Annual Report 2006-2007

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MISSIONSTATEMENT

AIMS

OBJECTIVES

The Firebird Trust is a pioneering music organisation, committed to artisticexcellence. It is founded on the principle of inspiring, including and empoweringpeople through a creative involvement in music making.

To develop Firebird’s position as a leader in the field of collaborative musicmaking, artform development and artistic excellence, through the developmentand support of creative and dynamic relationships between artists andcommunities of interest.

ArtisticDesign and carry out a wide range of projects and programmes of work

Ensure that the work is musically inclusive and of the highest possible standardin its context

Ensure personal and professional development of artists

Maximise partnerships with other relevant bodies

Ensure quality control by monitoring and evaluation systems

Governance and OrganisationalMaintain appropriate managerial resources

Ensure that the principle of equality of opportunity underpins the work

FinancialConsolidate and broaden the funding of Firebird’s existing work and newinitiatives

Ensure value for money

MarketingMarket the work regionally and, where appropriate, nationally; to promote workwidely

Raise awareness and be an advocate for collaborative music making ofexceptional quality in cultural, social and life-long learning policies

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Chair’s Report

Welcome to the 23rd Annual Report from the FirebirdTrust and the final report of the organisation that wasoriginally set up in 1984. The charity will soon bedissolved. Yet, this is not the end of our activities. Anew charitable company, Firebird Trust Ltd, has beenformed to replace it and take on the operation andassets of the original organisation. In the presentclimate, the constitution of the original trust was notseen as the most secure and suitable legal frameworkfor an arts organisation and, after taking plenty ofadvice from funding bodies, arts organisations andcolleagues, we see the new structure as the mostsuitable vehicle to take Firebird into the 21st century.

This puts me in the unique position of chairing thefinal meetings of an organisation that has played asignificant role in the development of innovative andcutting edge music, delivering it to new audiencesand communities across the East Midlands. Over theyears, led by the trustees and delivered by amagnificent team of directors, officers and artists, theTrust has gained national and regional respect at alllevels. I take this opportunity to thank everyonewho has played a role in bringing Firebird to where itis today.

However, this is not an obituary. I am now chairing anexciting new company, led by the same Board ofTrustees, now called Directors, and still known as TheFirebird Trust. We intend to continue our work andmove the organisation ever forward, building on pastglories and forever looking positively to the future.

I will leave the report of the activities andachievements of the Trust to Simon in the Director’sReport and focus on the main work of the Board sincethe last report. Much of its time and attention hasfocused on the creation of the new company. I think Ican safely say that none of us had any idea of thejourney upon which we were embarking when webegan this exercise. There have been demanding andoccasionally frustrating times, but for me, and I thinkfor my fellow trustees, it has been a fascinatinglearning experience. I feel sure it has made us astronger Board, ready to take Firebird on into thefuture. Issues of governance have been, and are stillbeing, addressed and I hope to see the new companybuilding on Firebird’s legacy. There are lots of plansfor new ventures and, with continued support fromour funding partners, we will play a significant role inthe creation of new music and deliver it to an everwidening range of audiences and communities.

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Chair’s Report continued

Diversity was a watchword with Firebird long beforeit became the political buzzword it is today. Lateralthinking continues to drive in new projects, as in ourcollaboration with Native American musician, HawkHenries, in East Lindsey. We will especially supportthe work of the most highly skilled and creative ofmusicians in the UK, as shown by our lead role inacquiring the funding for and managing MatthewBarley‘s innovative project, “Enough Space forEveryone”, and continuing to encourage all artists totake the plunge and move into new territory.

I can think of no better way to sign away the oldorganisation while looking forward to exciting newdevelopments than to say:

“The Firebird Trust is dead.Long live the Firebird Trust”

Dave Groom

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Director’s Report

Encountering and considering new ideas, engagingwith the thinkers behind them, and developing adesire and ability to question the status quo are, Ibelieve, crucial factors in establishing and maintaininga healthy creative life for both individuals andorganisations. Furthermore, those encounters thathave had the greatest effect on my own professionaland personal development have often originated infields of endeavour outside my own immediate areaof expertise and knowledge.

One of the first education projects on which I workedupon entering the world of community arts in themid-nineties combined my own training and workwith Javanese gamelan with the creative force of localvisual artists. Over the years continuing collaborationswith creative people from outside the musicprofession have had at least as much impact on myown work as an arts practitioner, administrator andmanager as those of, for example, community music.

Similarly in January 2006, having been at Firebird forlittle under a year, a chance hearing of an edition ofthe BBC’s “In Business” programme on Radio 4 gaveme a unique insight into the potential of theorganisation for which I now work and provided newexpression to the aspirations that lie at its foundations,in particular, its methodologies for engaging withartists and communities.

