Alexa is joined by Ruth McPherson, the head of charity development at ISM, the Independent Society of Musicians. Since joining ISM in 2016, Ruth has been dedicated to promoting the organisation’s work among musicians and ensuring gold-standard service delivery. She currently spearheads the development of ISM’s sister charities, the ISM Trust and the ISM Members Fund, which provide crucial support in professional development and health and well-being services to music professionals. Ruth is here to offer valuable insights into the ISM and to explain the benefits of ISM membership.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK’s largest representative non-union body for musicians and a nationally recognised subject association for music. It is financially independent with no political affiliation. Since 1882, it has been dedicated to promoting the importance of music and supporting those working in the music profession.
- The ISM changed its full name from the Incorporated Society of Musicians to the Independent Society of Musicians to coincide with its 140th anniversary in October 2022.
- The ISM offers three memberships: full membership for those who have been music professionals for over ten years, early career membership for those with fewer than ten years in the industry, and student membership for all studying music professionals.
- Members of the ISM receive unrivalled legal expertise from their in-house legal team, comprehensive insurance and specialist services to meet the professions and needs of those who work in music.
- The ISM also has two sister charities, the ISM Trust, which as part of the ISM’s commitment to corporate social responsibility, delivers professional development to the whole of the music sector, largely on a free basis, and the ISM Members Fund, which provides a range of health and wellbeing services to members.
BEST MOMENTS
‘We were one of the first organisations to allow women to join as regular members‘
‘If you’re working at any professional level in music, you’re welcome at the ISM’
‘There are both opportunities and threats to musicians when it comes to AI’
‘A lot of the trust’s output is free, even if you’re not a member’
EPISODE RESOURCES
Website:
- ISM: ism.org
- ISM Trust: ismtrust.org
- ISM Members Fund: ism.org/members_fund
Social Media:
- @ism_music
Relevant Links & Mentions:
- Musicians Hearing Health Scheme: musicianshearingservices.co.uk
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep. 67 Protecting The Singer’s Ears for Performance Longevity with Carrie Birmingham
- Chatgpt: openai.com/blog/chatgpt
- The Empowered Musician Event Playbacks: ism.org/professional-development/the-empowered-musician-2023
- Musicians Union: musiciansunion.org.uk
- ISM Annual Fees Survey Results: ism.org/news/our-annual-fees-survey-results-2023
- Save Our Subjects Campaign: saveoursubjects.org
- Edge Foundation: .edge.co.uk
- ISM resources for music educators: ism.org/professional-development/resources
- ISM Trust webinars: ism.org/webinars
- Primary Singing Toolkit: ismtrust.org/primary-singing-toolkit
- Play: A psychological toolkit for optimal music performance: ismtrust.org/play
- Performance anxiety: A practical guide for music teachers: ismtrust.org/resources/performance-anxiety
- British Association of Performing Arts Medicine: bapam.org.uk
- Royal Society of Musicians: rsmgb.org
- Email contact: membership@ism.org
ABOUT THE GUEST
Ruth McPherson is Head of Charity Development at the Independent Society of Musicians (ISM). She has over ten years of experience in the music sector, working at the ISM since 2016, and prior to that at music publisher Rhinegold Publishing (now Mark Allen Group). During her time at the ISM, Ruth’s role has been focused on promoting the work of the ISM to musicians and ensuring gold-standard service delivery. She currently leads the development of the ISM’s sister charities, the ISM Trust and the ISM Members Fund, which offer vital professional development and health and wellbeing services to music professionals.
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