There are few experiences that catalyse development in young musicians more than going on tour. Whether that be with a choir, youth orchestra or band, anyone that has hit the road can attest to the benefits that come from concentrated musical focus in a context away from the distractions of everyday routine. Command of repertoire, ensemble and performance technique all improve immeasurably under the extraordinary circumstances of a tour but, equally, the experience can prove something of an emotional ‘coming of age’. There's nothing like living and working in an intense environment with others to teach us about compromise, sensitivity and identity. Of course, for a fledgling band, the experience of going on tour has another dimension, in that it provides real and quite genuine workplace experience. Much is made about the stresses and strains of the touring life – preparing young people by developing strategies to flourish in this environment is of inestimable value.
Given its considerable worth, it is surprising that the Scottish Music Centre's (SMC) ‘Hit the Road’ experience is so innovative. Yet the best ideas are often the most obvious, and Scotland's national music touring project has struck a unique chord. Supported by Creative Scotland (the body that administrates the Scottish government's youth music-making initiatives) and funded by PRS for Music Foundation, Hit the Road is a popular music touring project for 14-to 19-year-olds – now in its seventh year – and going from strength to strength. Initially conceived by SMC to respond to young artists’ needs for a viable touring circuit for development, it was also designed to better support music-making in remote and under-funded areas of the country, such as the Highlands and Islands, Dumfries and Galloway and Fife. Its core objectives are to find, develop and promote musical talent through workshops, sessions and touring, teaching industry-relevant skills and contacts along the way. In addition, Hit the Road also helps to promote the music of young artists throughout Scotland via a network of local promoters, and through encouraging young audiences to experience new artists in a live concert setting.
© Janice Noble Photography
Black Dove were on the October 2018 tour
Scott Kirkwood of SMC explains that Hit the Road attempts to fill important skill gaps in young artists that are crucial to future success in the industry. ‘As well as their own local tour manager looking after them, while on the road we hire industry professionals with expert knowledge who produce a range of workshops providing vital skills and knowledge on how our musicians can develop and sustain their careers,’ he says. ‘This includes everything from press and social media to stagecraft, recording, music videos and photography. We also offer career opportunities for non-musicians to shadow our professional teams on tour and across a range of creative and technical roles including tour-stage- and event-management, sound engineering and media. Musicians in the age group we cater for can find it extremely difficult to secure live gigs. During their tour they are playing gigs via the professional promoters based across Scotland we hire to produce the tour dates, so going forward they then have contact details and a working relationship with at least three promoters. In addition, for each tour we hire a professional photographer to create a set of press ready photographs for each act and we film a music video. Both can be expensive to produce, particularly for young musicians, and both are very effective tools to promote themselves in future’.
So, what does a typical tour look like? ‘Firstly, we choose the acts that we think are most suited to each tour; there's a need to ensure that the tour works logistically as well as in regards to musical genre,’ explains Kirkwood. ‘We then find the most suited local promoter to book a show in the best available venue and, by liaising with our promoters in each location, we establish a tour routing that works in practice. Once we have booked the shows, we design and manufacture promotional materials such as posters and flyers while also managing an online marketing and press campaign for each show. We distribute this information to local press in each location to achieve as much local interest as possible. Each act is then allocated their own professional tour manager, who drives them to and from each show, offering advice throughout the tour. A typical tour might have an artist from Stornoway, one from Edinburgh, Inverness and Dunfermline, and each artist is the headliner in their hometown.’
Years of experience
In terms of scope, participants and demand, Hit the Road has developed considerably since its initial pilot in 2011, explains Michael Cassidy of SCM: ‘From the outset, it was obvious that this project was necessary, but the sheer number of successful past participants who now work in the music industry is staggering.
© Adrian Barr
December 2018's tour featured Riley
‘Even in our highest estimates we couldn't have foreseen such a high percentage of our young people going on to work in all areas of the music industry. It was also not foreseen the value of word of mouth on the growth of the project. Young successful bands who participated in our tours generally leads to a big increase in applications from artists from the same area. This is something we see in our applications every year. We also couldn't have envisaged the commercial and critical impact some of our most successful artists have made on the industry since appearing on our tours. This is something that we are proud of and shows the project is genuinely delivering and developing the careers of young musicians, and perhaps reinforces we are selecting the right acts.’
Different genres: The folk musician Zoe Bestel appeared on a 2014 tour
One such act is Black Dove, a band originally from the small town of Greenock in the west central lowlands of Scotland. Frontman Josh Cunningham is keen to stress the importance that the opportunity to tour has had on their development. ‘It was our first tour together as a band, and none of us had done anything like it before; we were buzzing for months when we found out we were going to be on it,’ he explains. ‘A typical tour day was the bus journey, followed by soundcheck, food and then playing the gig. It definitely showed us what it would be like to tour regularly. Musically, we learned so much, especially during pre-production with Marc Strain from Fatherson, who taught us a lot about what is needed to be in a successful band. The experience has definitely built up our confidence in the band and our songs, inspiring us to write and perform to the best of our abilities so that touring can one day be a part of our full-time job.’
You certainly don't have to look far to find social media accounts full of praise for the project, but how does SMC itself measure the success of a particular tour for an artist? ‘We regularly measure and evaluate the benefits to participants by asking for honest feedback,’ says Kirkwood. ‘The immediate benefits are clear. We provide artists with an experienced tour manager, professional photo shoot, video, expert workshops covering a range of topics, generally secure local and national radio and press coverage for each tour and introduce them to current, professional promoters from across Scotland. We have a lot of success stories and we're very proud of the incredible achievements artists participating on Hit The Road accomplish’. Artists such as Be Charlotte, Model Aeroplanes, JR Green, Man of Moon and Lewis Capaldi have all signed record contracts since touring with Hit the Road, but, as Cassidy is keen to stress, it's the new artistic collaborations that spring from tours that can sometimes be amongst the most satisfying to witness. ‘As well as commercial success, we are very proud of the personal relationships we build with artists and the friendships that develop between participants,’ he says.
‘On a 2017 singer songwriter tour we had three young artists – Age-Otori, Millie and Rosie Sullivan – who were placed on a tour together. The three quickly bonded, becoming inseparable, going on to write, record, release and tour new music together, just a few months after their tour. This isn't a one-off occurrence; musicians regularly develop long-lasting friendships and help each other progress as a result of participating. We find these stories really inspiring and every bit as important as artists becoming commercially successful.’
It's certainly been quite a journey since 2011, but Cassidy anticipates the project developing further in both scope and size in the foreseeable future. ‘Our core objective is to unearth, develop and train the next generation of young musicians, managers, producers and photographers; and ultimately equip them with the skills, knowledge and contacts necessary for developing a career in the modern live sector,’ he explains. ‘We're continually trying to improve and perfect the tours and maximise what our participants gain from the experience.
‘In particular, we're developing plans to encourage our young people to be even more hands-on by getting involved in the promotion of the tours and participating in the media and press strategy for new and additional workshops.’
Encore
Certainly in an age in which professional progression routes are required to be at the heart of educational projects, Hit the Road undoubtedly ticks the box. But, much more than this, it allows young musicians to experience the genuine creative rewards and challenges of the touring-life, grow artistically and personally, and, most importantly of all, expand their horizons; enabling them to dream of making a wider impact. In this sense, it is an initiative that deserves to be noticed and, hopefully, modelled throughout the UK.
