We recently attended a networking event as part of a project to increase and diversify participation in folk singing in England.
The event, hosted by the University of Sheffield’s Access Folk project, was a valuable knowledge exchange that brought together people from across the UK and Europe, including our good friends from Empoli in Italy, Ilaria Savini and Simone Faraoni.
Marilyn Tucker and Jon Dyer attended the 10 January event for Wren Music. Marilyn said: “It was lovely to network with people from other parts of the country and from Sweden, Germany, and Italy.
“We discussed how we can expand access to folk singing and diversify the audience, which is so important for the future of the folk tradition.”
Wren Music’s newest governor, Kirsty Kay, is currently working as a postdoc research associate on Access Folk. The project is exploring how to increase engagement with folk singing communities, following “a major decline in folk clubs and fewer people taking part in other folk singing events in England”.
You can learn more about Access Folk on the University of Sheffield website: https://accessfolk.sites.sheffield.ac.uk/home
