Category Archives: Developing the Young Workforce

Dance, Developing the Young Workforce, Drama, Music

Opportunity for creative school leavers! – Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund

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Sky Arts is offering five young artists £30,000 each to fund their work for a full year as part of the Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund – in association with IdeasTap.

Sky Arts recognises that there’s an incredible amount of young talent in the arts today – but finding a way to get your work made is an ever-present challenge. The fund is designed to help bridge the gap between formal education and becoming a working artist.

So, whether you want to direct a piece of theatre, choreograph a new dance piece, write a novel, record an album, create a sculpture or produce a live art performance, Sky Arts will give you the time and money to make it happen. We’ll also pair you with a mentor from Sky to help you develop your networks, skills and knowledge in the arts and the commercial sector.

The Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund is open to individual artists working in visual art, theatre, performance art, film, music, dance orliterature. To apply, you must be an IdeasTap member aged 18-30 on 19 September 2011 and be based in either the UK or Ireland. It’s free to become an IdeasTap member and just takes a few minutes – sign up here.

Tell us how the Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund bursary can help take your work to the next level and you could be in with the chance of receiving one of five £30,000 bursaries, as well as an opportunity to showcase your work on Sky Arts – be it on TV, online or on demand.

Two winners will be selected during this round of funding. The next round will open in early 2012 from which three further winners will be chosen.

The Sky Arts Ignition: Futures Fund is part of the Sky Arts Ignition Series, which seeks to collaborate with six arts organisations over the next three years in the creation of brand new works, and further expanding Sky’s support of the arts in the UK and Ireland.

About Sky Arts

Sky is the only broadcaster in the UK and Ireland with channels dedicated solely to the arts, with 48 hours of the best arts content from around the world across Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 daily. Recent highlights include the latest season of the Met Opera, Chekhov Comedy Shorts, a season of brand new plays starring the cream of British comedic talent, Tim Marlow on Sculpture 3D and The South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

Sky Arts also seeks to connect with culture on the ground; creating and collaborating with the best of the arts in the UK and Ireland to bring new experiences to life.

For more information on Sky Arts, please visit www.sky.com/arts.

Download the terms and conditions here.

Read an interview with Sky Arts Channel Director James Hunt.

Applications close at 5pm on Monday 19 September 2011.

Developing the Young Workforce, Drama, Music

RSAMD becomes Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

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On 1 September 2011 the RSAMD changes its name to become the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

This is a significant new chapter in the story of one of Europe’s leading conservatoires. Founded in 1847, the RSAMD now provides specialist learning to the highest professional level in dance, drama, music, production, screen and education. As these can’t all be listed in one name the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland better expresses this unusually rich breadth of artistic disciplines.


http://www.rsamd.ac.uk/ <http://www.rsamd.ac.uk/>

Alongside undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, the Academy is rare in that tuition is provided across all disciplines to people of all ages and stages. The range of evening, weekend, short courses, summer schools and Continuing Professional Development available is extensive and will be further developed. The well-reputed Junior Academy of Music for talented 9-18 year olds will become part of the Junior Conservatoire which will also embrace Modern Ballet. Contributions to Youthworks music centres across Scotland will continue.

As part of this evolution towards a new-model of conservatoire, one which is fit for the 21st century, in 2012 an innovative new curriculum will be introduced, which is designed to meet the need felt by professional companies round the world for confident, reflective, adaptable artists. The curriculum will create the space for disciplinary excellence, choice and transdisciplinary co-creation. This has been supported through ongoing investment which sees facilities becoming the best in Europe.

To find out more, please visit www.rsamd.ac.uk <http://www.rsamd.ac.uk>

Developing the Young Workforce, Music

Are you 14 or more? Is music your calling?

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Scottish Opera Connect:
Get up close and personal with opera

Scottish Opera Connect gives aspiring 14 to 21 year old singers and orchestral musicians a unique, practical introduction to the skills and experience needed to perform this fantastic art form. Whether you’re a singer or a player, this is your chance to shine.

