Blog

In a world that can feel increasingly divided, the music community came together to help the musicians who make the music that carried us through this crisis, says James Ainscough, Help Musicians CEO.

But how do you budget for marketing and PR? There is a balance to be struck when it comes to having the right amount of ‘PR push’ within your campaign, and  explaining how you will apply PR is crucial to a successful funding application, Creative Programme Officer, Barnaby Duff explains.

In 2019, at a crucial point in his career, Manchester-based Sam Healey’s punk-jazz group Skeltr received the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award. Here, Healey tells us about why he knew he was ready to apply, his audition and the positive ripple effect the Award has had on his career trajectory.

Applying for creative funding during a pandemic requires adaptability, creativity and contingency planning, Creative Programme Officer, Abi McQuater explains.

Change (as we are experiencing now) is intrinsically linked to anxiety. Helen Brice, a psychotherapist specialising in working with musicians and performers, offers some practical mindfulness.

Transmission Fund offers grants for short periods of development, including online courses, 1:1 coaching, conference attendance, songwriting academies and masterclasses. Having been adapted for a socially-distanced landscape, Help Musicians’ Creative Programme Officer Barnaby Duff explains how the Transmission Fund might be able to assist your career, even in lockdown.

Opera singer Bibi Heal was supported by the Fusion Fund to create Song Surgery, a project that explored the use of poetry and music to improve mental health and wellbeing. Here she reflects on how Fusion gave her the freedom to research and develop the project, as well as how she is adapting the project to suit the current climate of self-isolation. 

Pedro Silva shares the impact Help Musicians’ Postgraduate Award funding had on his and business partner Ariel Lang’s careers, and explains why they have chosen to donate through their company, MyLuthier.

Help Musicians has supported the costs of music education since our founding in 1921. In fact, apart from during the outbreak of World War 2, we have given awards to UK conservatoire students for nearly 100 years. Creative Programme Officer Bex Ransom explains the history behind some of our existing named awards.

We’ve had a small face-lift! You may notice a slight change in our communications this month. 

Caro C is a composer, producer and performer, and a recent recipient of Help Musicians’ Transmission Fund, which supported her unique development needs and allowed her to progress as a music creator. Enabled by our funding, her time with creative coach Heidi Chadwick is a great example of just how bespoke the Transmission Fund’s support can be. 

Jen Green and Caroline Wigmore are musical theatre writers and recent recipients of Help Musicians’ Transmission Fund, which helped them at a crucial point in their development, both as artists and as women working in theatre. Caroline has written a blog to tell us more about their experience at SHE Festival New York this past June, presenting their new show, ‘The Bachelor Girls’.

When you’re applying for funding with Help Musicians, you're asked three fundamental questions: your past (your bio), your present (your project) and your future (the impact of your project). Creative Programme Officer Barnaby Duff talks you through each one in this helpful step-by-step guide. 

Creative Programme Officer Joe Danher takes you through the dos and don'ts of putting together a strong video application for the Do It Differently Fund. 

James McAulay is the Co-founder & CEO of Encore, an online tool for finding and booking musicians for live events. He explains why he's decided to race three triathlons in support of Help Musicians this year. 

Jen Ewbank is the Senior Director of International Marketing at AWAL Recordings, Kobalt Music Group and was one of Music Week’s ‘30 under 30’ in 2016. She’s running the Swindon Half Marathon on September 22 in support of Help Musicians' mental health helpline, Music Minds Matter.

To highlight Mental Health Awareness Week 2019, our Head of Health & Welfare, Joe Hastings, writes about how Music Minds Matter and our Health & Welfare team both play crucial roles in the lives of musicians. 

Our Creative Programme Officer Joe Danher is back again with tips about how to make sure your Do It Differently Fund application has the best chance of succeeding – this time, he’s looking at how to put together a strong budget for your project.

Decca-signed pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason received a Help Musicians UK Postgraduate Award in 2018. Here, she tells us about her journey with the piano and how the award has helped her career.

