Category Archives: News Feed

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!

Community Arts, Consultation, News Feed, Youth Music

What’s On and What’s Not?

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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.
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, News Feed, Workshops

The Gatherings with Ali Burns

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Renowned song writer, director and workshop leader for ommunity choirs, Ali Burns, is delighted to be back in East Linton Community Hall again for this month’s The Gatherings. You can look forward to a morning of easy harmony singing, great company, coffee and cake.

Anyone is welcome – just turn up to sing at 10am and join in. You can buy tickets (at various prices depending what you can afford) here: https://aliburns.co.uk/events/

SATURDAY 25TH FEB 10am -1pm

News Feed, Training & Development, Youth Music

NYCoS Recruiting Pianists

The National Youth Choir of Scotland (NYCoS) is currently recruiting accompanists for their partnership project with East Lothian Council’s Arts Service and Youth Music Initiative (YMI).

The project will run for 10 weeks from w/b 27 Feb until the end of May ( term time only)

These 2 hour after school singing sessions deliver to pupils across an age range P3-P7 and last for 2 hours each week (4-6pm). Available posts are:

Mondays in Prestonpans, Tuesdays in Dunbar and Wednesdays in North Berwick.

Some song leader experience would be fantastic but not essential.

For more info and to apply please contact Anna Ghazal.

Community Arts, Festivals, News Feed

3 Harbours Arts Festival at Risk

Cockenzie – Port Seton – Prestonpans

3 Harbours Arts Festival is urgently seeking volunteers to help run their community arts festival.

Historically 3HAF has been an open house and exhibition venue festival with live music and community activities.

For 2023 the festival requires volunteers and committee members for planning and delivering the event. Without sufficient volunteers, the festival cannot go ahead.

If you would like to get involved please email. coord3haf@gmail.com