Grantham Music Festival

 
What?

The Grantham Music Festival is an annual event in which musicians in the town can perform in a friendly environment but in competition with their peers and in front of an expert adjudicator. Ages range from earliest school-age to senior citizens. Classes for all types of instrument and vocal style are normally offered and performers may be soloists, ensembles, orchestras or choirs. Unlike some other Performing Arts Festivals, the Grantham Festival does not include spoken word or dance.

 
Why?

The ability to sing or play an instrument is a great asset which becomes a source of enjoyment, not only to the performer but also to the listeners, when that ability is used in public performance. The Grantham Music Festival seeks to cultivate and enhance both musical and performance skills by allowing the musician(s) to perform in a class suited to the instrument or voice and level of expertise. Our aim is to bring out the best from a performance by setting it in a competitive context but also to give constructive advice on musicianship and performance skills using experienced Festival adjudicators.

 
When?

The Festival normally takes place around the middle of March. Its duration depends on the number of performers who have entered but would normally go from a Wednesday to some time around the middle of the following week. On the Saturday after the classes have all finished there is a Trophy Winners Concert. Traditionally there has been a Festival Church Service on the Sunday in the middle of the class days.

 
Where?

Most of the classes, as well as the Primary Schools Music Making, take place in the main church or rear hall of ChristChurch on Finkin Street (just off the High Street opposite the George Centre). A few classes are sometimes hosted by secondary schools in the town.

 
History

The Grantham Music Festival in its current form was started in 1963, initially as a one-off event. It has, however, been held annually since then and the 2012 Festival will have the special status of being the 50th Festival. The 1963 Festival was not, in fact, the first Grantham Music Festival to be held but represented the reinstitution of something that had been discontinued many years before.

 
Organisation

The Festival is organised by a Committee (see HERE for current Committee) which normally meets each January, March, May and September and calls an Annual General Meeting in July. The Committee seeks to observe the provisions of a written constitution and to work according to the principles of the Federation and Charities Commission.

During the course of the Festival there are many practical jobs to be done - writing certificates, doorkeeping, distributing sheet music and certificates, assisting the adjudicator, stewarding, organising the hall, etc. - and we rely on a band of enthusiastic helpers to supplement the efforts of committee members. Without them the Festival could not take place and we are very grateful for their faithful and consistent support over the years. More helpers are always welcome so please contact us if you would like to help in future.

 
Entering the Festival

A Syllabus, including an entry form, is published in the October prior to the Festival. The Syllabus lists all classes being offered in the forthcoming Festival with entry fees, rules of entry and information about the adjudicator, trophies, bursaries and cash prizes. The deadline for entries is set around mid-January and is strictly enforced. Paper copies of the syllabus can be obtained (go to 'Links' on home page). Alternatively, the syllabus, once published, can be downloaded from this site. At present, entry using paper form plus cheque is the only option.

 
Child Protection Policy

The majority of performers in the Festival are minors. The protection of children and vulnerable adults is taken very seriously: the most recent comprehensive statement of the policy can be seen HERE. All performers under the age of 18 as well as vulnerable adults of any age must be supervised by a parent, guardian or carer. Where parent, guardian or carer does not attend the Festival in person, it is their responsibility to be satisfied that either a suitable proxy is present to act on their behalf or that the child/vulnerable adult is able to attend unaccompanied.

 
Adjudication

We select adjudicators approved by the British and International Federation of Festivals. Occasionally more than one adjudicator is used but recently our normal practice has been to have one adjudicator for all the classes. Every performance is awarded a score by the adjudicator (see HERE for score criteria) and first and second place and, sometimes, merit certificates are given to those scoring highest. All performers are given an adjudication sheet showing their score and the adjudicator's comments.

 
Patrons

Grantham Music Festival is very fortunate to have a band of financial supporters who give faithfully every year. Existing Patrons are contacted in early January and their contributions are received over the subsequent weeks up to and shortly beyond the time of the Festival. Their generosity has meant that the financial health of the Festival has not been among the major challenges facing the organisers. We do contact potential new Patrons because, for many reasons, some Patrons are unable to continue their support. We also appeal for new Patrons who would like to come forward and volunteer their support.

  If you might be interested in becoming a Patron of the Festival, please contact us.

All Patrons are sent a complimentary programme plus tickets for class sessions and the Trophy Concert.

The queston of whether or not to offer Gift Aid on Patrons' donations has been raised within Committee and by some Patrons themselves. The Rules for Gift Aid require the monetary value of any 'benefits' to be offset from the donation and, to date, the Committee has decided that the complexity of adapting the procedure would be disproportionate to the financial benefit. This matter is, however, regularly under review.

 
Trophies

Over the years that the Festival has taken place, many benefactors have contributed trophies. Each trophy is awarded either to the winner of a single class or overall winner of a small set of related classes. The trophies are awarded at the Trophy Winners Concert at the end of the Festival and held for a year, after which their return is requested by the organisers.

NOTE: Trophy winners are politely requested to keep the trophies safe from damage and to return them in a suitable state for presentation to the next winners. It is a sad reflection that, although this is done in the majority of cases, some trophies are returned needing extensive cleaning and, occasionally, repair.

 
Bursaries and Prizes

Since 2010 the Committee has reserved the option to award, normally following discussion with the adjudicator, one or more financial bursaries to performers who have shown outstanding ability. Since 2009 it has been the practice to give £5 Vouchers to the winners of beginners classes.

 
Classes

The Festival starts with a special session for Primary Schools - The Primary Schools Music Making afternoon. Normally an opportunity for controlled mayhem, this is always a great favourite with children, teachers and organisers. The remaining sessions of the Festival consist of classes, broadly divided into instrumental and vocal. Most classes are classified according to instrument and age but some are open to any entrant and some involve combinations of instruments and/or voices. 'Set Piece' classes were included in the Festival up till 2009; since then all performances have been 'Own Choice'.

 
Challenges

It is a great relief that the Festival's primary venue, ChristChurch on Finkin Street, is no longer under threat of sale. In 2012 we have also seen a reversal of the long-standing trend of declining entries for the classes. However, the Festival cannot continue without new helpers, patrons and committee members who are committed to seeing the Festival thrive. If you can help in any way at all, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us.