Open Call for Steering Group Members! (Edinburgh-based)

We acknowledge that museum spaces often exclude the very source communities that their collections are supposed to represent.  St. Cecilia’s Hall hopes that by developing new interpretations of our South Asian musical instrument collections in collaboration with local diaspora communities in Edinburgh, we will be able to better understand the collections we have and create a more inclusive space. This steering group will hopefully be the beginning of a programme that will ensure our interpretations are accurate and representative of the lived experience of those who played, and still continue to play, these instruments. Each member will be paid £50 per session, with travel expenses covered up to £10.

We are currently prioritising applications from those who identify as South Asian. This ensures that the learning and interpretations gained from this steering group are rooted in the lived experience and vibrant cultures that the instruments are tied to. You don’t have to be a musician to apply, you just have to have some interest in South Asian music in general. If you are South Asian but live outside of Edinburgh, please feel free to still apply, however we may not be able to cover the entirety of your travel costs.Members will need to be available for two sessions on the 14th and 21st of June, both a Saturday:

14th June (13:00-15:00): A handling and reflective session, where you will work directly with our South Asian instrument collection, learn about how it came to be in our collection, and then feedback to our team about the displays.

21st June (All-Day, individuals will each book a slot): A recording session, where we will record a video or an audio file of you speaking to add to our new Bloomberg Connects Digital Museum Guide that will launch in June. At the end of the first session, you will be asked to think of something you would be interested in speaking about related to the collection for one to three minutes. This can be something that relates to the instruments, the kind of music they would have played, or even an anecdote – anything that ties in your lived experience and the significance the instruments have to you. If you are a music practitioner, you may also propose to perform some music on an instrument we have in the collection – this may have to be on your own instrument, as the instruments in our collection may be too fragile to play.