The programme looked at the ideas and practices ofcertain business leaders in the UK (e.g. GerardFairtlough), the United States (e.g. Dee Hock, PeterSenge) and Brazil (Richardo Semler) who have beenlooking to change prevailing attitudes regarding whatconstitutes effective management and organisationalstructure. They are all actively challenging acceptedviews regarding the rule of “command and control”structures that underpin the hierarchies of many majorcompanies. Above all, from my own perspective, theyall displayed a concern to devolve power andresponsibility down more appropriately to the lowestpoints within a given infrastructure and combine theirown visions for empowering individuals andencouraging autonomous action with robust andsuccessful business models suitable for the twentyfirst century.

Whilst the inner workings of large globalconglomerates may be a world away from theoperation of a small regional arts organisation in theEast Midlands, their ideas suggest a synergy with theaims and objectives of Firebird and the aspirations ofthe arts sector as a whole that I find hard to ignore. Itraises questions as to what extent the operation ofFirebird can emulate such models and the extent towhich it is already doing so. Perhaps in the end, mostimportantly, it has opened up for Firebird a whole newarea of thinking.

Our current work in the Derbyshire Dales and ourstewardship of the “Good Vibrations – Gamelan in

Prisons” project relies to a large extent for theirsuccess on what Gerard Fairtlough describes as“responsible autonomy”1. Project operation hasdepended on the contracting of talented, multi-skilledindividuals who can lead complex, multi-facetedstrands of work with little overt direction from thecore of the organisation. The responsibility that theseindividuals take on for delivery of Firebird’s work andthe trust that must be maintained between all partiesis a rare commodity. The dividends that their successbrings to Firebird are great and a key component inmaintaining our profile across the region. The benefitsthey bring to the communities of interest involved arelikewise immeasurable. The advantages, particularlyfor a small organisation with a regional remit, are thatthis modus operandi effectively helps to increasecapacity and allows the core of the organisation tofocus actively on new ventures and new activity ofstrategic importance.

“Enough Space for Everyone” and “Hawk Henries –Encounters and Collaborations” are two such projectsrepresenting new areas of endeavour for Firebird thatcan justifiably be termed as innovative andpioneering, and represent strands of work andpartnerships whose inceptions stretch back to my firstfew months at the organisation in 2005. Theirculminations are also neatly placed at the cusp ofFirebird’s incorporation as a company limited byguarantee and both falling within what has becomethe extended final financial year of the originalcharity. Projects such as these act like large pebblesdropped into a small pond, creating great ripples ofenthusiasm and interest, but which are more oftenthan not short lived. The greater challenge is to act tosustain this work and create a viable legacy that istruly embedded in the community in the long term.

At the initial meeting of the new East Midlands Arts inRural Areas Network (EMARAN) earlier in the year Iwas struck by guest speakers, Lesley Bradshaw(Terrington Arts) and Hugues de Varine(www.interactions-online.com), as well FrancoisMatarasso (Chair of Arts Council England EastMidlands), arguing that arts development in ruralcommunities should unfold and develop over a 10,15, or 20 year span, and the means to achievingsuccess in this context is best progressed through aconsistent series of small steps. Whilst this mightappear a somewhat challenging goal within thecurrent world of 3-year funding agreements,considering the effect this might have on both artistsand communities may, of course, still be debated.

I recently put forward the proposition to a potentialfunding body that Firebird’s work in the DerbyshireDales may achieve more if, rather than securing asubstantial slice of funding for a two or three yearproject (i.e. the large pebble), smaller amounts offunding were guaranteed for a longer period of time– even to the extent that the net cost over this periodto the funder remained the same. Whilst this specific

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Director’s Report continued

own right, and it will be gratifying to assist thissuccessful and highly respected project become aviable venture independent of Firebird.

We have seen a number of personnel changes overthe year with the organisation’s first everAdministrator, James Parkinson, leaving us in May2006, followed by the departure of his successor,Andrea Garnett in January 2007. Both were capableand valued staff members who have now moved onto new challenges – James as a regional coordinatorbased at Newark and Sherwood District Council forYouth Music’s Gallery 37 project and Andrea asExaminations Officer at Lincoln College.

Anne Williams, our present administrator, joined us inMarch 2007 and has quickly and ably taken on therole with great enthusiasm and competence and Ilook forward to working with her over the comingyear and beyond.

I am sure the year ahead for Firebird and many otherorganisations in the arts may well be a challengingone. Although the Government’s spending review hasresulted in a favourable settlement for the arts, withthe 2012 Olympics clearly on the horizon and alreadydrawing on lottery funding, it is clear that we areentering a potentially unsettling period for the arts inEngland. However, I do look forward to the yearsbeyond 2012 and the sector’s claim on the artsdividend that will be delivered once the games arefinished and its legacy takes hold! Nevertheless,whether now or in 2012, it will always remainimportant for Firebird to reaffirm its core strengths ofinvesting in artists, supporting disadvantaged groups,seeding and catalysing new initiatives whilst wecontinue to develop a reputation for innovative andpioneering work across the region.

Finally, as always, I must thank Firebird’s trustees fortheir support over the year as well as the extremelyvalued work of our project managers and artists. Wealso extend our gratitude to the various organisationsand institutions that have supported and funded ourwork this year and without whom the benefits weendeavour to bring to communities and artists wouldbe greatly diminished.

