All posts by cmcmillan

Community Arts, Festivals, News Feed, Youth Music

Dunbar Music Festival

Sat 23 Sept 11am-3pm Dunbar Parish Church

ELjam is hugely excited to be staging a youth bands showcase at Dunbar Music Festival on Sat 23rd September. Featuring six bands from East Lothian high schools, this promises to be a fantastic day of music and a superb display of talent. We are also delighted to have Nicky Dannaher from East Coast FM joining us as our compere for the day.

The line up is:

11:00-11:25       Cardiac Arrest (Dunbar Grammar)

11:35-12:00       Queen Spirit (North Berwick High School)

12:10-12:35       The Watts (Dunbar Grammar)

12:45-13:10       Gaslight (Knox Academy)

13:20-13:45       Kings of Lugton (Prestonlodge High School)

13:55-14:20       Room 27 (Dunbar Grammar)

Entry is free and there will be a soft drinks and snacks bar available.

Dunbar Music Festival runs from Fri 22 to Sun 24 September and has gigs at various venues all over the town. Click here to see the line up of free gigs and click here for details of our youth showcase, including venue location. There are two brilliant headliners as well: Gruff Rhys and Callum Easter & The Roulettes. All in all a weekend NOT to be missed!

Tech Support

Setting Up an RSS Feed

If you’d like to get notifications when ELjam or one of your other favourite sites posts on their blog, you can set up an RSS feed. This will save you from having to keep checking the website to see what’s new. It’s a bit like push notifications, but not all websites have that function available to them.

Click here for instructions on how to set up MS Outlook to receive emailed updates. (NB your RSS Feeds folder will be near the bottom of your folder list on the left hand side of the screen. If “Add a new RSS feed” isn’t showing then your administrator doesn’t allow this function, so you might need to try an alternative – see below).

You can also add web apps as an extension to your browser or download an app to your phone. If you search for feed readers, there are lots to choose from. ELjam hasn’t tested them and certainly can’t promote any one in particular, but here are a couple of quick info pages to help you, if you decide to go down this route. Once you have the extension added to your browser, you can have multiple sites all feeding your live stream and you can view the posts from within your browser or phone app.

Feeder – RSS Feed Reader

Feedly blog

Community Arts, Consultation, News Feed, Youth Music

What’s On and What’s Not?

Leave a comment

Part of ELjam’s business plan is to gather information on what’s on currently and what is missing from the youth music scene. Please help us by letting us know what you’re involved with (either as a young person or a supporter / tutor) and also what you’d hope to see happening in future.

To tell us your thoughts and ideas, you can email eljam or you can add comments to this post. Supporters of youth music are encouraged to respond as well as young musicians (Under 25s). We would love to hear about:

  • What is currently running in your area (include organisation name)
  • Where this activity takes place and which ages it is for.
  • What you would love to see happening that isn’t already in your area
  • What ELjam can do to support you as a young musician or as a supporter of young musicians.
Community Arts, Festivals, Opportunities, Singing, Youth Music

Hops in The Garden

Music & Food Festival

Sat 2 Sept 2023 – Archerfield Walled garden

East Lothian’s family music festival in support of Leuchie House national respite centre opens its gates once more this year, and they are looking for youth bands to perform throughout the day. More info to follow, but if you would like to apply to perform (priority to U25s) then please complete this form and return to eljam@easltohian.gov.uk.

Download Act Application Form

*Please also submit a video performance (mobile phone recording will do) of you performing one song, to help the organisers make their selections.*

Please note that as this a charity fundraiser, with all profits going to Leuchie House, there is no fee associated with the performances. Assistance with travel costs may be available through the arts service. Please contact us to find out more.

Community Arts, Festivals, Opportunities, Singing, Youth Music

EH32 Live Youth Bands Gig

Sunday 11 June 2pm – 8.30pm (date changed from 4th)

Available slots for youth bands or solo acts (U25s):

  • 4 slots of 40 mins between 2pm and 6pm.
  • 1 evening band slot 6.30 – 8.30pm (could be 2 hours or two shorter sets)

Situated in the stunning gardens of Cockenzie House, EH32 Live brings the best of local live music to East Lothian. It runs every Saturday and Sunday from June until August 1.00pm – 8.30pm and showcases some great acts. It’s family (and dog) friendly and has a relaxed, festival vibe. Most days there are two featured bands, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, but there are also band jam and open mic sessions too, so there’s something for everyone.

