Funding programme for bands opens today

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is offering up to £5,000 to local bands to help buy new musical instruments. The £150,000 funding scheme launched today, follows an in-depth, independent review. The review found that previous Council funding had provided a wide range of benefits to all types of bands across the community and made a valuable contribution to musical culture across Northern Ireland.

Noirin McKinney , Arts Development Director at the Arts Council, said, “There is huge interest in brass, flute, silver, concert, accordion and pipe bands across both main cultural traditions in Northern Ireland. They are an important aspect of Northern Ireland’s musical culture and an essential element of many local communities. Yet a lack of private-sector sponsorship means that more than two thirds of the bands would not be able to buy new musical instruments without support from the Arts Council. New instruments purchased through the scheme have helped bands to participate in more concerts and competitions, to improve standards of performance and to raise the profile of the sector.”

The independent review found that Arts Council funding of musical instruments, identified as the single-most important factor in the success and growth of bands, creates a marked increase in the involvement of children and young players. It also creates opportunities for greater cross-community involvement, with more than one third of bands which applied to the scheme drawing on a cross-community membership.

Widespread consultation with the bands’ sector and with the general public show that Arts Council funding of musical instruments for bands is “greatly appreciated by the sector and generally supported by the wider public as being a good and acceptable use of public funds.”

Prior to the review, over a four-year period, the Council’s funding helped 136 bands and an estimated membership of 4,000 individuals across Northern Ireland.

Click Here for Application Form and Guidance Notes