Simon Steptoe

1 The Three Ways of Getting Things Done: Hierarchy,Heterarchy & Responsible Autonomy in Organization(2005), Triarchy Press.

debate remains somewhat unresolved I am stillintrigued as to the possible effects on artsinfrastructures of substantially lengthening the termsof project funding whilst decreasing the rate at whichfunds are drawn down and the potential advantagesfor all involved.

The focus of our Service Level Agreement withLincolnshire County Council will now concentrate onthe villages of Binbrook and Brookenby situatedrespectively in the districts of East and West Lindsey.However, this will not be the first time Firebird – orindeed other arts agencies – have worked with thesecommunities. Unresolved issues clearly still remain. Inthis context I am keen that our coming work therewill not be another pebble!

One project that cannot be accused of being a short-term endeavour is “Good Vibrations – Gamelan inPrisons”, currently our longest continuousprogramme of work. This is due no doubt to theenergy, enthusiasm and commitment of its ProjectDirector, Cathy Eastburn, who brought the project toFirebird in 2003 and who continues to lead itsexpansion across a whole range of custodialinstitutions nationally. Indeed, Good Vibrations hasgrown to such an extent that we are now discussingthe steps that must be taken to guide this projectinto constituting formally as an organisation in its

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Firebird’s commitment to the artistic and professionaldevelopment of musicians and artists, deliveredthrough individual one-to-one support as well as moreformal programmes, is a key component underpinningour evolution and future direction. Indeed, for manyyears it has been embedded to some degree ineverything the organisation has done. Encouragingartist and artform development whilst balancing theneeds of artists and their communities of interest islikewise an over-arching and consistent theme. Settingup innovative programmes that explore these needsand their attendant relationships is always a drivingforce behind each new initiative. Over the last yearwe have explored these ideas in a variety of ways.

In partnership with Lincolnshire Dance, and throughour combined roles as agents for Activate inLincolnshire, we have provided opportunities forartists from all artforms in the county to explore thedevelopment of their businesses in the arts andeducation market. With the core programmeessentially geared towards supporting the marketingand business acumen of artists, we have been able todraw on our shared experiences of mentoring andcoaching with specialist artform knowledge to linktheory with practice and bring an agenda to raise thequality of workshop delivery and artistic practice intothe heart of the programme.

Whilst our work on Activate has been acomprehensive drawing together of many differenttraining elements over a condensed period of time(i.e. processing two cohorts of beneficiary artists, atotal of over 20 individuals, in less than 12 months),continuing professional development for artistsworking on Good Vibrations, on the other hand, hastaken a rather different path.

In 2006, through a succession of discussions withGood Vibrations Project Director, Cathy Eastburn, andthe project’s team of gamelan specialists, a number ofchallenges surrounding their recent work with youngoffenders were identified and earmarked as a pressingarea for further examination and reflection. In August2006, a training day for the team was organised atour offices in Wellingore with Mike Beard, Director ofTherapeutic Services for theSPACE and a seniorconsultant practitioner for Human GivensConsultancy, and Sean Flynn. Mike and Sean ably ledthe team through the day and greatly deepenedeveryone’s understanding of young offenders andtheir relationships with one other, with the custodialinstitutions in which they live, and with all the variouspeople with whom they come into contact.

Inevitably, addressing such issues leads to morequestions and brings to the surface a variety ofopinions as to the most productive way forward.Evaluating the training day with each of the artists anumber of themes began to emerge. Firstly, the needto acquire and develop a range of enhancedfacilitation skills that offers the potential to expand,

not only the scope of Good Vibrations in terms of itsproject delivery, but also the quality of interaction thateach individual artist brings to their own work.Secondly, the importance of continuing to examinethe gamelan traditions of Indonesia, deepening andexpanding the knowledge base of the gamelancommunity in the UK. Finally, and arguably mostimportantly, the provision of opportunities for artiststo reflect further on professional and artisticdevelopment needs.

Firebird has been exploring these options over thepast few months and, in discussion with consultantand facilitator, Evan Root, from Kindling Point, a two-stage programme has been drafted that includes:

� a two-day residential for artists within the UKgamelan community focusing on exploringindividual training needs and pinpointing thesupport that each requires;

� a follow-up programme specifically gearedtowards those artists wishing to explore thedevelopment of enhanced facilitation skills with aspecific emphasis on working in challengingsettings.

Acquiring the funding to bring this programme ofevents to fruition will form a central part of Firebird’soperational strategy over the coming year.

As the Good Vibrations artists continue to progresswith their own development so does the project itself.Earlier in the year Cathy Eastburn worked withconsultant, Andrew Woodgate, to examine theproject’s future strategic development. This includedconsidering whether it is time for Good Vibrations toconstitute itself as an organisation in its own right,one that is sustainable in the long term and, crucially,independent of Firebird. The consultation processinvolved Cathy Eastburn, Firebird’s Director SimonSteptoe, and the Good Vibrations artistic team and,following subsequent talks with Arts Council EnglandEast Midlands, Cathy put forward a new proposal toGrants for the Arts that contained a staged plan overnearly two years to research the viability ofindependence and move gradually towardsconstituting a new organisation to take over theproject’s portfolio of activities. I am delighted to reportthat the proposal has now been successful andFirebird is looking forward to working alongside Cathyto bring her plans to fruition.