Help Musicians UK’s Creative Programme Officer, Joe Danher, talks through his tips for submitting a top-notch Do It Differently application.

For International Women's Day 2019, we reflect on the influence and legacy of one of the founding members of Help Musicians UK. 

A personal view from Graham Sheffield, Chair of Help Musicians UK

Glasvegas guitarist Rab Allan looks back on how Music Minds Matter and the research that it stemmed from has helped him both personally & professionally. 

Chris Sheehan helps us mark the one year anniversary of Music Minds Matter by sharing some words about why the service is increasingly important for the music business.

 

Musician, psychotherapist and counsellor Adam Ficek pens a guest post for us reflecting on mental health in music to mark our one year of Music Minds Matter anniversary campaign, #MMM1YearOn. 

HMUK's own Indy Vidyalankara shares her experiences as a parent in the music industry following the new research revealed by PiPA.

Hear from Helena on what she’s been up to since receiving the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award of £5,000.

Nutun has volunteered her singing talents for us on multiple occasions – hear more about her experiences volunteering for HMUK.

Kayla Painter is  a current year 3 Future Bubbler who has recently received support through Help Musicians UK with a £1,000 alumni bursary toward her professional development. Kayla took the time to tell us about how she’ll use her bursary, her experience on the Future Bubblers scheme and advice on applying for funding programmes.

Hear from flamenco guitarist Samuel Moore on how a Career Development Bursary from us helped him with an important project in his music career. 

Hear from Matt (a.k.a Digital Pilgrimz) on the power of music in aiding his recovery, and how Help Musicians UK has helped him through his mental health challenges.

Hear from Bob, a retired engineer, on his experiences being a volunteer Visitor for Help Musicians UK.

A beautiful and heartfelt blog from Emily Lee, a musician we have supported with a grant to pay for therapy sessions so that she could focus her finances on completing her EP.

Help Musicians UK's Matthew Leone, bassist for Madina Lake, gives some tips on maintaining your mental well being while on tour.

HMUK-supported artists Sveta & Slava talk about why they’ve developed an app that allows audiences to vote on the music they’d like to hear.

In September last year, Help Musicians UK launched the Transmission Fund, which allows musicians to grow through funding career development opportunities such as short courses, workshops or one-to-one coaching sessions. We funded Bex Burch to return to western Ghana where she had previously spent three years living, farming and learning with the Dagaare tribe.

We caught up with Bex after her trip, and she gave us her thoughts on money and funding when you're a musician.

Hear from Bex Burch, one of the first recipients of the Transmission Fund, who used her money to return to western Ghana to live and play music with the Dagaare tribe.

Hear from James Kennedy, singer for the band Kyshera, on the importance of taking care of your mental health and wellbeing, when working in the music industry.

Tom and the team at Tom Cridland are raising funds for Help Musicians UK with style with The Real Music Collection! Hear from Tom as he tells us about his latest design paying tribute to the musical greats and why he is raising money for a cause close to his heart.

Hear from Alison, who received a grant from HMUK to pay for a specialist musician's hearing aid, as she talks about the taboo subject of hearing loss in the music industry. 

I am very grateful to have been awarded the Career Development Bursary by Help Musicians UK, which gave me the opportunity to make a dream come true: visit Palestine and make music with the people living there.

Phoebe received HMUK funding to go to China as the UK-representative at I Sing International Young Artists Festival,  a cross-cultural collaborative musical programme between western and Chinese opera singers.

This is Tom Langley. He is over the moon to be joining Music Business School at Tileyard on 20th September for our last 13-week course of 2017.

The EAF award marks the culmination of a wild journey for this record. I am delighted and hugely grateful to have won.

I made the record sort of as a last hurrah, as someone who'd almost given up; I could never have expected it would go on to win the Emerging Artists Award.

At the Brighton Music Conference in April 2017, HMUK ran a competition for two free places on the September ‘Managing a Music Business Enterprise’ (MMBE) course at the Music Business School in Tileyard.

