BelfastTrad

Traditional Music and Dance Society

Strategic Review

and

Business Plan

2015/16

Table of Contents

Building on Two Decades of Growth1

A Commitment to Excellence 2

A Commitment to Partnerships 4

In Tune with ACNI Objectives and Criteria5

Our Environment and Position7

Our Ambitions for 2015/16 and Beyond10

Our Strategic Actions for 2015/1611

Our Programme for 2015/1613

Building on Two Decades of Growth

In 2012 the Society celebrated its 21st birthday and its rebranding as BelfastTrad with a series of events designed to both reach new audiences and celebrate the long history of our organisation, culminating in a Gala Evening at the Belfast City Hall in October of that year. This event highlighted all the strengths and achievements of the Society over the past two decades. The high quality of the music and dance performances by a roster of our tutors, past and present, and the sold-out room demonstrated both the high level of artistry and the strong community support we have developed.

The Society was formed over two decades ago as a modest initiative by a group of like-minded set dancers from Belfast and Bangor who recognised the potential of traditional set dancing as a deeply attractive cultural resource which could be experienced and shared widely across the entire community in Northern Ireland. Ever since, our mission has been to promote and develop a knowledge and love of set dancing among the community in Belfast and its environs. This mission naturally expanded to encompass the dance music tradition, and classes and workshops in a widening variety of instruments became part of our provision. With support from the National Lottery, hard to get instruments (harp, concertina, accordion, pipes) were purchased and made available for hire, greatly increasing the accessibility of our classes. The Society now prioritises solo step and sean nós dancing in addition to set dancing, and traditional singing classes are now fully incorporated into the programme along with all main instruments in the tradition.

BelfastTrad has been a leader in exploring both the Irish and Scottish dimensions of this tradition, and over the years has formed strong alliances with some of the most renowned dancing masters and musicians from both Ireland and Scotland. With a roster of music and dance tutors that is unrivalled in quality in Northern Ireland and a committee membership with wide contacts in traditional music and dance circles at home and abroad, the Society has positioned itself to recruit a very high standard of artists to deliver workshops, master classes, and lectures. Our cross-community and open-to-all ethos is reinforced by a programme that highlights the creative and historic connections between Irish traditional music, song, and dance and kindred genres from Scotland, America, and beyond. This not only broadens our appeal as an inclusive organization in the traditional arts sector, it has given the Society the capacity to address issues of community relations and mutual understanding that are deeply important to the future of Northern Ireland and its image abroad.

Recent years have seen a number of significant developments. In 2012 we inaugurated our first lecture/recital series on aspects of the music and dance traditions. Events in our first series included a lecture/recital and workshops on the ancient Irish Harp by scholar and harpist Siobhan Armstrong, lecture/recitals on the Ulster song tradition by renowned traditional singer Len Graham, on Kerry dance traditions by accordionist Paudie O’Connor. This year we promoted well attended and received lectures by Conor Caldwell and Danny Diamond on the 1964 meeting of Pete Seeger and John Doherty in Donegal, Maurice Leyden on the Weaver Song Tradition of Ulster, and Marcas Ó Murchú on the influential 78 rpm recording era of Irish music in America.

BelfastTrad’s management committee has also taken giant steps forward in the areas of governance, management, and marketing in recent years. The Committee worked closely with NICVA and the Arts Council to redraft its constitution in 2010, approved at our Annual General Meeting in 2011, to insure that best practice is adhered to in all areas. We have developed and implemented a tutor agreement document, which clarifies roles and responsibilities in the delivery of our programme as well as a new hiring policy. We have upgraded many of our policies and keep them posted on our website. This website, launched first in 2003, has recently undergone a second redesign and has grown dramatically in content in the last three years. It is a valuable resource for our students and it serves as the hub for our online booking, e-marketing and social networking. In 2014 we began our collaboration with We Got Tickets, an online event retailer whose service gives the Society valuable electronic data on enrolment and attendance and control over our box office. This data is complemented by the regular and thorough conduct of evaluation surveys, so that the viability and quality of each aspect of our programme comes under routine review. Also within the last year the management committee has begun a rolling programme of delivering updated child safeguarding and equality training for all committee members and tutors. Most recently, we have established BelfastTrad as a Registered Charity with the new Northern Ireland Charities Commission.

A Commitment to Excellence

Excellence in Governance

BelfastTrad Traditional Music and Dance Society is a formally constituted Registered Charity managed by a committee entirely comprised of volunteers elected at an Annual General Meeting in June each year. We have an elected Chairman, Treasurer, and Secretary and the remaining committee members have defined support and shadowing roles across the range of committee functions including event planning, tutor liaison, safeguarding, marketing, web development, and accounting. The committee meets monthly on a formal agenda which includes ACNI reporting, financial reporting, current programme monitoring and review, future programme planning, safeguarding, marketing, and outreach activities. At the end of each term additional issues are addressed: review of enrolment, income, and evaluation data. The committee also manages tutor turnover to maintain a roster of the highest quality teachers available in the region.

