to write new music relating to this theme, specifically focused on the lives and stories of the Highland Travelling People. This new piece of … Continued

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BEATHA – by Tina Jordan Rees

📷 Photo by Elly Lucas Beatha Meaning ‘life’ in Irish/Scottish Gaelic I’m Tina – musician, composer, piano teacher, and Membership & Development Officer for the Traditional Music Forum. Each month I ask musicians and those involved in the Scottish traditional music scene to write blogs to feature on the TMF website, in the newsletter and … Continued

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AISLING – by Nicky Kirk (Eabhal)

📷 Photo by Elly Lucas We made our first album together as Eabhal over a lengthy self-funded period beginning at the end of 2017, eventually landing with a finished project in time to release at the start of 2019. The music on ‘This is how the Ladies Dance’ is a collection of some of our … Continued

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Essential Tremor: A Musician’s Perspective – by Valerie Bryan

I was in my second year at the Royal Manchester College of Music, in a Master Class with top British flautist William Bennett. I held my flute up to play – and my hands and head shook so much that I couldn’t actually keep the instrument to my lips. “Wibb”, as he was known, and … Continued

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Dementia Friendly Sea Shanties on Shetland – by Jan Brown

Bergen July 2019, the historic Bryggen quay is lined with Tall Ships from every nation and I am singing along to the amazing Storm Weather Shanty Choir. I’m in Norway on a mission to Tell Tales on Ten Tall Ships and moored 3 deep and dwarfed by the other ships there is a Fifie, a … Continued

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A Man and His Dog Through the Four Seasons – by Ally Forsyth

📷 Photo above by Jonathan Bismark Digital Artist Myself and the dog are out stomping the pavements and parks every morning at 8am. I’m a creature of habit, and he’s a creature of sniffing every dog and lamppost we pass. Whether it’s raining, snowing, sunny, or Storm Arwen, we’ll be trudging our way through Rouken Glen with … Continued

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BREATHING SPACE – by Barry Reid

📷 Photo by Dougie Cunningham (Leading Lines Photography) Well, I’m sure we can all say that it’s been a bit of a journey over the past couple of years. My experience of this journey began when I moved away from Glasgow, back to the Highlands and to the area of Ross-shire, fairly close to where … Continued

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