Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru / National Assembly for Pwyllgor Diwylliant, y Gymraeg a Chyfathrebu / Culture, and Communications Committee Diwydiant Cerddoriaeth yng Nghymru / Music Industry in Wales CWLC M01 Ymateb gan Gymdeithas Offerynnau Traddodiadol Cymru / The Society for the Traditional Instruments of Wales

Submission to the Wales Cultural Committee Inquiry on the future of live music in Wales [k

1. We have a valuable resource in our traditional music Why is it that the Irish, Scottish and take full advantage of their musical heritage whilst \wales, reputed to be the Land of Song clearly fails to do so? We are at last recognising and exploiting Wales' physical assets, geographical and structural assets which draw in substantial income from tourism. How long will it be before we catch up with the other in valuing and sharing our traditional music not just to draw tourists but also to reinforce a cultural identity to those who spend their lives in Wales? Twenty years ago it was far more likely to hear Irish music played in pubs in Wales than Welsh music, and a Wales Tourist Board promotion video caused a stir by using Irish background music. The position is significantly improved since then, but we still havea long way to go.

2. We need to exploit our cultural resources Our contention is that we should adopt a development strategy which recognises and exploits the value of our native culture, not as a fossilised package kept in a neat glass case but as a living, vibrant and actively participative entity. We should positively encourage active amateur and professional participation in music with our own musical heritage forming the platform for this.

3. We don't give our traditional music the recognition it deserves It seems that the scant respect given to our traditional music here in Wales is the result of a century of an inferiority complex when it comes to the presence of our folk traditions unless they are well dressed. The chapel years brought respectability to Wales and with it an embarrasment with raw, spontaneous music best brushed under the carpet. The mass media years rendered informal, imperfect inferior to the respectful, sanitised, wholly rehearsed stage performance of music from the international stage.

4. We already have events bodies which actively promote our music Tŷ Gwerin is now a well-established part of the National which has grown year by year since 2009. It is a collaborative effort involving the Eisteddfod itself, the Arts Council for Wales which provides funding support, trac (Traddodiadau Cymru), the Welsh Folk Dance Society and Clera. It is focal point where all aspects of our folk traditions are brought together and combines the talents of professionals and amateurs and shows the potential that exists. trac (is a charity created to develop aspects of presenting folk culture in Wales, principally in music but also in dance, folk traditions and story-telling. It receives significant grant support from the Wales Arts Council for the promotion and development of folk performers from children to seasoned professionals. Clera, the Society for the Traditional Music of Wales has a strong track record in encouraging amateur players to learn and play our traditional tunes and play our traditional music together in the growing number of Tune Clubs and informal Welsh sessions across Wales. The Wales Arts Council has supported three major projects organised by Clera to foster its work - Sesiwn dros Gymru with its workshops and sessions, Alawon Cymru which promoted tune clubs and produce a tune book of tune sets suitable for sessions and Telynor Cymru which promoted the playing of the Welsh triple . It is now becoming possible to hear our old Welsh tunes played by amateurs in informal sessions - in pubs, cafes, in the open air and in churches, as well as on the Maes of the National Eisteddfod where Tŷ Gwerin is the focus. In 2008, the Clera folk orchestra, Y Glerorfa with over 40 players and significant support from the Arts Council of Wales led the Welsh representation at the Festival InterCeltique de Lorient in France; ten years later, its place was taken by Pendevig which included many young Clera members..

5. The importance of fostering amateur music to developing our musical talents as a nation Our musical needs a pyramid of participants where the broad, imperfect base of amateur players provides a foundation for the building of musical talent. From the base upwards, the flourishing of each layer nutures each subsequent layer up to the pinnacle of perfomers of international standard. The strategy for sustaining and developing live music in Wales needs to recognise this pyramid structure as the foundation for nurturing the talents that exist here. There certainly is a need to have venues where talented performers can play to an enthusiastic audience and inspire others who will themselves develop their talents, but for such development to take root, the ground needs to be fertile so that it gives confidence and experience so as to provide a vital foundation from which musical talent can grow.

6. The status of Welsh traditional music in our music colleges is largely ignored In contrast to the well respected place of traditional music in the higher education courses in Scottish institutions, it has little support in courses in Wales; jazz, an American folk tradition receives more attention than our own music in the Welsh College.

7. Encouraging the playing of Welsh music generates and enhances the motivation to learn Welsh An addional benefit provided by the encouragement of the playing of our music in Welsh tune clubs and sessions is the way the tunes and songs generate an interest in the language and have encouraged many to learn more of it. In the words of an experienced tutor of Welsh to adult in the eastern valleys: "We are finding that our Welsh adult learners here are more and more interested in traditional Welsh music. So much so that we run a monthly folk session run through the medium of Welsh for learners and native speakers, which is flourishing. We also hold a weekly Welsh learners' choir, who sing mainly traditional folk songs. "Last October, Learn Welsh Gwent held a day of traditional folk music, singing, clog dancing and storytelling, called Diwrnod Gwerin Gwent, which was open to all levels of Welsh learners and also non-Welsh speakers. A number of non-Welsh speakers came along and as a result of this day people signed up to learn Welsh on our mainstream WJEC courses and are still learning now. "The proportion of people learning Welsh who attend the folk sessions in this area is much higher than the national average of those learning Welsh in the general population, proving the link between learning Welsh and a rediscovery of traditional Welsh cultural traditions, as encouraged by organisations such as Clera and Trac. "The music and understanding even the basics of the words and tune titles manages to engage those with even a basic understanding of Welsh and gives them some ownership of their history and culture with which they can engage and pursue if they wish."

8. Summary Welsh traditional music is a neglected resource which should feed our live music here both in formal, professional performance and in informal, spontaneous sessions. We should examine and emulate the energising role it plays in the economies of and , famous and emulated across the world and drawing visitors enthused by the cultures of those countries. We need to promote the informal playing of Welsh traditional music; such development would not only benefit Wales culturally, but also economically.

9. Recommendation One significant practical step in promoting the informal playing of Welsh traditional music would be to emulate the practice in Scotland and Ireland by initiating a system of paying session leaders in bars. Such a system would become self-financing for the establishments; it could be kick-started by a funded programme run as an Arts Concil of Wales intiative in collaboration with the Ministers for the Welsh Language and Culture and administered by Clera or Trac. It would be a pleasure to express these views in person to the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee.

Meurig Williams Chair, Clera, Cymdeithas Offerynnau Traddodiadol Cymru The Society for the Traditional Instruments of Wales www.clera.org www.sesiwn.com www.alawoncymru.com www.telynor.cymru