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Jazz CPD Scotland

Jazz CPD Scotland is a professional development programme that gives creative jazz musicians a special opportunity to take time out to develop their musical output and business skills. It is designed for emerging professional jazz musicians living and working in Scotland who have exceptional creative talent and the potential to make a distinctive contribution to the local, national and international jazz community. Selected musicians have the unique chance to discuss, explore and consolidate many aspects of their futures.

 

AIR TIME: JAZZ CPD SCOTLAND (2010)

Air Time: Jazz CPD Scotland involved five talented musicians who took part in an extraordinary six day residency, which was programmed according to each of the artists’ particular needs and interests. As well as creative and business sessions, the participants gained direct experience from peers and other members of music communities from across the UK and Europe.

The participants were:

Joe Acheson (producer, bass)

Phil Bancroft (saxophones)

Aileen Campbell (voice)

Ryan Quigley (trumpet)

Chris Wallace (drums)

“I have more confidence and purpose since the residency in Stirling. It changed the way I think about my career.” Joe Acheson (producer, bass)

“An amazing experience, very powerful and positive.” Phil Bancroft (saxophones)

“Air Time gave you time out to concentrate on yourself [...] and stressed the need to be proactive in your approach to promoting yourself and your work.” Aileen Campbell (voice) 

“There’s not an area of my career that hasn’t benefited from Air Time – whether that’s been confirming things that I already knew or opening my eyes to things I didn’t know.” Ryan Quigley (trumpet)

“The experience was mind expanding.” Chris Wallace (drums)

For full details about the project and to download the press release click here.

 

TIME OUT: JAZZ CPD SCOTLAND

Time Out: Jazz CPD Scotland took place between August 2009 and early 2010 and incorporated a five day residential period at the Tolbooth in Stirling in September 2009, as well as a series of interviews and future planning sessions. The programme assisted the five selected musicians in continuing to develop their careers as creative jazz musicians living and working in Scotland.

The participants were:

Stuart Brown (drums)

Alyn Cosker (drums)

Martin Kershaw (saxophones)

Raymond MacDonald (saxophones)

Paul Towndrow (saxophones)

“The information, contacts and advice I gained through the Time Out: Jazz CPD Scotland course have provided an additional stepping stone that is now allowing me to take my career to the next level [...] It was one of the most intense, fulfilling, joyous and exhausting experiences of my life and I will definitely treasure it for a long time to come.” Stuart Brown (drums)

“Time Out: Jazz CPD Scotland was a stimulating, challenging and thought provoking week that I found highly rewarding and enjoyable. An impressive roster of leading international experts came and gave well prepared and fascinating sessions on a whole range of areas relating to the music profession. I was challenged to think about key issues relating to being a professional musician in new and exciting ways and I learned a lot." Raymond MacDonald (saxophones)

“Time Out: Jazz CPD Scotland could not have come to me at a better point in my career - it was a truly life changing experience. Our intensive week at the Tolbooth was packed with industry insight, constructive group discussion and musical creativity.” Paul Towndrow (saxophones)

For full details about the project and to download the press release click here.

 

VITAL SPARK AWARD

In early 2010 the Scottish Arts Council announced the winners of the Creative Scotland Vital Spark Awards. The winners were selected by a panel of creative experts to receive a share of the £500,000 Vital Spark Fund to develop innovative collaborative projects that will enable creative practitioners to work on new collaborations across a range of art forms and disciplines.

The successful projects include a collaboration involving previous Time Out: Jazz CPD Scotland participant, composer and musician Raymond MacDonald, who is collaborating with Turner Prize nominated visual artist Martin Boyce and film director David MacKenzie on Space is the Place, a project that experiments with new forms of work that will adapt to gallery, concert hall and cinema spaces.

"Time Out: Jazz CPD Scotland gave me the chance to think about my music in fresh ways, the space to develop new ideas and to discuss my work with leading music industry experts. One of these ideas percolated away and then fed directly into this Creative Scotland Vital Spark project that involves a collaboration with a film maker and a visual artist and will take my work into new areas and to new audiences." Raymond MacDonald