Make Music Day offers Highlanders a digital participation opportunity to help create new version of Robert Burns' classic Scottish song Auld Lang Syne during coronavirus lockdown
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In response to the challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic Make Music Day UK, supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, has launched the Auld Lang Syne digital participation project.
With lyrics written by Robert Burns For Auld Lang Syne is loosely translated as For the Sake of Old Times.
Make Music Day is a global grassroots music festival which takes place every year on June 21 – the summer solstice – and was originally launched in France in 1982 as Fête de la Musique.
While physical public gatherings are likely to remain prohibited for a while participants can stay connected by filming their music making endeavours on camera phones and shared online.
Alison Reeves, the Scotland development project manager for Make Music Day UK, said: “We decided early on in lockdown to divert all our efforts into supporting people to take part online.
“There has been a huge outpouring of Scottish music making on social media over the past months, and the Auld Lang Syne project will capture the wealth and diversity of people playing and singing together from their own homes.
"The song is sung across the world and the message of friendship is perfect for celebrating how music connects us across our community, nationally and globally.”
This classic Scottish song will take on a new poignancy in these times of social distancing, as it acknowledges the importance of friendship and human connection. The song is renowned the world over and yet remains quintessentially Scottish.
Make Music Day UK has commissioned internationally acclaimed Scottish musician and composer Hamish Napier and in-demand drummer Cat Myers to create a special arrangement of this traditional folk song for the project.
Mr Napier said: “The lockdown has kept so many apart, but this project has been created to bring us together. It was exciting to be asked to create this new arrangement of one of Scotland’s most famous songs. I’ve been singing it for as long as I can remember at ceilidhs, weddings and other public gatherings."
He said the song only has five chords and added: "You can join in by singing, playing the melody, the chords, drums or bass line. Or get the pots and pans out, dance or juggle. The most important thing is to enjoy getting involved, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the song come to life in the final project video.”
Full information on the Auld Lang Syne Project can be found here where downloadable resources include: the sheet music, lyrics and recording tips on how best to film performances.
The project is now live and the deadline for submissions is 5pm on Friday, June 5, and video submissions will be stitched together and available by June 21.