Connect Chorus

Our Connect Chorus meets throughout the year for a programme of evening and weekend workshops, running from September to April. During the year the group works with a range of professionals involved in making opera in Scotland. Composers, conductors, voice coaches, stage directors, choreographers and wardrobe designers come together to lead you in sessions on everything from singing and stagecraft to Alexander Technique and backstage management. To join Connect Chorus you need to complete our Gateway Course in July. Full details are on our website.

Connect Orchestra

Like Connect Chorus, our Connect Orchestra follows a programme of evening and weekend sessions running from September to April. Professional players from The Orchestra of Scottish Opera work with the group as mentors throughout the course, helping you develop everything you need to perform. You’ll work on technical and ensemble skills, explore the history and background to all that is opera, and take part in rehearsal sessions with solo singers, guest conductors and choral voices.

Deadline for applications:
Monday 23 May 2011

For full dates and details of both courses and to download an application form, head to the Connect page on the Scottish Opera website.

http://scottishopera.cmail4.com/t/ViewEmail/r/98A22E811B583719

Developing the Young Workforce, Languages and Literacy

Chance for pupils to win a day working as a journalist

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Plus one pupil will win the title of The Herald and Daily What News ‘Schools Journalist of the Year’

Four pupils from across Scotland will have the chance to spend a day at The Herald or The Daily What News offices in Glasgow, where there will be the opportunity to find out how a newspaper is run, what the job roles and opportunities are, how deadlines are met and what skills are needed to write and publish the news.

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/newsandevents/educationnews/2011/educational/march/news_tcm4651961.asp<http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/newsandevents/educationnews/2011/educational/march/news_tcm4651961.asp>


Pupils are invited to write a short news story. It can be about anything they think is topical – be it local, regional or even international news. See the ‘how to enter’ page <http://www.dailywhat.org.uk/2011/03/chance-for-pupils-to-win-a-day-working-as-a-journalist.aspx> for more details on the editorial brief and timings for entry.

Four winning news stories will be selected by the editor of The Herald newspaper, and these articles will be printed on The Daily What News for everyone in schools across Scotland to read.

There are also runner-up prizes – tickets to the Glasgow Science Centre or Historic Scotland family explorer passes.

Entries close Friday 25 March 2011.

Developing the Young Workforce, Sciences, Technologies

Science, Engineering and Technology fair – 28th February – 15th March – Grangemouth

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Pupils ‘Shake, Rattle and Role Play’ At INEOS’ Science Fair http://www.falkirk.gov.uk/about_council/news/article.aspx?pid=1660


Falkirk Council reports that learning about the effects of earthquakes and floods on the urban environment and the construction of vibrating toys incorporating electrical circuits, will be just two of the interactive and hands-on workshops featuring at this year’s annual INEOS Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) fair.

Designed to promote science, engineering and technological subjects through investigation and team work, over 1700 Primary 7 (10/11 yr old) children from 53 local schools, including all in the Falkirk Council area, have been invited to take part in this exciting and unique event that will see the pupils take on the roles of scientists and engineers.



The 2011 SET fair is supported by INEOS, Global Science, Scottish Government and Falkirk Council and is part of the My Future’s in Falkirk economic development initiative. It runs from 28 February – 15 March.

Developing the Young Workforce

Learning about careers in performing arts in East Ayrshire

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East Ayrshire Council reports that top performing companies travelled to Kilmarnock last week to help young people find out about jobs in the creative industries. And Scottish Opera’s Director of Education and Outreach Jane Davidson said: “It’s really important to show young people that they don’t need to be performers to work in the arts. There are many avenues to explore and I think we opened their eyes to the possibilities. I really hope we are able to do this again.”

http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/corpres/news/showNews.asp?p=3652

Ninety fourth-year pupils from five local secondary schools took part in a range of workshops at the National Performing Companies event in the Palace Theatre. The youngsters learned not only about performing, but also about lesser-known ‘backstage’ work in production and set design; wardrobe and make-up; and publicity and graphic design.
The pupils from James Hamilton, Kilmarnock, Stewarton, Auchinleck and Cumnock Academies attended either a morning or afternoon session of activities to give them practical experience in all aspects of stage and screen performance, learning from professionals working in the field.