Continuing Professional Development

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Enough Space for Everyone, based on an originalidea by musician and cellist, Matthew Barley,provided young people from both special needs andmainstream education sectors with opportunities toexplore themes based on astronomy and spaceexploration with professional musicians, scientistsand astronomers.

In commenting on the project’s successful applicationto its Performing Arts Small Grants Programme theproject’s main funder, Clore Duffield Foundation, wasimpressed by the quality of artistic ideasunderpinning the proposal, particularly the scientificinspiration for the project, as well as the range andscope of partners involved. These included:

Although Firebird’s approach to CPD is closely aligned with Artist and Artform Development, there are alwaysprojects taking place over the year whose worth to the musicians and artists involved, at least in terms of theopportunities they afford, are clearly weighted in favour of the latter. These projects provide the context andcreative environment to experiment with new ideas, to engage in new experiences, to encourage the artist toexplore boundaries and sometimes even to push beyond them. Hawk Henries – Encounters andCollaborations, and Enough Space for Everyone are two such examples.

Artist and Artform Development

� Musicians Matthew Barley (Director), PaulGriffiths, Frasier Trainer, Pete Whyman, and SamWalton – members of the experimental musicalensemble, “Between the Notes”

� Scientists and astronomers John Lees, NigelBannister, Gillian Butcher, Darren Baskill, DavidBoyce – lecturers at the Department of Physicsand Astronomy, University of Leicester.

� The Richard Attenborough Centre

� Leicester City Council

� National Space Centre, Leicester

� Schools Development Support Agency, Leicester

� Arts in Education Centre, Leicester

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This broad range of partners and practitioners fromtwo distinct sectors offered fertile ground forcreativity and the specific opportunity for musiciansto work alongside scientists on a project balancingboth areas of inquiry is rare. Topics such as “TheRhythmic Beat of Cataclysmically Varying Stars”,“The Largest Sound in the Universe” and “SpaceJourneys and Travels in the Solar System” give asmall insight into the unique inspiration and creativeboost the project gave to all involved.

Beyond the immediate benefits for the musicians theproject has also proved vital in setting up newpartnerships for Firebird in the city of Leicester andthe county of Leicestershire and there is now a firmfoundation on which to build future projects.

Firebird prides itself on the honesty and opennesswith which we evaluate all our endeavours – indeedthese are part of our core values – and in our finalreport to the Clore Duffield Foundation, which wasfound to be “detailed”, “candid” and which “clearly

addressed issues of concern”, we cited threeimportant recommendations for future activity,including:

� developing a more equitable balance betweenthe input of the musicians and scientists;

� drawing more on the skills and experiences oflocal musicians and artists to ensure legacy ofprovision;

� achieving better integration of mainstream andspecial needs groups and examining cross-artsapproaches to achieve this goal.

Hawk Henries – Encounters and Collaborationssimilarly owes its success to the involvement of a widerange of partners, in particular East Lindsey DistrictCouncil and the London Mozart Players. Funded byArts Council England, the District Council andOrchestras Live and administered through the LondonMozart Players East Lindsey Residency SteeringGroup, the project was designed to link in thequartercentenary celebrations in the USA of thefounding of Jamestown in Virginia – the firstpermanent European settlement in North America –and the life and work of its founder, Captain JohnSmith, born in the Lincolnshire village of Willoughby.

For our visiting musician, Hawk Henries, an AmericanIndian musician/traditional flute player and storyteller,the project represented an exciting opportunity tovisit the UK and collaborate with professionalmusicians and share his knowledge, skills andexperiences with people and communities in thedistrict. Of specific interest here is his engagementwith two groups of musicians: the first, a small groupof freelance musicians resident in the district; theother, the London Mozart Players.

Local musicians, Pat McCarthy (jazz guitar), WarrenJolly (bass), Dave Tomlinson (keyboards) and LauraBurns (viola) were contracted to work alongside Hawkon a two-day mini-residency at the Manor House inAlford. The purpose of the residency was to offer themusicians an open-ended platform to shareexperiences, explore new territory and collaborate onthe production of new work. The results, presented ina one-hour concert on the evening of the second day,far exceeded our expectations, with a wide range ofnew compositions combining aspects of jazz, folk,classical and Hawk’s own traditional music performed.The most unusual piece of the evening, and evidenceof the success not only of the residency but also ofthe ease at which the musicians were in each others’company, was a composition featuring the wholegroup playing flutes from Hawk’s own extensivecollection, including some from places as far flung asIndonesia and Hawaii. Reminiscent of music from theisland of Bali, this piece was, in itself, an expression ofthe musical journey each of the musicians hadundertaken during the course of only two short days.

