Funded Travelling Fellowships seek people in the field of Music In Education
In 2015, The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust will be investing £1.2 million in British citizens, by awarding a record number of 150 Travelling Fellowships, in order to mark its 50th anniversary.
This will directly support British citizens who want to travel overseas to gain knowledge, experience and best practice to benefit others in their UK professions and communities, and society as a whole.
As part of our partnership with The Finzi Trust, we will be awarding a small number of Travelling Fellowships as part of the 2015 Education category, and the application process has just opened.
We are looking for people who are keen to develop their musical skills, or who have an interest in the field of music in education. Composers, musicians, those involved in musical education or research and people who would like to broaden their horizons and take new paths, are encouraged to apply.
This collaboration is the third and final year of a partnership between the two Trusts, and any Fellows in this category will become part of the Finzi Scholars Network. The Fellowships will be awarded to those with a Musical Foundation (trained or amateur), to bring benefits to others in the UK. This is a great opportunity for anyone with an ambition to further their practical experience, create a new initiative, or have a change of direction.
Case study:
Jeremy Clack travelled to Venezuela in 2008 to study music teaching techniques. He based himself at the Simon Bolivar Conservatorio of Music from where he also visited music schools in the slums.
Since his return Jeremy has been able to put to use many of the techniques he learnt. Not long after returning he led an Easter music course in Kent and put into practice the Venezuelan methodology, with outstanding results. In particular, 20 beginner trumpet players learnt how to play in an 80 piece symphony orchestra in less than four days. This proved, to Jeremy's delight, that the system works and can be applied anywhere.
As well as the practical implementation, Jeremy has been able to feed his experiences into national level discussions on establishing a music education system similar to the one he witnessed in Venezuela. He feels confident that he will be able to make a great contribution to developments in this field, especially in deprived areas.
Jeremy said of his Fellowship, ‘It has been a life changing experience, even more so than I imagined. My views on music and teaching have been turned around completely...'
Amongst those travelling this year, in this category, is Ailie Reid, a singing teacher from Morpeth, Northumberland, travelling to several countries including Italy, Hungary and Finland to investigate teaching singing techniques for dyslexic singers.
Successful applicants must demonstrate the commitment, the character and the tenacity to travel globally in pursuit of new and better ways of tackling a wide range of current challenges facing the UK, and upon their return work to transform and improve aspects of today’s society.
A travelling sabbatical for people with the drive, determination and desire to help others, can further their leadership and role model abilities.
Employers often also see great benefits with employees returning with new knowledge, skills and ideas to share with others within the organisation.
Applications are judged purely on project merit, and these opportunities are available to UK residents over the age of 18, of any ethnicity, religion, or gender.
Successful applicants will receive an average Fellowship grant of over £6000, covering return airfare, daily living costs, insurance and travel within the countries being visited, for approximately 6 weeks overseas.
Notes to Editors:
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust was established shortly after Sir Winston’s death in 1965, as his national memorial and living legacy. Since then it has awarded over 4820 Travelling Fellowships.
The application process for travel in 2015 is now open, and there are 11 varied categories in which people can apply.
Churchill’s beliefs and passions are still living on through our Fellows – who are remarkable yet ordinary individuals, representing a wide range of backgrounds, qualifications, interests and professions, but sharing the desire to do something for the improvement of British life and their fellow man.
The deadline for the 2015 applications is 5pm on 23rd September 2014.
In total 137 Fellowships were awarded in the UK in 2014, with grant awards totaling £876,540. The Fellows are currently travelling to 52 countries between them, across 6 continents, carrying out a wide range of projects.
To maximise the impact of our Fellowships we have developed partnerships with other organisations, focused on specific areas of concern and relevance for the UK today. Lessons learnt from overseas travel are effectively coordinated and disseminated, and incorporated into best practice in the UK for the benefit of others in similar communities and professions.
The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust: 020 7799 1660
The Finzi Trust
Founded in 1969, the Finzi Trust seeks to further the work and ideals of the composer Gerald Finzi. With his wife Joy, herself an artist and poet, Finzi actively encouraged individual expressive creativity in all its forms. The Finzi Trust seeks to bring a similar breadth of vision and interest to its support for individuals and organisations in their musically based activities.
The Finzi Trust – Elizabeth Pooley: 0845 241 0369
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