Ahead of the next course starting, Tiger Lily from the Creative Programme caught up with two previous alumni to find out how it was for them…

Carla J. Easton is a singer & songwriter, with a background and education in visual arts, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Graduating from the Masters of Fine Art programme at Glasgow School of Art in 2011, Easton has been performing and writing music for the all girl-band TeenCanteen ever since

She was supported through our Career Development Bursary.

Musician Go is a brand new website that aims to be every musician’s central resource to receive gig bookings, search for music teachers to harness their progression and discover local businesses to serve their musical needs.

Francina recieved a Career Development Bursary from Help Musicians UK in 2016. Read how she spend her award below.

Below is the full speech from Christine Brown, Director of External Affairs and Chief of Staff at Help Musicians UK, who announced the exciting partnership during a private brunch, panel and networking event at MIDEM hosted by WIM.

Xpo North, in Inverness, is Scotland’s leading creative industries festival

No two musicians are alike—just like their music. One thing they have in common, however, is the warm welcome they give me. 

Cherish volunteered for Help Musicians UK in our Creative team for a few months in early 2017.

Claire looks back at The Great Escape 2017

Kathryn is a flautist based in Manchester. Help Musicians UK supported Kathryn last year when she was in need of a sinus operation to enable her to carry on playing. 

For Mental Health Awareness Week 2017 we reflect on the work we already do to support musicians & look forward to the next stages of our mental health campaign. 

As the charity approaches it centenary year in 2021, we are committed to be truly representative of the music sector, increasing our presence in the nations and regions of the UK, being inclusive to every genre and reaching a diverse range of musicians and those working in the broader industry.

As part of our Valentine’s takeover day we are sharing our love for musicians by sharing stories on how we've helped musicians through a crisis or illness.

This Valentine’s day we thought we would share with you some stories and thoughts from our talented musicians on why they love Help Musicians UK.

Northern Irish musician, Taylor Johnson, told us about his Independent Venue Week experience. 

Our Director of External Affairs and NI wrote about our growing network to support artists across the UK.

Help Musicians are proud and excited to be an official partner of this year’s Independent Venue Week (IVW), which is taking place this week until Sunday 29 January.

Help Musicians UK was proud to support the Young Artist of the Year award at this year's Gramophone Classical Music Awards. 

Benjamin Appl, a young German baritone, received the prestigious award and wrote a blog for us about his life as a singer and winning the award. 

Liam volunteered for HMUK at our Northern Ireland launch. Read about his experience.

Volunteering at the Help Musicians UK office is quite an unforgettable experience.

The first of a series of podcast interviews with musicians we have supported over the past 10 years through our Creative Programme.

Career Development Bursary recipient Dani Howard shares her experiences at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California. 

We caught up with jazz quartet Square One, a year after receiving the Peter Whittingham Award.

Nicoletta Favari, a Pianist who studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, was awarded a Career Development Bursary in 2016.

Tracy Dempsey has been coaching musicians and other performers since 2007. In this blog, She shares her tips for managing performance anxiety. 

In 2015, violist Cheryl Law fell off a climbing wall and broke her back in 4 places. We were able to help to get her back playing. In a recent adventure to India, she raised over £2,600 for us by trekking throughout the Himalayas. 

Director of Arts at British Council and our Chairman responds to an opinion piece written by Charlotte Higgins in last week's Guardian.

Bassoon player Susanne Simma succussfully gained a Career Development Bursary from Help Musicians UK this year. Here, she tells us how she used the bursary and how it has benefited her career as a young musician.

Lillie Harris succussfully gained a Career Development Bursary from Help Musicians UK, this year. Lillie tells us how she used the bursary and how it has benefited her career as a young musician.

Melissa James shares her inspiration behind the song Live Again, giving an insight into feelings of loneliness and depression.

Our Industry and PR Officer wrote about living with Tinntus for the Plug'em blog.

In a revealing read, musician we supported, Gail Thompson, tells us her struggles with being diagnosed with MS and how we were able to assist through difficult times.