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In contrast, Hawk’s collaboration with the LondonMozart Players (LMP), was a more formal affair.Having been commissioned to write a solo melodyprior to his departure to the UK, Hawk’s newlycomposed piece was passed – on an mp3 via email –first onto transcriber, Anthony Bailey, and then ontoarranger, Adam Saunders, who composed a texturefor string orchestra around Hawk’s solo flute line.The first rehearsal in London at The Warehouse withthe LMP was an interesting encounter for allconcerned and clearly demonstrated the verydifferent musical worlds in which Hawk and the LMPlive. For Hawk, who until this project had neverplayed his flute together with other musicians in anensemble, the experience was challenging. Thepressured routine of a professional orchestra and, inparticular, its necessary adherence to Western staffnotation – something that Hawk is not conversantwith – was unknown territory. However, the

sympathetic response that the two parties affordedeach other (demonstrating the degree to whichorchestras today can be truly flexible and skilfulinterpreters of all manner of musics) resulted in agradual evolution of the piece over its three publicperformances in Louth, Alford and Skegness,fascinating to observe, and which resulted in awondrously evocative piece superbly suited to thereverberant spaces in which it was played.

Both Enough Space for Everyone and Hawk Henries –Encounters and Collaborations have reaffirmed thevalue of Firebird as a specialist artform agency, onethat provides a bespoke and specialised service toartists and our partners, helping the former to raisetheir aspirations and achieve their creative and artisticvisions, whilst providing the latter with a high level ofexperience and practical support that we believe ispossibly unmatched in the sector.

Artist and Artform Development continued

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The care and attention that Firebird pays to thebrokering of relationships between artists andcommunities is arguably the cornerstone of oursuccess and reputation in the sector. Of course, mostprojects require this process to be embeddedthroughout their operation. Yet there are alsoinitiatives where this is an overriding consideration insetting up the project and one which marks acommon thread in delivery.

Sally Goldsmith’s work for Firebird in the DerbyshireDales, entitled Songs on the Map, encompasses atotal of six villages (Brailsford, Doveridge, HullandWard, Longford, Marston Montgomery andSudbury) and is a fascinating example of the time,skill and effort that is required to bring artists andcommunities together. Following an intensive periodof action research at the end of 2006, Sally has beenspending that last six months working with localgroups in these communities to write and composenew songs that in some way reflect local peoples'connections with the places in which they live. InSudbury, Sally worked school children from the localprimary school, who wrote a song about their“crinkle-crankle” wall, and the Senior Citizens Club,who composed a song reflecting on their collectivememories of the village, bringing the two together ina delightful sharing on a sunny May afternoon.Revisiting the groups later in the year Sally has foundthat the event has had a positive effect in this smallcommunity: the school – only recently out of specialmeasures – is now seen as more welcoming and agood place for learning whilst the older people seemmore open about future involvements. Sally’s otherinitiatives have included working with youth groupsin Longford and Marston Montgomery, the churchchoir and primary school in Brailsford, the SeniorCitizens Group in Doveridge and the Luncheon Cluband primary school in Hulland Ward.

The potential and power of this intergenerationalwork, an important strand of much of what Sallydoes, to foster social cohesion should not beunderestimated. Neither should the time it takes tobring these plans to fruition. An important part ofthe process so far has been bringing the possibilitiesinherent in community arts and music to theattention of people in these communities. Thesuccess of Sally’s work here rests to a large extent inthe way in which she has gradually drawn the peopleshe has met into her world of creative music-makingand to bring them with her to the point at whichthey will be able to conjure up their own creativeinitiatives. When they do Firebird will be on handto assist.

Sally’s work is currently being documented via anonline blog at www.songsonthemap.blogspot.comand she will be producing a report on her work todate in October 2007 which will outline thesuccesses of the project and recommend next stepswith each of the communities.

Elsewhere in Derbyshire Firebird has been continuingto work with Springwell Community School inStaveley devising a follow-on project to the gamelanand dance residency delivered there in March 2006.Through a careful and detailed consultation with theschool it was determined that the most fruitful andsustainable path forward would be to concentrate onthe vocal talents of their pupils and use this, not onlyto enhance skills and confidence, but also as afoundation to draw in parents and guardians anddevelop a more communally cohesive project.Musicians, Dave “Stickman” Higgins and RikkiThomas Martinez – who will joined by GaryHammond in September – have already startedvisiting the school and are poised to commence aseries of weekly evening sessions this autumn.

On one level whilst it may be disappointing that theschool did not register further interest in the gamelanand dance activities of the original residency,discussing future need and examining with themways in which to enhance the range of opportunitiesthe schools offers its pupils and community is at onceboth challenging and exciting. For Firebird, it is notonly about finding an area of music that fulfils theexpressed need of the school and its pupils but alsoabout bringing in the right artists and finding a wayto create sustainable relationships between all parties.