Watch a wee promo video here.

This year ELjam has teamed up with EH32 Live to being you the opening event of the season, and we’re delighted to offer a day of youth band performances for your listening pleasure!

If you would like to apply for one of the gig slots mentioned above, please download and complete the form below and return it to eljam@eastlothian.gov.uk by Friday 26 May 2023.

Download Act Application Form

Reasonable travelling expenses will be covered (receipts/mileage required) and vouchers to use at the food stand will be provided.

Festivals, News Feed, Opportunities, Workshops, Youth Dance, Youth Music, Youth Theatre

Fringe by the Sea Opportunities

4-13 August 2023, Lodge Gardens, North Berwick

www.fringebythesea.com

Youth Band Gigs

This year, ELjam and East Lothian Council Arts Service will partner with Fringe by the Sea to showcase some of the region’s best young talent.

As well as FBTS’s own superb line up, ELjam is inviting youth bands (under 25s) to apply for one of eight 40min slots on the Lighthouse Stage.

If you’d like to be considered, please complete the form below and return it to eljam@eastlothian.gov.uk by 26 May 2023. Acts will be selected jointly with the FBTS team and scheduled to compliment the rest of their varied programme.

Download GIG APPLICATION

Reasonable travelling expenses will be covered (receipts/mileage required) and a food allowance will be provided.

Workshop Delivery

If you are interested in running a creative arts workshop at Fringe by the Sea festival in 2023 (on in North Berwick from 4th – 13th August) please complete the form below and return by April 14th 2023 to eljam@eastlothian.gov.uk. The venue for workshops is a stretch tent with space for up to 40 participants and workshops should ideally be 45 mins to 2 hours in duration.

Download workshop proposal form

Weaving Wonder

Visual Arts Brief for 2023

Fringe by the Sea, in partnership with East Lothian Council Arts Service, is inviting notes of interest from East Lothian-based visual artists and craft makers to create a textile-based art installation for presentation at this year’s festival in North Berwick from 4th – 13th August.

For more information and to submit a note of interest, please download the full brief. Deadline 26 April 2023 to info@fringebythesea.com

Download brief

Crew Staff Temporary Vacancies

The festival is looking for a “crack team of positive-minded, energetic people to help us deliver a friendly, fun and safe event”. General crew vacancies are available 3-14 August and lead roles 2-14 August.

Download full info

Positions available are:

  • General Event Crew (e.g. event set up and strike, public liaison, crowd management, ticket checks, box office, & artist liaison. Bar and hospitality work is also available.
    • Box Office Lead
    • Artist Liaison Lead
    • Venue Leads

Apply  to info@fringebythesea.com with your CV, telling us a bit about yourself and why you’d like to work at Fringe By The Sea. Closing date for applications is 19th May 2023.

Find out more about the festival at www.fringebythesea.com

Festivals, News Feed, Opportunities, Youth Music

ELjam’s Battle of the Bands @ Haddstock

Battle of the Bands logo

Sat 27 May 12-4pm

Haddington Bridge Centre.

ELjam is delighted to be working with Haddstock this year to host a Battle of the Bands competition.

The Bands

Bands from all six East Lothian high schools will take part. We are delighted to announce the following line up:

The Professionals

We have four fabulous judges and a wonderful compere who are generously donating their time to the event. They are all professionals working in the music industry and are extremely well placed to offer valuable feedback and advice.

Our Judges

Bruce Craigie is co-owner of A Modern Way Management Company & Record Label who have Idlewild, Fatherson, Zoe Graham, Rudi Zygadlo, Tom Joshua on their rosta. He is also involved in Aimless Play, a Digital Marketing & Services company, and has extensive experience of working in record companies & music publishing companies. Bruce also lectures part time in Music Business at Edinburgh College.

Harley Loudon is a songwriter, musician, jazz singer, therapist and storyteller with various albums out on apple / Spotify as a solo artist and band member. She has worked in the music industry supporting emerging artists.

Andy Pennycuick is lead vocalist and harmonica player for 10 piece ska band BOMBSKARE, and guitarist/backing vocalist for “The Pennycuick Girls”.

