Performing Rights Society Foundation Diplomas

PRS Foundation Diplomas are awarded to music services in which a passion for new music is embedded across all activity. Fresh ideas, new initiatives, regular performance opportunities and a focus on composition are all of paramount importance.

Honourable mentions

Devon

5 composers worked with the county ensembles programme over the past year, including Scott Stroman, Simon Dobson, Issie Barratt, Elfyn Jones and Paul Painter.

Hugh Nankevill worked with schools in the Kingsbridge LLC for ‘Whaletone Opera’, supported by DMS and drawing on expertise from Japan. Additionally, Wren Music developed a song cycle within the LLC, celebrating local identity. The laptop project has also been expanded, giving primary school children the opportunity to create new pieces.

East Ayrshire

The large-scale Gavin Reid commission “Welcome Home”, inspired by the life, dreams and works of Robert Burns, was premiered in the Grand Hall, Kilmarnock. An ensemble of East Ayrshire pupils was drawn from 23 schools of varying sizes and localities in the Kilmarnock area of the authority, with schools from Northern Ireland and Norway also contributing.

SCO Education delivered a series of four workshops with professional composer Stephen Deazley, exploring advanced composition concepts which stimulated and supported the creation of new musical scores by pupils. All participants worked on individual compositions and teachers were encouraged to attend the sessions alongside the students

East Lothian

East Lothian also presented an impressively wide range of activities, including; teacher training on conducting creative music sessions with their pupils using tuned and untuned percussion instruments, composition projects for years 1 and 2, African drumming workshops, and a project run with a Composer in Residence - who assisted students in developing tools and techniques for their Higher and advanced Higher Invention folios.

Winner

Glasgow

Glasgow Music Service is the winner of this year’s NMC PRSF Award for the sheer breadth of its creative music activities.

Combining with Edinburgh Music Service, Glasgow students performed the world premiere of a new work by Stephen Deazley and Matt Harvey in two major concert halls. Another large scale performance took place following a project based on Victorian society, whereby children from years 6 & 7 performed their own compositions created in collaboration with composers Allan Penman and Karen McIver.

‘Tech Zone’ workshops were offered on Saturday mornings in order to develop students’ creative skills, whilst the ‘Paragon Improvisation Project’ improved students’ listening and performance abilities, focussing on creative thinking and compositional devices. In addition, the enticing ‘TigerStyle Fusion’ workshops enabled those with an interest in contemporary urban music to create new pieces and develop group performance skills.

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