Voice acting school joins LIPA

13 Oct 2021

A voice academy founded mid-pandemic has joined the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA).

Bristol Academy of Voice Acting (BRAVA) will work with LIPA students in the final year of the BA Acting programme to develop their skills not only in voice acting but in marketing and branding so they can make the most of what the commercial voiceover industry has to offer.

BRAVA Founder Melissa Thom has worked as a voice actor for clients including Google, Amazon, Unicef and Bauer and on several video games.

"The projected healthy recovery and growth of the UK ad market by the end of this year means there is an imminent demand for highly trained voice actors," Thom said.

"We look forward  to working with students at LIPA to help them add voice acting to their skillset."

 

Royal Shakespeare Company becomes an official research body

11 Oct 2021

It is the first time a performing arts organisation has achieved the designation, opening opportunities to investigate issues of importance to the sector.

Safety inspectors shut down Manchester theatre

11 Oct 2021

Manchester’s Grange Theatre has been closed with immediate effect after safety inspectors found faulty electrics and wiring in the building.

A statement from the theatre says it will remain closed until it is deemed safe to reopen.

All events in October and November have been cancelled, with ticket holders set to be refunded.

Located on Oldham College campus, the theatre’s annual pantomime has been transferred to nearby Queen Elizabeth Halls.

BAME students struggle to find creative role models

06 Oct 2021

Two-thirds of Black, Asian and minority ethnic students struggle to find inspirational creative role models.

Research commissioned by software brand Adobe surveyed 3,000 students and early career creative professionals, finding BAME students were most likely to be deterred from making creative career choices.

52% said their parents advised against creative careers and 40% of BAME people employed in the creative industry said they'd been discouraged by others several times.

Rapper Little Simz said the findings show ethnic minorty groups need better reputation "to show the next generation that they can make it".

Adobe's Senior Director of Marketing Simon Morris added: "We risk missing out on incredible talent if – as parents, role models, careers advisors, teachers and industry – we don’t equip our young people with knowledge of all the opportunities available to them."

Levelling down London’s HE sector

University of East London Docklands
06 Oct 2021

Universities in the capital are set to lose nearly £80m in funding for arts courses. Diana Beech fears this will further widen inequalities in sector training.

Female performing arts graduates earn more after five years

05 Oct 2021

Female performing arts graduates' earnings outstrip their male counterparts' after five years.

The average salary for a female performing arts graduate is £21,900, rising from £14,200 in the first year after finishing their studies.

Whilst men earning more in the initial stage of their careers with an average salary of £14,300 in their first year, women earn more on average three years in - £18,300 compared to £17,500.

The opposite is true of creative arts and design graduates: females earn less than males from the get go - £16,400 on average compared to £16,800 in their first year working.

The gap grows with time, with men earning £23,400 on average after five years, £1,900 more than female creative arts graduates.

Creative arts, where 60% of graduates are women, provides the lowest financial returns of any course of study, analysis by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows.

Xiaowei Xu, a Senior Research Economist at IFS, said women disproportionately chose subject with lower-paying career options.

"Of course, money isn’t – and shouldn’t be – the only factor when it comes to choosing what to study. But more needs to be done to inform young people about the financial consequences of degree choices, and to overcome gender stereotypes, so that women are not locked out of high-paying careers by choices at a young age.”

 

 

Aberdeen commits to digital music teaching

04 Oct 2021

Aberdeen City Council has approved plans to provide online instrumental lessons for pupils.

It first introduced digital music lessons during the pandemic, when Aberdeen City Music Service began uploading instructor videos for pupils to access between classes.

The provider says students have made "good progress" during digital lessons, prompting council officers to consult with pupils, parents and instructors to determine the scope of the offer.

The initiative will support an expected increase in the number of pupils taking lessons as Scotland becomes the first UK nation to mandate free instrumental music tuition.

"Our council has been pioneering in its use of digital technology - and there is a great opportunity to harness its power in delivering content to support those who engage with the music service," Councillor M Taqueer Malik commented.

Scotland hires freelancers as arts tutors

27 Sep 2021

Up to 50 freelancers will be employed as arts tutors in some of Scotland's most remote and culturally distinctive communities.

Creatives and artists who have lost work due to Covid-19 or Brexit can apply to work with primary schools in the Scottish Islands of Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney, Shetland, Argyll and Bute, Highland and North Ayrshire.

Gaelic arts body Fèisean nan Gàidheal will deliver the programme whilst the University of the Highlands gives tutors support and accreditation. The tutors in turn will support the development of assistant tutors to continue delivering arts education.

Fèisean nan Gàidheal CEO Arthur Cormack said training will increase freelancers' "resilience" and better equip thme to work in schools in the future.