Inge Thomson is a performer, producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Her main instrument is the piano keyed accordion but she finds herself increasingly drawn to the creation and recording of new sounds and the possibilities and parameters of sound manipulation.  Much of Inge’s work is inspired by our environment and her place in it. 

Our Compere
Photo Murray Briggs on Drums

We are delighted to have Murray Briggs from Edinburgh band Aberfeldy leading us through the festivities on the day.

The Prizes

We have a sensational list of prizes up for grabs. Details to follow very soon. However, we can reveal that everyone will receive a prize and, as a bonus, two of our bands will be selected to perform on the Lighthouse Stage at Fringe by the Sea in August! Thank you to our partners at FbtS for this great opportunity!

In addition EthicArts has offered all bands one year’s web hosting with a free subdomain at https://ethicarts.com, a band email, a WordPress page for their portfolio, biography, blog, etc. and e-commerce through their profiles at EthicArts.com | Creative Marketplace (where they can register for free and enjoy a 50% transaction fee reduction for life). WHAT A PRIZE!

Prize Giving & Evening Entertainment

The results will be announced and prizes allocated between 4.30pm and 5pm. After that, we have performances from The Knox Music Project which will include a video and a song written especially for the occasion. There will be a live performance from YMI’s Build a Band and the Knox Samba Group. The event will finish with a performance from the young members of The Brunton Performing Arts Network drama groups.

For Festival-Goers:

Make a day of it and check out FREE Arts Tasters, enjoy tea + cake served by Haddington Guides and Pizza by Mazzoli at the Tyneside Tavern in the The Haddington Bridge Centre courtyard. East Coast FM Scotland will also be supporting and broadcasting the event live

Arts Activity Taster Sessions

East Lothian Council Arts Service will be offering a wide range of arts activities to try for free, you just need to book in. Details are being finalised but you can keep your eye on this page to get the full line up and to reserve your place.

Community Arts, News Feed, Opportunities, Singing, Training & Development, Youth Dance, Youth Music, Youth Theatre

ELC Arts Service Recruiting!

SUBMIT C.V.

Submit C.V. to artsservice@eastlothian.gov.uk

DEADLINE: 10th April

East Lothian Council Arts Service and Brunton Theatre Trust delivers inclusive, accessible and professional arts activities to all East Lothian residents in the form of school holiday programmes, weekly workshops and community arts projects. We are looking to increase and update our database of freelance arts practitioners who can deliver workshops in music, drama, dance and a variety of visual arts and crafts disciplines and have experience of arts engagement. We welcome general applications and also workshop proposals.

Qualifications and Experience:

Degree Qualification in a relevant subject or minimum 3 years demonstrable relevant experience. 

Experience of engaging individuals and communities in arts activities

An understanding of the value of arts engagement for individuals and communities

Current PVG scheme member. Will be required to join ELC PVG scheme

Must have own Public Liability Insurance, Unique Tax ref number and be registered as a sole trader

Scottish Artists or Musicians’ Union rates apply.

If you have the skills required and would like to be considered for creative projects please send your C.V. into: artsservice@eastlothian.gov.uk

Community Arts, Festivals, Opportunities, Singing, Training & Development, Youth Music

Singers Needed for Community Opera

Do you enjoy singing? Acting? Putting on a show?

Or know someone who does?

The Lammermuir Festival returns to East Lothian this spring and is looking for singers and actors to join our new community musical, Catriona and the Dragon. Join us now and perform alongside three of Scotland’s top professional singers, a huge orchestra of professional players and musicians from East Lothian schools, with conductor Sian Edwards, director Laura Attridge and chorus director Moira Morrison.

The storyline

Queen Catriona is the reluctant ruler of the Kingdom of Beagland, terrorised by a fearsome dragon who lives beyond the Bridge to Nowhere. Will Catriona find the courage to go over the Bridge to confront her worse fears and to fight the dragon? Can she persuade her people to change their ways?

How to get involved?

To join our Children’s Chorus and help Catriona conquer the Dragon living beyond the Bridge to Nowhere and who is terrorising the land, register HERE

And why not persuade any grown-ups to join in too? They can sign up for our Adults’ Chorus HERE

Rehearsals start 18th March!

For further details and links to our registration and all application forms:

Community Opera

or contact Sue at sue@lammermuirfestival.co.uk or on 07791 332420