Drake Music Scotland

26/09/2025

Come and support the brilliant Out of the Common Collective this Sunday 28th September, 4pm-6pm at The Wee Red Bar.

Hamshya, Karen, Ishrat and Anise have been working on an amazing set of original material with additional lyrics by Laura Cole and Sorcha Pringle.

Delighted to announce that Evie Waddell and Greta's Eyegaze Art will be supporting.

Tickets available here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/out-of-the-common-phoenix-tickets-1672971726469?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwY2xjawNDQbFleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBqVm5SQk4zaFhKM2h2SHc1AR6NENdDd_EiD8RgWezrMYYsEWyDKMCZwkdhg_4wTLoDBHXFakCGW3SNgweNlg_aem_9Fg-58JeqhsmxEHb__OwPg

This performance will include BSL.

Out of the Common is supported by PPL Giving PPL - Phonographic Performance Ltd.

Thanks to Creative Scotland and PRS Foundation for their support of Drake Music Scotland's CREATE programme.

Video Description: Two hands pass an Airstick instrument (a small, black box) back and forth in front of a collage of magazine clippings.

23/09/2025

Come and support the brilliant Out of the Common Collective this Sunday 28th Sept, 4-6pm at The Wee Red Bar.
Hamshya, Karen, Ishrat and Anise have been working on an amazing set of original material with additional lyrics by Laura Cole and Sorcha Pringle.

Delighted to announce that Evie Waddell & Greta's Eyegaze Art will be supporting.

Tickets available here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1672971726469?aff=oddtdtcreator

This performance will include BSL

Out of the Common is supported by PPL Giving PPL - Phonographic Performance Ltd

Thanks to Creative Scotland & PRS Foundation for their support of Drake Music Scotland's Create programme.

22/09/2025

Last month we were deeply saddened by the news that Steve Flemington had passed away. Over the past 14 years with Drake Music Scotland, Steve has been a source of such support to many, many Drake musicians, Associate Musicians, and everyone involved with the organisation.

Whether it was sorting problems with computers and software, playing bass with Liveheart, stage managing all kinds of bonkers gigs or helping individuals with a variety challenges, big and small: Steve was always there, ready to help, and always kind.

In particular, Steve, was closely involved with our Tuesday band Liveheart and the Music Technology Course that we run in partnership with Edinburgh College. He will be deeply missed by everyone involved with those projects over the years.

We will so miss his humour, his skill and expertise, his deep knowledge and love of all things musical, and of course his love of good, strong coffee.

18/09/2025

Our Digital Orchestra Edinburgh group received their Arts Award certificates recently. We had 1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze awards! Congratulations to them all.

11/09/2025

This time last week we were at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for the first ever Music Education Partnership Group - MEPG conference. We were involved in 3 sessions but the highlight was seeing our Digital Orchestra Edinburgh group participate in an open rehearsal in front of an audience of teachers and educators from across Scotland. The session was led by our Associate Musician, Katie and gave an insight into the group, the music that they have created themselves, and offered the audience a chance to get hands on with some of the technologies. The young people demonstrated their instruments and were actively involved in the session and talking to the audience, a great learning experience for them!

Our Digital Orchestra projects are grateful to receive funding from Creative Scotland , The National Lottery Community Fund, Pear Tree Foundation, McGlashan Trust and David and June Memorial Trust.

10/09/2025

So excited that Rhona Smith will be performing as part of the Vogrie Pogrie festival this coming weekend.
Sunday 14th Sept 3.30pm
Tickets available here - https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vogriepogrie/1400586
She will be playing her music at the Twisty Stage area run by our friends from Pianodrome .

Photo: Sandy Butler

Rhona is one of the artists we support through the PRS Talent Development Network - PRS Foundation

Thanks to Creative Scotland & William Grant Foundation

02/09/2025

Discover how we can use colour and shape notation to form engaging activities that encourage musical learning.

27/08/2025

Young people at Calaiswood School took part in a project last year. Our Associate Musician, Fiona, worked with them to write and perform their own pieces using Figurenotes. Watch an excerpt from their performance, Seascape, on our YouTube channel. 🌊🏝

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-bJxN4YgZE

This project was funded through Fife Council from Creative Scotland's Youth Music Initiative Funding.

Image Description 1: A young person wearing a grey hoody sits and plays an upright piano. An adult stands next to them holding a piece of paper with a line of coloured shapes on it in front of them. Another adult sits at a table with a keyboard on it nearby.

Image Description 2: A young person wearing a red top sits and plays an upright piano. An adult stands next to them holding a piece of paper with a line of coloured shapes on it in front of them. Another adult sits at a table with a keyboard on it nearby.

14/08/2025

A young person at Hyndhead School took part in a project last year. Our Associate Musician, Fiona, worked with them to sit and pass their NAT2 exam! 👏 Here they are performing their exam pieces: their own compositions based on the 12-bar blues. 🎸🎹

https://youtu.be/jK3DygsOlMM

This project was funded through Fife Council from Creative Scotland's Youth Music Initiative Funding.

Image Description 1: A young person sits on a chair and plays an acoustic guitar in a classroom. Two adults with their backs to the camera sit in front of the young person and watch them play.

Image Description 2: A young person sits and plays an upright piano. They are wearing a denim jacket.

31/07/2025

The academic year 2024-25 has been our biggest year yet for LEARN at Drake Music Scotland. We’ve worked with a record number of young people, and we want to celebrate!

Between July 2024 and June 2025 we worked with 1,400 young people in 60 schools across 15 local authorities. This is 1,038 sessions providing music education to young people which equates to around 2,971 hours of delivery. We had brand new projects starting in Scottish Borders and Renfrewshire too!

We also delivered training to 237 teachers internationally through our Figurenotes training programme Developing Your Practice, one off sessions to Sistema Scotland, Carousel and Early Years Music Scotland. Additionally, we also delivered International presentations at the EAS Conference in Dublin, ISME Special Music Education and Music Therapy Conference in Helsinki, and online to the Ambassadors at the Benedetti Foundation.

Thank you to all wonderful team of Associate Musicians across Scotland for delivering such meaningful and fun sessions to young people up and down the country! We can’t wait to see what 2025-26 brings!

// Image Description - A very brightly coloured poster shows the following information:
Drake Music Scotland LEARN 2024-25. 237 Teachers Trained. 1,400 young people with the majority of those being primary and early years. 60 schools in 15 local authorities. 1,038 sessions which equates to 2,971 hours.

Quotes: "This is about so much more than just the music for our pupils"; "I can't believe my mum is going to come and watch me play"; "...A wow moment was seeing a pupil become instantly completely absorbed, staying at the session for 35 minutes... A real turning point in her overall development...".

There are several images of young people - a girl looking down with both hands playing Thumbjam on iPad; a girl sitting on a chair playing chime bars on a table; a girl standing and dancing playing a bodhran drum; two boys sharing a keyboard pressing down the keys; and Associate Musician Stuart, helping a boy to play a djembe drum.

24/07/2025

Don't miss out!

Book your place now to get access to the early bird rate.
https://figurenotes.org/developing-your-practice/

Training for music educators. Learn accessible practices using Figurenotes as a tool.

Early bird rate ends 25th July, so don't miss out.

08/07/2025

We’re happy to see such wealth of experience the new SMIA Board members are bringing to the table. Our Chief Executive Thursa Sanderson is a current Board member and as a champion of less well represented, diverse & marginalised voices is excited about future prospects for the organisation as it champions Scotland’s thriving music sector and huge array of talent. 🎶🎤🎧🎹