Firebird’s current focus in Lincolnshire is alsoattempting to solve this equation. Over the past fewmonths, freelance arts consultant, and previously anarts officer with West Lindsey District Council,Leanne Taylor, has been visiting groups in the EastLindsey village of Binbrook and its neighbour in WestLindsey, Brookenby, the two villages which share acommon heritage through Brookenby’s previousincarnation as RAF Binbrook. Leanne’s report gives usa detailed overview of these communities, identifyingpotential partners and groups and outliningrecommendations for future project work.

Communities of Interest

Javanese gamelan has, over recent years, become an important part of Firebird’s work whether through ourmanagement of the Lincoln City Gamelan or through innovative uses of the instruments on projects such asGood Vibrations. Despite the excellent work of a small number of specially trained artists who have beenrunning gamelan projects in schools and communities across the region, the Lincoln City Gamelan itself isalways in danger of becoming an underused resource. Indeed, in our opinion, the full potential of theinstruments to bring benefits communities and individuals remains untapped.

Over the year we have been working to address these issues in a number of ways:

� Encouraging use by non-specialistsFirebird is keen that the gamelan be seen as a resource for all musicians and artists working in the region.Firebird is taking the view that it is becoming increasingly crucial to expand interest in the instrumentsfurther by providing suitable opportunities for non-specialist musicians (i.e. those without specific trainingin the traditions of Javanese music) to use them on their own projects. Notably, the gamelan was used togreat effect on Enough Space for Everyone under the direction of Matthew Barley and his group,“Between the Notes”, and had an important role to play in bringing the special needs group onto an equalfooting with the more musically experienced participants.

� Provision of training to enhance the facilitation skills of gamelan specialistsSupporting the very talented specialists who operate in this field is, however, equally important. As notedabove, Firebird, in conjunction with the Good Vibrations team, is working towards developing a newtraining programme specifically to enhance facilitation skills. The dividends of this approach? Firstly, it willenable these gamelan specialists to bring their skills and talents to an increasingly wider audience.Secondly, this new training model will have potential benefits for any specialist professional musician (e.g.an orchestral musician) working in the fields of education and community music.

� Encouraging third parties to use the Lincoln City Gamelan and provide support for newinitiativesAs a resource for the city, county and region, the Lincoln City Gamelan is being used in a wide variety ofcontexts. Local arts agency, ArtsNK, used the instruments on its 2006 MADD Summer School and,together with North Kesteven District Council and Childrens Link, on the Welbourn Village Residency.Freelance musicians and gamelan specialists, Nikki Kemp and Kathy Berg, continue to develop their ownwork around the instruments. Firebird has also taken the step of providing in-kind support (throughunderwriting room hire and tutor costs) to the Community Gamelan group based in Lincoln in order toprovide continuity to their programme of work whilst between funding streams. Finally, funds were alsosecured from Lincolnshire County Council through their Healthy Communities Grants Scheme, to contractKathy Berg to set up an offshoot of the group in the form of a Family Group.

� Utilising Firebird’s in-house knowledge of traditional gamelan genresThrough our current repository of knowledge and experience of gamelan in all its forms, Firebird has beenable to provide a degree of direct and specialist support to individuals and agencies around the regionincluding assisting Nikki Kemp further develop her skills in traditional forms as well as supportingNusantara, a South-East Asian performing arts organisation based in Nottingham.

� Working with agencies to develop a broader cultural wrapper for the arts and culture ofIndonesia and to foster creative tradeIndonesia is more than just the island of Java. Its culture is more than just gamelan and more than just thetraditional genres that many UK gamelan specialists are conversant with. Accordingly, Firebird has beenworking with the University of Lincoln, Lincoln City Council and the Indonesian government via theIndonesian Embassy in London to broaden the cultural context of which gamelan forms a part. Thisincludes fostering relationships between the University and academic institutions in Indonesia andproviding links across a whole range of possible creative trade initiatives. This is, without a doubt, a long-term process but moving forward on this agenda with our partners is an area of endeavour to which weare fully committed.

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Gamelan

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DIA

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Extended Programmes of Work

ActivateATC’s business development programme for artistsfunded through Arts Council England and theEuropean Social Fund. As county agents for theprogramme in Lincolnshire, Firebird and LincolnshireDance worked with over 20 artists from a range ofdisciplines supported by 8 facilitators. Theprogramme provided support for artists indeveloping their businesses within the arts andeducation sector through a mixture of seminars,action groups, trade fairs, and one-to-onementoring.

Good Vibrations – Gamelan in PrisonsA major national project for Firebird using gamelaninstruments as a tool for developing the teamworking and key skills of prisoners in a wide range ofcustodial institutions including secure hospitals andYoung Offenders Institutions.

South Derbyshire DalesFirebird is working across two clusters of 6 villagessituated in the southern area of the DerbyshireDales. Managed and delivered by musician, SallyGoldsmith, the current pilot project, Songs on theMap, has helped local people, through song-writingand creative music making, reflect on theirconnections with the places in which they live. Theproject is currently being documented by Sally via anonline blog: www.songsonthemap.blogspot.com.The project has been supported this year byDerbyshire County Council and Derbyshire DalesDistrict Council.

