Sidmouth Folk Week Talk 


Monday 6th August 2012, 6:15-7:30 pm, Arts Centre (next to the Manor Pavillion)



Clare, Moira and Naomi will be giving a short talk about experiences on the Folk Trail and how the project is going so far, if you're at Sidmouth folk week we'd love to see you!
 If you joined us at any stage of the walk or at one of the sessions, please come along and share your memories, tunes and songs too!

The Folk Trail Team x

The Folk Trail visits London

On Tuesday 13^th March the three of us (Clare, Naomi & Moira) had a meeting with Malcolm Taylor from the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library in Cecil Sharp House in London, home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. We were keen to ask for advice on a number of issues such as funding, the format of the audio files as well as methods of processing the material itself. 

The main problem we identified was that we need to get performance release forms signed by individual performers in order to make the recorded material publically available. This means a lengthy process of following up all the contacts in the Folk Trail book and sending off many, many forms. We had originally thought that asking people’s permission verbally and their writing their names in the book was evidence enough of their permission but, as with everything these days, we need a form!

 Mr Taylor was able to give us several contacts (including the British Library and the British Institute of Sound Archive) that would be able to offer advice on sound and video editing, as well as details of people who have been involved in processing archives similar to this before. 

 We were also able to discuss what would be an efficient and effective layout for the archive to be presented in. As yet no software exists which can incorporate both sound files and database information, so a cataloguing framework needs to be constructed for the song ant tune information, relating to the sound and video files on an indexical basis. Hopefully we can create a comparable framework to those already existing, making it easier for people to compare the information from different archives.

 There are also still plans in the pipeline for the Folk Trail talk visiting festivals this summer – so keep an eye out for us in the programs!

The real challenge begins...

 After the long months of winter hibernation we have finally emerged into the spring sunshine to begin work on the vast amount of material we collected on our walk. Clare, Moira and Naomi met up (in the pub, of course) last Saturday to discuss what the next steps would be.

 We need some professional advice as to how to approach certain aspects of processing and compiling the archive into an accessible format. So, a trip to see the lovely people at the EFDSS Vaughn Williams Memorial Library in London was agreed and is currently in the planning. We are also in the process of contacting various institutions, libraries and collections across both England and Scotland asking if they would like to be involved with this project and, if so, would they like to work with us in order to produce a resource in a format that would be of most use to them. 

 The enormity of our task is becoming ever more real but we are ready and prepared to roll up our sleeves and get stuck in! Plans are also afoot for possible series of talks at folk festivals this summer, so keep your eyes peeled on the programme for a festival near you!

The Folk Trail Team x