As part of Making Music's 90th anniversary celebrations, we're speaking to member groups across the UK about their stories, their communities and the joy of making music together.
In the heart of Accrington, a town steeped in industrial heritage and wartime sacrifice, the East Lancashire Concert Band has been making music, and history, for over 180 years. Since 1842, the band has played a central role in the musical, military and civic life of the region.
As part of Making Music's 90th anniversary celebrations, we're speaking to member groups across the UK about their stories, their communities and the joy of making music together.
One such group is the Bradford Accordion Band, a vibrant, genre-defying ensemble that's been surprising audiences and challenging expectations for nearly three decades. We spoke to founder and musical director Anita Bašić about the band's origins and its recent appearance at Bradford Progress.
Music groups are places where people across a community meet and connect – sometimes despite their differences. The first report for the Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion (the Commission) proves that these groups have a role in preventing and healing division, but that more needs to be done to make space for music.
There is some very strong language in the report produced for the Commission:
In June, our CEO Barbara Eifler, spoke at a conference in the Czech Republic about 'associations as a significant phenomenon of cultural life in the Czech Republic'.
I was slightly apprehensive as the conference approached. Would my talk about Making Music and its members be of interest to the Czech, Slovakian and Croatian attendees?
Independent music publishing house Stainer & Bell have secured worldwide distrubtion of Elgar Works titles as of June 2025.
Dedicated to the advancement of the study and accessibility of the music and legacy of Sir Edward Elgar, one of Britain’s most celebrated composers, the Elgar Works charity publishes meticulously researched editions of Elgar’s music, prepared by leading scholars and editors, providing access to the most accurate and insightful interpretations of his work.
Will Prideaux, Director of Peterborough Sings! and a Trustee on the Making Music board, provides some practical tips and hints on how to ensure a productive cooperation between your music director and committee.
Holly Radford-James, Chief Executive Officer of Soundabout, talks to us about their Emerging Leaders project and how your music group can get involved.
Soundabout, the UK’s Learning Disability Music Charity, is inviting Making Music groups to be part of an exciting virtual collaboration and premiere of an original composition by Learning Disabled musicians from Soundabout’s Emerging Leaders project.
Make Music Day takes place each year on 21 June – a global celebration of music making that brings communities together for a day of joy, creativity and connection. Each year our members show up and show out! Here’s a look back on some of the events that took place across the UK.
Alison Reeves, Deputy CEO and Manager in Scotland, talks about the 90th anniversary of the National Federation of Music Societies (now known as Making Music), the reason this organisation was needed and how we have championed leisure-time music from the start.
Making Music’s Access and Inclusion lead Alison Reeves, writes about some of the people we met at a Conversations about Music and Autism event, insights on the relationship between autism and music making and how music groups like those in the MM membership can better include autistic people.
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