The programme is funded by the National Transition Training Fund and through the Scottish Government's Islands Programme.
 

£270m arts premium for schools on hold

23 Sep 2021

The quiet suspension of the election pledge is "sadly another example of the disregard shown by the Department for Education towards creative subjects".

Co-designing a sustainable future for arts and higher education collaboration

still from a dance production
14 Sep 2021

While collaboration between the cultural sector and universities has never been more fruitful, Suzie Leighton and Kayla Rose know there are still significant barriers to overcome. 

London invests £1.3m into creative jobs

10 Sep 2021

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced £1.3m for the city's Creative Enterprise Zones (CEZs) as part of a plan to double the size of the scheme.

Croydon, Lambeth and Lewisham's zones will share £1.1m - £450,000 from the CEZs scheme and £650,000 from the city's final European Social Fund grant. The councils will contribute the remaining £200,000.

Each will pursue a project to increase training, infrastructure and mentoring opportunities that support creative careers.

'Win Creative Croydon' will provide training for music industry roles.

In Lambeth, 'Brixton Creative Works' will provide specialist training to business owners wanting to support early career creatives, as well as career fairs and mentoring.

And 'Inspire Lewisham' will work with partners at Lewisham College, Goldsmiths University and The Albany to teach music and coding to creatives from underrepresented backgrounds.

Guildhall School gets scholarship boost

07 Sep 2021

London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama has been awarded £637,000 to distribute as scholarships over the next three years.

It’s one of the largest grants given by the Leverhulme Trust this year, second only to the £695,600 awarded to the Royal College of Music.

The Leverhulme Arts Scholarships will be split between undergraduate and postgraduate musicians, as well as students studying with Guildhall Young Artists.

Interim Principal Jonathan Vaughan said the school is “committed to aiming to ensure that no student faces financial barriers to studying with us”.

The school estimates it awards more than £3m of financial support each year, with 40% of students receiving some level of support.

Open letter ‘stands in solidarity’ with Frankcom

06 Sep 2021

An open letter to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) board says it "stands in solidarity" with its ex-Director Sarah Frankcom following her resignation in August.

More than 100 signatories shared their disappointment. They said their trust in the board has been damaged and that Franckom has not "been supported as she should have been".

The letter alleges a lack of accountability in the ongoing investigation into Frankcom's leadership.

It says interviews with internal staff have begun "without an adequate, transparent record of minutes" and alleges Chairman Shaun Woodward has called up staff off record.

At the time of publication, the letter had been co-signed by 24 of LAMDA’s permanent staff, 43 of its freelance practitioners, associate artists and visiting directors and 33 industry professionals. 

LAMDA, which is conducting an inquiry into claims against Franckom, declined to comment.

British Council suspends work in Afghanistan

26 Aug 2021

The UK cultural and outreach agency has suspended all operations in Afghanistan in light of the Taliban takeover.

The British Council's press office would not confirm whether this includes any arts programmes "for safety and security reasons".

The British Council website says it has worked in English, education and art in Afghanistan, and it has a headquarters in the British Embassy building in Kabul.

"We remain deeply concerned not only for our colleagues and those we have worked with over the last twenty years, but for all the people of Afghanistan," the council says.

"We are working very closely with the UK government to do everything we possibly can to ensure that all relocation applications of current and former British Council employees and contractors receive the fullest consideration possible.”

Self-taped auditions must be reformed, Equity says

man learning lines in front of camera
17 Aug 2021

A new best practice guide aims to eliminate unrealistic deadlines and overly long scripts to address auditioners’ anxieties.

National Plan for Music education revived with expert panel

12 Aug 2021

DfE has resurrected the long-delayed plan as industry and researchers warn music A-levels could disappear from some regions by 2033.

£7m flexible apprenticeship scheme to boost creative sector

film maker using a camera
09 Aug 2021

The scheme hopes to reach industries locked out of traditional apprenticeships by offering flexible employment patterns and shorter term roles.

Creative degree applications rise as university arts funding halved

22 Jul 2021

Confirmation of the higher arts education cuts comes as applications to study these subjects reach their highest level in a decade, placing the sector's talent pipeline at risk.

Medway’s City of Culture bid on track despite UCA closure

photo of UCA Rochester campus
12 Jul 2021

Medway Council promises a "resilient" bid as local politicians and students oppose the University of Creative Arts’ decision to close its Rochester campus.

Skills for innovation

photo of student in a workshop
06 Jul 2021

Creative skills don’t just benefit the creative industries; they bring huge value to other sectors including business, health and engineering. Professor Steven Spier has the evidence.

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