Our Music Industry Liaison, Chris Sheehan, looks at the future of touring once the UK leaves the EU.

Our External Affairs Officer looks at the implications of the EU referendum for the music industry.

For Men's Mental Health Week 2016, violinist we supported, Roddy Neilson, shares reflections of his own mental health and how our help guided him back to musical inspiration.

Our Talent Programme Officer returned to her favourite place in the world for Liverpool Sound City. Read her favourites from the weekend.

For BBC Music Day, singer/songwriter Luke Jackson takes the time out to write some words for us about his musical journey, how we helped and where he is now.

To celebrate Volunteers Week we asked one of our Volunteer Visitors, Tracey O'Connor, to tell us why she volunteers for Help Musicians UK and what it means to her. Tracey is a musician herself, you can check out her music here.

Anna Albright gives her top tips for musicians and performers who may be suffering from symptoms of mental illness.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, professional cellist and bipolar sufferer who we supported, Jonny Hennessey-Brown is sharing his experiences of living with mental illness.

Earlier this year, Karousel Music and sE Electronics donated us a VR2 microphone to giveaway to one lucky musician. Singer-songwriter Brona McVittie won, and in her blog she shares what she's doing with the mic, including a clip of her new April track.

Vocal Coach and Lecturer Lucy Heyman shares her top tips on looking after your vocal health.

Senior Communications Officer, Matt Mulcahy, reflects on his first visit to a musician the charity supports.

Emily Broomhead, Projects Manager for the British Tinnitus Association, tells us more about the Plug’em campaign and how support for the campaign has increased since it began in 2015.

Talent Programme Assistant Bex Ransom shares her round-up of the recent YCAT Development Sessions on PR, Press and Self-Promotion.

Three months into her new role at Help Musicians UK, Creative Director Claire Gevaux explains a new research project the charity is undertaking.

Talent Programme Officer Ellie Moore gives a round up of the recent Artist Development session with YCAT and offers some tip tops for aspiring classical musicians.

Guitarist and songwriter who we supported, Phil Bayne, shares his experiences with hearing loss and offers advice for those who may be suffering.

Emily Broomhead from the British Tinnitus Association explains the activities planned for Tinnitus Awareness Week and how you can get involved.

Beyond Stage Fright is the brainchild of Charlotte Tomlinson – pianist, performance coach and author of Music from the Inside Out - who writes here about why she decided to create & host this series.

Career Development Bursary recipient Sam Moore talks of his valuable tuition with renowned flamenco guitarist Juan Martín and upcoming project at Leeds Art Gallery.

The Unsigned Guide's Editor Louise Dodgson tells us a little more about what The Guide does, including a festive discount for those looking to join.

Fundraising Manager Janet Fereday talks about the importance of legacy and how to pass yours on to the causes you love.

Following the launch of our hearing campaign, Help and Advice Manager Nigel Hamilton asks what's next.

Stuart Bailie celebrates Belfast's thriving music scene as Sound of Belfast, the city's leading conference for the industry, is in full swing.

As a close friend of Mick Dolan, Hugh Robinson shares his reflections at the recent memorial fundraising concert.

Artist Jackie Morris shares her thoughts and reflections behind her stunning Christmas cards and calendar.

Our Help and Advice manager Nigel Hamilton discusses mental health within the music industry, why there is such a stigma around it and how Help Musicians UK can support those who suffer. 

At a recent English Folk Dance and Song Society creative residency course, singer/songwriter Jack Harris shares his reflections.

It's now becoming easier than ever to set up your own recording facility. Cameron Black from Meet and Jam shares his tips on creating your own rig that's right for you.

Mark Keeley shares his journey to recovery after vocal surgery, explains how Help Musicians UK supported him to get back in the game and reveals plans to record a new album.

Paul Crick explores a brief history of performance anxiety and looks at ways that help musicians to overcome emotional blocks to self-expression.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to play at a festival? We caught up with Maz ahead of the summer festival season to hear what she had to say about her upcoming gigs.

Co-founder of Meet and Jam, a musicians networking community, shares his tips for aspiring musicians thinking about starting a band.