In accordance with the requirements of a Registered Charity and as reflected in its Constitution, BelfastTrad produces an audited, certified set of Annual Accounts, which are submitted to ACNI after ratification by the Committee. These accounts provide detailed evidence of the Society’s stewardship of Restricted and Unrestricted funding. The committee organises on a rolling basis training and updating of policy in the areas of equal opportunities, child and vulnerable adult safeguarding, privacy and data protection. Through our memberships in NICVA and Audiences NI, we are able to take full advantage of relevant training in website maintenance, social networking and marketing opportunities. We solicit through our student feedback surveys volunteers from among our membership. This has brought us valuable support in areas such as IT support, extra support for events and legal advice. BelfastTrad carries full liability insurance through Musician’s Insurance Services.

The current management committee team (see Enclosure 1 to the BelfastTrad AFP Application 2015/16) ) comprises individuals with a wide range of skills, ages and backgrounds, combining strategic planning, advanced accounting, computer and communication skills with a deep expertise in the artistic areas of music, song, and dance. Recruited and elected from the ranks of both students and tutors as well as from across the wider community, the committee is bound by a cohesion of interest and enthusiasm for dance, music, and song and is focused on the needs of the membership and wider audience. The Society is ever mindful of opportunities and benefits we can provide that will encourage and support integrated social interaction between people of different age groups and backgrounds. Our students have free and easy access to the committee through our website, Facebook page, email and dedicated phone. The committee is responsive to the opportunities that present themselves and input received is acted upon wherever feasible and as quickly as possible.

Good Practice in Financial Planning

The Society has performed well in managing growth. Recent years have seen expansion not only in the number and size of our traditional music and dance classes but also in the addition of our lecture series, the expansion of our instrument hire scheme and the addition of an advanced-level student performance group. This has been accompanied by the development and maintenance of our website and mailing list, member database, the organisation of promotional concerts and booklaunches, expanded partnerships with An Droichead, Na Piobairí Uilleann, St Bride’s School of Traditional Music, The Ceilí Series at Belfast Castle, The weekly student sessions at McHugh’s and our support for the dance classes at the Camphill Community at Glencraig. We have successfully managed all this as well as the increasing demands for data collection and reporting from the Arts Council and now the new Northern Ireland Charities Commission.

The Society continues to record a prudent year-end “reserve” in accordance with good practice and consultation with the Arts Council. Strong systems have been developed, and are regularly reviewed, for management and oversight of finances, instrument hire and enrolments. These are copied to our arts officer on a regular basis.

Excellence in Programming

The artistic vision of the Society is to provide the highest quality core programme of classes and supplemental workshops, lectures and ceílis to any and all members of society who wish to take part, regardless of age or background. We present our classes and events in ways that honour shared traditions and make them live in the present. Our programming, our ethos, our membership and our branding communicate this vision. It remains, as it has from the organisation’s inception in 1991, who we are.

Teaching is at the heart of what we do and we consider our tutors to be among the best teachers and practitioners available. We stress respect for the integrity of the art form and its practitioners, understanding of the transmission of traditional arts in terms of style and repertoire, and recognition of the scope of positive contributions to community and our wider society. We market to children, young people, adults and older people and are successful in attracting members from all groups. However, over time we have become aware of the special importance our organisation has in the lives of older people. We find that adults are delighted to find a place to learn music and dance in the company of other adults and children rise to the occasion in their presence. It reinforces the multi-generational experience of our program.

Our ethos and the networks we have established over the decades attract tutors and visiting artists (for workshops, master classes, and lectures) of the highest quality locally and internationally. Our teachers are among the most experienced and talented traditional musicians in the area of benefit as evidenced by their CVs (See Enclosure 10 of AFP Applicationfor 2015/16). We are regarded as one of the main centres for learning set dancing in Belfast. The Society is the only organization in Belfast teaching Sean Nós solo step dancing, and has taken the lead in identifying leading practitioners from Scotland and Ireland in this field and bringing them to Belfast. Our tutors are held to a high standard of teaching and responsibility through our tutor agreements. The committee keeps very closely up to date with the way classes are running via our music coordinators and by use of evaluation forms and workshop surveys to get student feedback.

Our programme has an enriching effect on the practice of the traditional arts in Belfast and beyond. By providing employment as tutors to large group of locally based traditional musicians and dance teachers, BelfastTrad directly develops the skill base and public awareness of this cohort of talented artists. This public effect extends internationally, as through our tutors and committee we connect with renowned practitioners of the traditional arts based in Ireland, Scotland, and further abroad. The appearance of internationally recognised practitioners such as Harry Bradley (flute), Daithi Sproule (singing), Jesse Smith (fiddle) – to name just three of the dozens of individuals who have delivered workshops and free concerts in recent years – deepens the connections of our tutors with an international network of practice while giving local students and practitioners an appreciation of the excellence and diversity of the art form internationally.

