Guest blog by Michael Williams I’d like you to close your eyes for a moment and think of your “special place”. It could be your back garden, your home town, a place you visited on holiday, a beach, a mountaintop, or just somewhere that you feel relaxed in, a place that nourishes heart and soul. … Continued

Last month, dynamic storytelling duo Suit and Pace (Andrew Coull and Beth Hamilton-Cardus) ran two ‘Story Swap’ events as part of Refugee Festival Scotland 2016. The sessions focussed on the links between Scottish and Syrian stories, celebrating the similarities between our cultures. Working in partnership with the Fife Arabic Society and the Fife Cultural Trust, … Continued

The 30th April was a very special date for the BBC’s long-running Take the Floor as presenter Robbie Shepherd celebrated his 80th birthday. Robbie has been the voice of the show now for over 35 years, and his rich, Doric dialect makes him instantly recognisable, not only in Scotland, but all around the world. The … Continued

“If you want ideas on how to narrow the attainment gap then I think politicians are forgetting to ask the most important people. John Swinney should go and speak to those support teachers. More importantly still, he should talk to these young authors and ask, “how did you achieve this and why did you want … Continued

“You know, in times past, ceilidhs weren’t all about skipping around community halls. It wasn’t just about the dancing, but gathering and sharing, with stories, songs, and whatever else folk had to offer. More about the craic than sets and reels.”

For quite a while I’ve been concerned about the wellbeing of the people I work alongside. I’m a freelance arts manager; I produce concerts and arts projects for a variety of independent artists and small artist-led groups. Most days I find myself on the phone to a colleague asking, ‘Are you OK?’.

By David Francis, TMF Co-ordinator At the recent collogue, ‘Who’s Got an A?’ which focused on questions about how we go about organising teaching and learning in traditional music, Kathryn Deane suggested that we launch an investigation and call it ‘How Ever Did It Go So Right?’ Kathryn runs Sound Sense, the national community music … Continued

The network for Europe’s organisers of folk and traditional music The European Folk Network was set up when it was found there was no European equivalent to the US-based Folk Alliance. It held its first meeting on the last day of Celtic Connections this January. Over 30 people from 9 different European countries were at … Continued

Guest blog by Andrew Bachell Music books are for those who wish to play or learn from a music score.  Like many traditional music groups, Blackford Fiddle Group is mainly based around learning to play by ear.  That said we have always had music books and have recently published a new extended version of our … Continued

Begun as a dream to bring alive and celebrate the traditions and history of the small handloom weaving Renfrewshire village of Kilbarchan through story, song and music, it was amazing to see it become a reality at the end of 2015.