Help Musicians UK's Visitor & Volunteer Co-ordinator Angela Riches-Heed says a huge thank you to our volunteer Musicians Supporters, talks about their vital role in the work we do and shares some touching stories from the frontline.

Pianist Mark Latimer opens up about his return to music after treatment for a disease in his hands.

Our trustee Jonathan Morrish talks about his 40 year experience in the music industry and explains why we are needed more than ever.

Third year BIMM student Alex Barton talks about final year studies, working in collaboration with Help Musicians UK and the excitement of the Pulp Fiction Experience next month.

12 ensemble talk about their debut album, 20th and 21st century British music for string orchestra and how crowdfunding helped get their project get off the ground.

Help Musicians UK's Help and Advice Manager, Nigel Hamilton, opens up about his own experience with hearing loss, shares the facts about hearing damage and speaks about our new hearing survey.

MetalTalk columnist Roger Fauske heads off on a 100km trek on skis, between Finse and Geilo, raising money for Help Musicians UK in the process. Why would anyone in their right mind embark on such a thing?

We were able to fund Emma Sweeney's trip to the world famous Subramaniam Academy to study and develop as an artist which will culminate in a new album when she returns to the UK. 

Take a look at her video diary to see how she's getting on.

Find out more about ISM's Make Music Work on Tuesday 31 March. 

Head of Music Tank's "Moneyballing Music", MA Music Management Lecturer Graham Ball looks at what data you should be monitering and why. 

To mark RSI Awareness Week, our partners at BAPAM share essential tips on how to avoid repetitive strain injury. 

Find out about BASCA's "The Day The Music Died" campaign.

British Tinnitus Association's Emily Broomhead on what you should know about tinnitus this Tinnitus Awareness Week. 

The Sundowners head off on tour in just over a week, supported by Merseyside Arts Foundation, one of our new artist development partners. We caught up with Niamh from the band to chat about the upcoming tour, and how important it is that new artists are supported.

Julia aka Somerset Close tells us about her experience at the Songwriting Academy, working with multi-platinum selling Songwriter and Record Producer Martin Sutton. 

Get to know Peter Whittingham Jazz Award winners Stretch Trio

A look back over 2014.

Artist Jane Simpson joined her friend Roger, a musician we help, on his visit to Park House Hotel. Each year, our Help and Advice team arrange for some of the musicians we support and their carers or companions to spend a few days at Park House Hotel with performances from our emerging artists. 

EFC Volunteer of The Year Robert Wright tells us why he's decided to give his time to visit musicians. 

Emerging Excellence Jen Green on taking "Van Winkle – a folk musical", to Minnesota. 

We speak to musicians and industry professionals to get their views on the controversial topic of streaming. 

BT Global brand manager and newly appointed Trustee, Suzi Williams shares her thoughts on modern day philanthropy and explains why she's getting behind Help Musicians UK.

74% of musicians we spoke to said they suffered performance anxiety and 56% said they suffered from this on a regular basis.

This National Stress Awareness Day, we want to recognise the stresses that being a professional musician can bring and help you to manage them.

We spoke to BAPAM’s Dr Carol Chapman’s about how to stay on top of your performance anxiety.

Emerging Excellence artist Kelly Oliver tells us how she's been using the funding from her Emerging Excellence award and what it takes to get started. 

Award-winning composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad talks about the inspiration behind this year's Festival of Saint Cecilia anthem. 

Peter Whittingham 2013 award holder Phil Meadows tells us all about the award and his plans for the future.

Emerging Excellence artists Perhaps Contraption fill us in on what they've been getting up to since winning the award back in 2013. 

Freelance writer Fiona Thompson wrote an article about folk artist Sheila Thompson for our Autumn 2014 Magazine. She went to see Sheila perform in Stirling in the midst of the Scottish referendum and reflects on her visit.

Acclaimed baritone Gerald Finley took time out of his busy schedule to raise money for Help Musicians UK by climbing Kilimanjaro with his two sons this August. Read his diary for a day by day account of his epic adventure.