A Commitment to Partnerships

The Crescent Arts Centre, where the majority of our classes are held, is a key partner in the delivery of our programme. BelfastTrad is the largest single tenant of the Crescent Arts Centre and its programme contributes significantly to the Centre’s visibility in the community and to foot traffic through the building. BelfastTrad consulted closely with the Crescent Arts Centreon the renovation of the building, ensuring that the new facility would provide venues fit for our purposes, and has continued to work with the Crescent on venue operational issues. BelfastTrad also works closely with the Crescent in developing marketing and ticketing strategies that are complementary and exploit the synergies possible between the two organisations. The reconstructed and revitalised venue has greatly enhanced BelfastTrad’s ability to increase the accessibility of our programme to all members of society in a neutral, centrally located, attractive, and accessible venue.

BelfastTrad cultivates partnerships with a number of other venues and organisations in Belfast. We have developed working relationships with Catholic and Protestant churches, other traditional arts and Irish language organisations, and venues in the city centre known for their promotion of traditional music. These include:

  • Rosemary Hall at All Souls’ Non-Prescribing Presbyterian Church, Elmwood Avenue, where hold end of term concerts and ceilis, and sponsor workshops and public lectures.
  • St Bride’s Parish School of Traditional Music, Derryvolgie Avenue, for whom we supply tutors and support for 5 classes per week. We send our youngest students to them.
  • Queen’s University Belfast School of Creative Arts and Student’s Union, with whom we liaise on marketing and lecture programming. We host a table each year at the Fresher’s fair, which attracts much student interest.
  • An Droichead Cultural Centre, the venue of our annual piping Tionól, co-sponsored with Na Piobairí Uilleann, The Pipers’ Club, an international organisation based in Dublin.
  • St George’s Market, where we perform dance and music demonstrations to raise awareness of our programming.
  • McHugh’s Bar and Restaurant, the venue of our learner sessions, which provides an ideal and popular social environment for improving players from the Society and beyond. This group has grown and strengthened over the past few years and now plays at various events and venues throughout Belfast.
  • The John Hewitt Bar, a venue for our lectures, concerts, and informal gatherings.
  • Belfast Castle Ceilí Series – a monthly sets ceilí which attracts dancers from across Northern Ireland and beyond, as well as demonstrating the art form to local and international visitors to the castle.

Together these partnerships extend our reach in the local community, lending us a visible role in the cultural attractiveness of the Queen’s Quarter and allowing us to contribute to the cultural vitality of Belfast’s city centre and Cathedral Quarter.

Our partnerships extend beyond the city and beyond Northern Ireland. Na Píobairí Uilleann in Dublin supports our piping events. This international organisation for the promotion of the uilleann pipes is a key collaborator in our annual piping and reed-making master classes and workshops. The Historical Harp Society in Ireland was our partner for our inaugural lecture/recital and provided free harps for the use of our students in the workshops. International links have been forged through the Folklore Festival in Portugal where a number of our dancers and musicians performed.

We have a long-standing relationship with the Camphill Community in Glencraig, where we support a weekly dance class for villagers and helpers. We also have a long term arrangement with the Belfast Castle Céili Group to whom we provide partial financial support. Most recently, we have developed links with Parkinson’s disease support groups in Northern Ireland with a view to developing outreach programmes in this exciting new area of dance therapy.

Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) has provided us with specialist advice on governance matters, including the recent review of our constitution, and child and vulnerable adult protection. Audiences NI provide regular, relevant, subsidised training opportunities and specialist marketing advice. Volunteer Now provides information and is our umbrella body for Access NI checks.

Our commitment to excellence in governance extends to our partnerships. We have agreed Memoranda of Understandings with Belfast Castle Ceilis, The Camphill Community at Glencraig, and St Bride’s Traditional Music Group. We have less formal connections and lines of communication with The Belfast Music Society, Ciardhe ns bFhidleiri (Donegal), All Set Cross Cultural Project (Armagh), Moving On Music (Belfast), Andersonstown School of Traditional and Contemproary Music (Belfast), and The Armagh Pipers’ Club (Armagh).

In Tune with Arts Council Objectives and Criteria

Of course, our key partner has been the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Recognising the Society’s consistent commitment to neutrality, accessibility, and the development of shared cultural resources, ACNI has consistently supported the Society with core annual funding throughout our period of growth. BelfastTrad maintains a strong relationship with ACNI through regular, formal, liaison meetings with the Traditional Arts Officer supplemented by routine submission of operations documents, ensuring a close alignment between BelfastTrad’s core functions and ACNI strategies and priorities. A natural synergy developed between BelfastTrad and the Arts Council in the delivery of its strategic plans and policies in the traditional arts which continues to strengthen as these strategies and policies evolve