Rhythm and RhymeFirebird has continued its association with DerbyshireCounty Council’s under-5s music project byundertaking a detailed evaluation during a year thathas seen the project’s pool of artists expanded toinclude musicians from one of the region’s toporchestras, Sinfonia Viva. The evaluation programmewas devised and managed by freelance consultant,Melissa Dobson.

Project and Residencies

ArtsNK MADD Summer School/WelbournVillage ProjectTwo cross-arts residencies operated by local artsagency, ArtsNK, and its partners over the Summer of2006, showcasing Lincoln City’s set of JavaneseGamelan instruments. Sessions were led bymusicians, Nikki Kemp and Kathy Berg at the SummerSchool and Kathy Berg at Welbourn.

Community Gamelan GroupFirebird’s role this year has been primarily to provideoccasional in-kind support for the group with thespecific aim of creating a financial safety net toenable the group to continue meeting over periodswhen they have been unable to draw on otherfunding streams. The group is growing in strengthand experience and has performed at The Drill Hall inLincoln and, under the tutelage of Nikki Kemp, at the“Gamelanthon” as part of the celebrations aroundthe re-opening of the Festival Hall and South BankCentre. A Family Group has also been initiated withfunds through Lincolnshire County Council’s HealthyCommunities Grants Scheme to provide bespoketuition to families with a specific remit to cover awide range of ages.

Diary of Project and Events

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Enough Space for EveryoneCulminating at the Richard Attenborough Centre inFebruary 2006, this unique project provided youngpeople in the Leicester area with an opportunity towork with professional musicians and scientists toexplore the connections between these two verydifferent disciplines and, in particular, examineconcepts underpinning the science of astronomy andspace travel.

Springwell Community SchoolFollowing consultation with the school and its pupils,Firebird’s relationship with the school is moving into anew phase that will concentrate on developing thevocal talents of its students with an emphasis onusing skills attained to examine issues of identity anddevelop self-confidence. At the end of April 2006,Dave “Stickman” Higgins and Rikki Thomas Martinezran taster sessions for pupils at the school inpreparation for an ongoing series of workshopsscheduled to take place in September 2006 whenthey will be joined by Gary Hammond.

Hawk Henries – Encounters andCollaborationsOriginally designed to link with the quatercentenarycelebrations of the founding of Jamestown in Virginiaand its founder, Captain John Smith, this projectcentred around native American musician andstoryteller, Hawk Henries, who travelled to theLincolnshire District of East Lindsey for a two-weekresidency during which he collaborated with localmusicians and the London Mozart Players, andshared his music, life, experiences and knowledgewith local people. The project was generouslysupported by East Lindsey District Council andGrants for the Arts.

Arts Celebration at Lincoln CastleOn Sunday 15th July 2006, musician, Nikki Kemp,led a group of 15 pupils from North Kesteven HighSchool in a short performance of gamelan music –traditional pieces as well as compositions written bythe pupils – as part of the Arts Celebration eventorganised by the Schools Improvement Service toshowcase the artistic endeavours of young peoplethroughout the county. 45 pupils from the schoolhad worked with Nikki at the school during the weekpreceding the celebration. Many of the piecescreated by the pupils will be used to contributetowards their coursework.

April 2006 to September 2007

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Treasurer’s Report

The 18 month period has seen considerable activityboth in terms of project work and also preparationfor the transfer of the Trust’s activities to the newcharitable company.

There has continued to be a flourish of projectactivity and organisational change and as a result wehave seen rates of income and expenditure rise whencompared with 2005/6.

Notable increases in income have resulted from thecontinued success of the “Good Vibrations –Gamelan in Prisons” project in attracting funds, butalso through the acquisition of grants from the CloreDuffield Foundation (“Enough Space for Everyone”)and our fee for managing “Hawk Henries –Encounters and Collaborations”. In all cases thenature of these funds have resulted in a comparable,although slightly smaller, rise in expenditure.

The costs of running the Trust (Management andAdministration) this year have risen by 27%.However underlying costs remain stable and thisincrease is substantially due to both professional costsinvolved to transfer the Trust to the new charitablecompany as well as new ventures such as theongoing development of the new website. Costs areexpected to return to underlying levels over thecourse of the next accounting period,

The Trust’s finances remain robust with funds of£198,796 (31/3/2006 £133,026) being £102,231 ofunrestricted funds and £96,565 of restricted funds.The increase in restricted funds owes much to thecontinuing success of Good Vibrations. The Trust willcontinue to review underlying reserves during thecourse of 2007-08, and adjust, as appropriate, inorder to maintain a contingency against anticipatedliabilities without compromising the work of theTrust, as well as continuing to strengtheninfrastructure in preparation for the Trust’srepositioned role as a leading provider of continuingprofessional development. The successful outcomefrom the recent ACE funding decisions indicates anunderstanding and support for the approach andphilosophy adopted by Firebird and provides suretyinto the next 3 year funding cycle.