Each year, the artist Jackie Morris designs an exclusive Christmas card for Help Musicians UK. Read her blog to find how these designs have evolved over time, and why Jackie loves being involved with charity.

Graham Sheffield reflects on the results of our Health and Wellbeing survey and asks if we're doing enough to support musicians. 

We helped Jenny in 2013 when an accident stopped her from playing the flute. She's now back to performing and tells us why she wanted to raise money for Help Musicians UK.

Joe Painter is part of our Run to the Beat team and he tells us why he's running 10k to raise money for musicians. 

Sybil Tutton and Maggie Teyte award holder Soraya Mafi is running 10km this September to raise money for musicians! 

Find out more...

Steven Howell of Music Insurance shares his expert advice through five quick tips and jargon-busting insights into getting the most out of your insurance. 

MusicTank's Programme Director Jonathan Robinson discusses the future of music theatre performance in light of the impending High Court Ruling on the five musicians involved in the National Theatre's performance of War Horse. 

In celebration of Adult Learner's week, Jonathan Price tells us how we helped him with his decision to retrain as a landscape gardener after focal dystonia meant an end to his career as Principal Cellist for the Manchester Camerata. 

CEO of ISM, Deborah Annetts, discusses the National Plan for Education in light of the recent cuts to music education proposed by the government. 

Karousel Music's Chris Sheehan tells us about his experience as a musician and why he's supporting Help Musicians UK.

Talent Programme Manager Tim Foxon shares his insider knowledge on how to apply for funding.

Multi-platinum selling Songwriter and Record Producer Martin Sutton is becoming a regular contributor to the Help Musicians UK blog. Read his advice on collaborative songwriting and check out his last blog, Desire. 

Dr Carol Chapman is a Counselling Psychologist, Performance Coach and a Performing Arts Medicine Health practitioner at BAPAM. She has been helping musicians, actors, dancers, artists and other performing artists to identify, understand and overcome their problems and fulfil their potential. 

She shares her practical tips on how to keep on top of your mental health.

It's Benefits Aware month and Turn 2 Us have all the information to make sure you are getting all the support you need. 

Fresh from receiving their Emerging Excellence Award, PORTS tell us what they've been up to and what it's like to apply for a Help Musicians UK award

Fundraising Assistant Charlotte Biddle tells us what's been happening in the Fundraising Team since she joined us in January. 

Executive Director, David Sulkin, on receiving his OBE at Buckingham Palace on 21 March 2014. 

Martin has been in the music business for twenty years as a songwriter, producer, session musician and mixer. He's sold over seven million records worldwide for artists including Celine Dion, The Backstreet Boys, LeAnn Rimes, Olivia Newton John, Mike & The Mechanics, K-pop boy band Super Junior, Lena Meyer-Landrut and a quite a few pop idol winners around the world. He's written with Gary Barlow, Pixie Lott, Duncan James, Mike Rutherford and many of the world's best songwriters.

He shares his expertise on what it takes to succeed in the industry.

Outgoing Communications Assistant Mayuko Tanno writes about her year at Help Musicians UK. ­

We helped Lorraine's husband, Raymond, when he was diagnosed with Pick's Disease (a rapidly progressing form of Dementia). To mark Dementia UK's Time for a Cuppa week, we're sharing her story and remembering Raymond's wonderful musical legacy. 

Emerging Excellence artist Jen Green tells us what life is like as ana orchestrator on the West End.

Find out how we were able to help Ros's husband through a crisis. 

After receiving the Peter Whittingham Jazz Development Award in 2012, drummer Ollie Howell tells us why 2014 is set to be a great year.

It’s a busy time of year for the Help Musicians UK Talent Programme Team. Along with the excitement of launching our new name and brand, we’ve been working our way through a record number of applications to our Emerging Excellence Awards and re-launching our Music Student Health Scheme.

David reflects on our achievements as the Musicians Benevolent Fund and looks forward to our future as Help Musicians UK.