Eilidh’s Trust Seeks Advice to Design Support Scheme for Youth Music Education During COVID-19

The Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust is calling for guidance and advice to create a bespoke support scheme for youth music education across Scotland to enable tuition to continue during the Covid-19 outbreak.

In order to shape this special funding scheme, Eilidh’s Trust wants to hear from existing youth groups and tutors about the best ways of teaching and how continuity of learning can be delivered remotely over the coming weeks. The trust also wants to hear about any innovations or good practice that is helping to deliver lessons that others can learn from, or challenges youth groups are facing in terms of technology or software which it can support to make life a little bit easier.

Eilidh’s Trust was established in 2018 in memory of Eilidh MacLeod from the Isle of Barra who died along with 21 others in the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017. The trust supports music education for young people reflecting Eilidh’s own musical ability and enjoyment as a piper with the Sgoil Lionacleit Pipe Band. The trust will also manage and maintain a permanent memorial to Eilidh and a garden of remembrance and reflection on Barra.

Suzanne White, founder and trustee said: “Eilidh’s Trust is a small charity and limited in what we can do but we really want to play our full part in helping to deliver some continuity of learning and make sure this period can be a bit more manageable for young performers. We fully understand the need for tuition to continue so that creative skills progress and develop. It is also good for the young musicians to maintain a routine of learning in their chosen discipline, something we want to help facilitate.

“We want music groups, tutors and pupils to tell us what works and what won’t work and what Eilidh’s Trust can do to support youth music education throughout this period.”

This scheme will aim to:

· support groups or tutors that deliver music lessons to young people

· assist music education to continue remotely on a one-to-one or tutor-to-group basis

· provide funding or part funding for IT equipment or software that facilitates the continued delivery of lessons

· support individual tutors to continue to deliver lessons

· consider all genres of music from any group established in Scotland

Eilidh’s Trust will only be able to support groups or programmes that fully comply with all regulations for safeguarding and protection of children, which ensure the safe delivery of any online lessons.

The trust is looking to get this funding scheme established as soon as possible. Groups or individuals can make contact via social media or by emailing hello@eilidhstrust.org.uk