Philip WhiteHonorary Treasurer

Including Income and Expenditure Account

For Period ended 30th September 2007

Unrestricted Restricted Total TotalFunds Funds Funds Funds

2007 2006

£ £ £ £INCOMING RESOURCES

Incoming Resources fromGenerated FundsVoluntary Income

Grants and Donations 121,000 200,169 321,169 179,116

Activities for Generating Funds

Project Management Fees 8,645 25,967 34,612 9,047

Investment Income 8,602 - 8,602 4,424

Total Incoming Resources 138,247 226,136 364,383 192,587

RESOURCES EXPENDED

Charitable Activities 105,514 190,062 295,576 169,929

Governance Costs 3,037 - 3,037 4,081

Total Resources Expended 108,551 190,062 298,613 174,010

Net Incoming/(Outgoing) ResourcesBefore Transfers 29,696 36,074 65,770 18,577

Transfers Between Funds 392 (392) - -

Net Movement in Funds for the Period 30,088 35,682 65,770 18,577

Total Funds Brought Forwardat 31st March 2006 72,143 60,883 133,026 114,449

Total Funds Carried Forwardat 30th September 2007 102,231 96,565 198,796 133,026

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Statement of Financial Activities

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Balance Sheet

As at 30th September 2007

2007 2006

£ £ £ £

FIXED ASSETS

Tangible Assets 6,949 7,658

CURRENT ASSETS

Debtors and Prepayments 25 17,904Cash at Bank and in Hand 222,817 148,826

222,842 166,730

CREDITORS - Amounts fallingdue within one year 30,995 41,362

NET CURRENT ASSETS 191,847 125,368

TOTAL NET ASSETS PRIOR TOTRANSFER TO FIREBIRD TRUST LIMITED 198,796 133,026

LESS TRANSFER TO FIREBIRD TRUSTLIMITED ON 30th SEPTEMBER 2007 (198,796) _ -

TOTAL TRUST FUNDS AT CLOSE _ - 133,026

FUNDS

Restricted 96,565 60,883

Unrestricted Funds:Designated Funds 2,500 5,000Other Funds 99,731 67,143

102,231 72,143

TOTAL TRUST FUNDS PRIOR TOTRANSFER TO FIREBIRD TRUST LIMITED 198,796 133,026

LESS TRANSFER TO FIREBIRD TRUSTLIMITED ON 30th SEPTEMBER 2007 (198,796) __ -

TOTAL TRUST FUNDS AT CLOSE __ - 133,026

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The following creative people have worked with Firebird during 2006-07

ArtistsMargaret ArchibaldAnthony BaileyMatthew BarleyKathy BergLaura BurnsRobert CampionNick CuttsCathy EastburnSally GoldsmithAlison GriffithPaul GriffithsHawk HenriesParis HoneybenDave HigginsWarren JollyNikki KempRikki Thomas MartinezPat McCarthyMalcolm MilnerJohn PawsonLaurence RuggAdam SaundersMargaret SmithDavid TomlinsonFrasier TrainerSam WaltonKatherine WaumsleyPete WhymanLaura Zobel

ScientistsDarren BaskellDavid BoyceGillian ButcherJohn Lees

Activate ParticipantsKathy BergJennifer BirchSteve BullockSarah CooperAdele DewellColin FinchTanya FosterSarah GravesDebbie HoltRichard LindsayJon MackenzieNicola McLeanRuth O’SullivanAlison RattiganGemma RedgraveVanessa RichardsSimone RogersMarion SanderDavid WalkerJane Willis

Firebird is grateful to the following organisations for their support ofour work during 2006-07

Arts Council EnglandArtsNKArts Training CentralLincolnshire School Improvement Service (CfBT)Clore Duffield FoundationDerby Dales District CouncilDerbyshire County CouncilEast Lindsey District CouncilLankelly Chase FoundationLincolnshire County CouncilLincoln City CouncilLinbury TrustNorth Kesteven District CouncilRoyal Festival Hall Education ProgrammeTudor TrustWelbourn Parish CouncilYouth Music

Good Vibrations:Gamelan in PrisonsProject Director,Cathy Eastburn

Consultants/FacilitatorsMike BeardAllyson DaviesMelissa DobsonSean FlynnJaci GillAlan HumberstoneKeyna PaulRobert PitmanAndy ReevesEvan RootDavid RossJackie SummersLeanne TaylorKaty Vine

The Firebird TrustThe StablesWellingore HallWellingoreLincolnLN5 0HXTel: 01522 811229www.firebirdtrust.com

DirectorSimon Steptoedirector@firebirdtrust.com

Administrative OfficerJames Parkinson [to June 2006]Andrea Garnett [to February 2007]

AdministratorAnne F E Williams [from March 2007]admin@firebirdtrust.com

PatronsProfessor Ian BentJeffrey Tate CBE

TrusteesDave Groom [Chair]Liz Harris [Vice Chair]Philip White [Honorary Treasurer]Gerard RogersFrances Watt

Independent ExaminersRichard Atkinson & Co

Company Limited by Guarantee: 6111626Charity Registration Number: 1120880

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