Trad Trails Sessions

The Homecoming Trad Music Sessions

Information for Musicians

Mission Statement of the Homecoming Trad Music Sessions

Supported by Homecoming Scotland 2009 and organised by the Traditional Music and Song Association of Scotland (TMSA) - a programme of over 300 Scottish traditional music sessions across Scotland from March to November 2009.

The Homecoming Trad Music Sessions will -

enhance the Homecoming Experience for visitors and Scots at home.
showcase the diverse regional music and song traditions of Scotland.
cultivate widespread awareness and interest in traditional music and song.
extend the number of venues hosting traditional music sessions and events.

What is a session?

There is no strict definition of a "session". They are essentially dynamic and organic informal music and social events. They provide an opportunity for traditional musicians and singers to swap ideas, to learn new tunes and songs, to blether, to play and sing together, and to welcome other musicians, singers and all into the fold. Sessions are
inclusive – they do not have artists and audience – everyone is a participant. Sessions are so good that pub customers very often come specifically to participate in them. Sessions are not concerts or "gigs", which are usually formal and amplified performances. A session is not a performance; it is a social event with music and song in which everyone can participate. Sessions give visitors to Scotland an authentic experience of Scotland’s indigenous musical culture.

Information for Musicians

Homecoming Sessions are acoustic (unamplified) and participatory. The contracted musicians should encourage other musicians, singers, story-tellers etc. to join in. The object is to expose as many people as possible to traditional music and song.

Each session will have two musicians contracted to lead the session.

Each session lasts 3 hours and the musicians are entitled to a 10 minute break every hour.

Contracted musicians should turn up at the venue at least 15 minutes before a session is due to begin.

As part of the contract, each musician will be expected to help gather feedback information on the sessions. This will enable the TMSA to evaluate the project as a whole and help us to secure funding so that the sessions can continue past 2009.

Each contracted musician at each session will be responsible for completing a Musician Feedback Form.

The musicians will also be responsible for the Participant Feedback Forms. For each session, each venue will be supplied with Participant Feedback Forms. The musicians will collect them from the venue on the night and be responsible for as many as is practicable being completed and returned to the TMSA National Office in the SAE provided.

Payment for each musician for each session will be £30 on the night from the venue and £30 from the TMSA National Office (£60 in total per musician per session).

Participating venues will have already agreed to pay musicians on the night and the TMSA will contact them in the week preceding the session to remind them of this undertaking. Musicians must sign a Receipt Form for the Venue Payment.
(Venue will have this.)

The TMSA National Office will pay the remaining £30 on receipt of Musician Invoice and completed Musician Feedback Form.

Please send the Invoice and Musician Feedback Form to TMSA National Office, Office G43, The Drill Hall, 30 – 38 Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG or email to homecomingsessions@tmsa.org.uk with the email Subject ‘Musician Invoice’.

Payment will be made by direct banking within 10 working days of receipt of Invoice and the completed Musician Evaluation Form. Cheques can be issued instead of direct banking if necessary. No payment from the TMSA will be made in cash.

At the discretion of the TMSA, Musicians travelling over 20 miles from their home base to a session may be entitled to travelling expenses. However this must be agreed in advance and will be paid at the lowest cost public transport rate. Musicians are expected to travel in the most cost effective manner, e.g. bus, car share. We would therefore ask that if musicians are travelling from the same place they share transport. Invoices must provide mileage details of where travelled from and to and all tickets/receipts must be included for payment of travel expenses on public transport. The mileage rate is 16p per mile.

If after final confirmation of a session booking, you find that you are unable to play the session, you should immediately inform the TMSA National Office and then liaise with the TMSA to find a replacement musician.