The Inspire Project, based in Edinburgh, has asked us to share the following information:
After two successful year-long community music projects, we’re about to start the first phase of Inspire 3 music groups. Inspire works in partnership with community support organisations in Edinburgh to offer vulnerable people affected by issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, poverty and addiction the chance to participate in music.
Our previous projects have worked with organisations such as The Rock Trust, The Bethany Christian Trust, The Alma Project and Edinburgh Cyrenians, where people have sung, played instruments, written songs and told stories. You can read more about these projects at www.inspirescotsmusic.org.uk. As part of the Scots Music Group we include traditional music in these activities to promote traditional culture, but in order to encourage people to join in, our activities feature a broad range of musical styles, depending on the interests of the participants and the experience of the tutors. Inspire groups are informal, encouraging people to tell their stories and helping them to become more confident and find their own voice.
Inspire community music tutors will work in various ways:
• In partnership with a support worker or another tutor • In regular groups or one-off tasters, at dedicated music groups or general project drop-in sessions • In general music groups to encourage people to get involved or in specific groups focussing on learning a particular instrument
We are looking to build up a bank of tutors with a variety of skills so that we can match the needs of Inspire participants with the expertise of available tutors. We are particularly looking for song tutors, and we are planning to start an Inspire choir in a later phase of the project. At present we are looking for general expressions of interest from tutors: whether we are able to offer you any work will depend on the progress of the project, and we will contact you with further details at that stage if we feel your skills are a good match with the work available.
Tutors must have:
• Significant experience of working in community settings and encouraging participation • The ability/enthusiasm to work in a reasonably broad range of musical styles, including Scottish traditional music
• The openness and ability to work in partnership with other tutors and support workers
Payment: this will vary depending on the setting, but we offer a minimum of £40 per hour, plus extra payments for tutor meetings and Inspire events. We are not able to pay travel expenses.
If you are interested, please send your CV and general availability to Sarah Northcott, part-time Community Development Worker, at sarah@scotsmusic.org, or email to arrange a chat if you would like more information.