PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY and *pass it on to anyone you know* who may be able to help. I have about seven days in which to put together a diary of venues and sessions: I do not have a complete email address list and your help in reaching others will be appreciated. - David Kilpatrick, vice-chair, JAM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JAM, the Scottish Borders Music in the Community charity org, has just been allocated a £2,500 budget to administer to support informal music sessions in regional pubs from August 13th through to October 19th 2001. In addition, Scottish Enterprise Borders will produce a flyer this month and provide this to all tourist offices and to hotels, etc, listing the resulting program. It would also be available in Edinburgh. This is NOT an opportunity to fund premium fee solo appearances etc but the budget allows reasonable flexibility. We have 10 weeks to cover, 5 weekday nights each week, one session or live music appearance per night. A wide spread of towns is required - Jedburgh, Kelso, Gala, Peebles, Hawick, Lauder, Duns, Eyemouth - or suitable village or country venues. The average budgeting will be £50 per night which is intended to be an expenses payment for a session anchor or anchors capable of attracting other participants on a voluntary basis, or 'holding their own' to a sufficient standard to satisfy anyone coming along specifically in the hope of hearing local music. There is no restriction on musical genre but the intention is for unamplified, social pub sessions. Existing sessions - if you have an existing venue and session which may be SHUTTING DOWN in August (not unusual) the money can be made available to your club or session funds, if you agree to miss the 'holiday season break'. If you run every two weeks, and are willing to increase frequency to weekly, the same could apply. If you have no guest artists due to costs, but can offer an existing programme of 'local musicians' we can include in the program at no cost, we may be able to allocate a sum to enable you to add a guest to your program. Musicians/singers with venue and night suggestions - we need most of all to fill Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights (sessions can already be found in the Borders on Thursdays and Fridays, provided no holiday gap interrupts these). Sunday nights are also a possibility. We also need help in the eastern region - Duns, Eyemouth etc. Since the regular sessions in Berwick are in England and not in the Scottish Borders we can't even list them, which is a pity. Recap: professionals - would you be interested in taking part, bearing in mind that we need to fund this evenhandedly? Paying a £100 fee means we must have one night covered at no cost, a £150 fee means two nights. But maybe have some supporters in the Borders who could volunteer to provide several anchored sessions at no cost and transfer their funding to pay for a gig. We would be very happy to have some 'name' appearances amongst the program of 50 sessions. Recap: existing clubs - you can secure listing in the flyer and related publicity, and funding to increase frequency, keep going when you normally shut up shop, or to book a guest you're having doubts about affording. Recap: competent (even if non-professional) local session anchors who can propose a venue and dates which fit in can benefit from this payment for expenses, if a core of around three musicians can be assured. We are quite willing to consider flying visits from Glasgow, Edinburgh or the other side of the Border! SUNDAY EVENTS: there is some scope for visiting professional musicians able to come to the Borders for approx 12.00 noon, Sunday, and provide a Sunday afternoon workshop or class PLUS an evening pub/hotel appearance. The dates for this opportunity are: Sunday August 26th; Sunday September 9th; Sunday September 23rd; Sunday October 7th; Sunday October 14th; and Sunday October 21st. The last three dates form part of the Get Creative! events programme. EXISTING FESTIVALS: the Hawick Jazz Festival is September 7th-9th and the Both Sides The Tweed Festival is at Innerleithen, October 12th-14th. As these are weekend festivals they dovetail with the funded session programme; you may wish to consider whether you are likely to be present at either of these festivals, and could extend your stay to be involved in events immediately before (Thursday) or after (Monday) on either weekend. We can 'use this scenario'! -------------------------------------------------------- Please email me: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or if necessary, call 01573 226032 to discuss It is my job to identify and put together a programme but the final diary will be decided by JAM and agreed with Scottish Enterprise Borders. In the event of two proposals for different towns on the same (regular) night/s we would liaise to ensure the best geographical spread of sessions. It is unlikely that we will fund one session for the entire 10-week period in one place, so the possibility of raising £500 for your music group or activities by this means is remote :-). JAM does, as you may know, encourage youth music and has extensive funding for this purpose. This project has an entirely different purpose - to assist in a small way to support the tourist trade of the region in a difficult year. Any proposals should involve adult musicians with some experience of public sessions, as these are to be evening and not daytime events and will be generally be pub based. Proposals for daytime or early evening sessions where younger participants are welcome, or workshops and tuition, can be considered entirely separately. 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