Independent Society of Musicians

The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) is the UK and Ireland's professional body for musicians representing over 11,000 individuals across all areas of the music industry. The ISM is also a subject association for music education and is an independent non profit-making organisation. History The ISM was founded in 1882 to promote the importance of music and protect the rights of those working within music. It is an independent, not-for-profit membership organisation which has almost 11,000 individual members and over 180 corporate members. It protects and supports its members by providing them with expert advice, insurance and specialist services as well as access to a community of like-minded professionals and the status that comes with being a member of a professional body. Originally called the Incorporated Society of Musicians, it changed its name in October 2022 to coincide with its 140th anniversary. Members The ISM has a membership of over 11,000 music professionals including performers, composers and songwriters, music teachers, music administrators, music technology professionals and portfolio musicians, and provides discounted membership for students and early career musicians. Members may use appropriate post-nominal letters. FISM (Fellow), MISM (Member), SMISM (Student Member). Members may also apply for ISM Registered Private Teacher status, and apply for a DBS, PVG or Access NI. The ISM's current members include Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Sir James Galway, Dame Felicity Lott, Dame Judith Weir, Betty Roe MBE, Julian Lloyd Webber, Andy Boyd, Paul Harris, Gerald Finley, and Craig Ogden. Presidents 1921-22: Arthur Mann 1922-23: Allen Gill 1923-24: Sir Landon Ronald 1924-25: Sir Donald Tovey 1925-26: Sir Walford Davies KCVO OBE 1926-28: E Markham Lee 1928-29: Sir Adrian Boult CH 1929-30: Sir Hugh Allen GCVO 1930-31: Sir John McEwen 1931-32: Bernard Johnson 1932-33: Harry Plunket Greene 1933-34: W Gillies Whittaker 1934-35: Sir Edward Bairstow 1935-36: Sir Stanley Marchant, CVO 1936-37: Sir Percy Buck 1937-38: Robert Forbes CBE 1938-39: Sir Thomas Beecham, Bart CH 1939-40: Sir Hugh Allen GCVO 1940-41: Frederic Austin 1941-45: Sir George Dyson KCVO 1945-46: Sir Thomas Armstrong 1946-47: Sir Ernest Bullock CVO 1947-48: Harold Craxton OBE 1948-49: Henry Havergal OBE 1949-50: Astra Desmond CBE 1950-51: Edric Cundell CBE 1951-52: Herbert Howells CH CBE 1952-53: Walter Stanton 1953-54: Herbert Wiseman 1954-55: W Greenhouse Allt CVO CBE 1955-56: Sir Reginald Thatcher OBE MC 1956-57: Sir Malcolm Sargent 1957-58: Douglas Fox OBE 1959-60: Leslie Regan 1960-61: Sir Thomas Armstrong 1961-62: Gerald Moore CBE 1962-63: Sir Jack Westrup 1963-64: James Denny MBE 1964-65: The Lord Menuhin OM KBE 1965-66: Frank Merrick CBE 1966-67: Maurice Allen 1967-68: Sir Anthony Lewis CBE 1968-69: Hervey Alan OBE 1969-70: Sir Peter Pears CBE 1970-71: Philip Cranmer 1971-72: Sir Charles Groves CBE 1972-74: Leonard Blake 1974-75: Willis Grant 1975-76: Richard Lewis CBE 1976-77: Ida Carroll OBE 1977-78: William Llewellyn MBE 1978-79: Sir David Willcocks CBE MC 1979-80: Ian Wallace OBE 1980-81: Evelyn Barbirolli OBE 1981-82: Ronald Smith 1982-83: Sir Charles Groves CBE 1983-84: John McCabe CBE 1984-85: Sir David Lumsden 1985-86: Meredith Davies CBE 1986-87: Louis Carus 1987-88: Patrick Salisbury 1988-89: Pamela Bowden 1989-90: William Mathias CBE 1990-91: Dr Lionel Dakers CBE 1991-92: Sir John Manduell CBE 1992-93: Dame Gillian Weir DBE 1993-94: Jack Brymer OBE 1994-95: Sir Philip Ledger CBE 1995-96: Emanuel Hurwitz CBE 1996-97: Ian Partridge CBE 1997-98: Professor George Pratt 1998-99: John Hosier CBE 1999-2000: Dr George McPhee MBE 2000-01: Sarah Walker CBE 2001-02: John Stephens OBE 2002-03: Guy Woolfenden OBE 2003-04: Professor John Morehen 2004-05: Professor George Caird 2005-06: Robert Lloyd CBE 2006-07: Colin Bradbury 2007-08: Roger Vignoles 2008-09: Professor Roderick Swanston 2009-10: Kenneth Ian Hÿtch 2010-11: Professor Gavin Henderson CBE 2011-12: Professor Paul Max Edlin 2012-13: Suzi Digby OBE (Lady Eatwell) 2013-14: Richard Hallam MBE 2014-15: Professor Sir Barry Ife CBE 2015-16: Jeremy Jackman 2016-17: Nicolas Chisholm MBE 2017-18: Susan Sturrock 2018-19: Professor David Saint 2019-20: Dr Jeremy Huw Williams BEM 2020-21: Professor Chris Collins 2021-22: Deborah Keyser 2022-23: Vick Bain 2023-24: Pauline Black 2024-present: Nicky Spence Services The ISM supports members through expert legal assistance from a specialist in-house legal team and a 24-hour legal and tax helpline, comprehensive insurance including public liability insurance, legal expenses insurance, and discounted musical instrument insurance; practical advice ISM's staff team and access to online advice pages; free promotion through the ISM Music Directory, the UK's only online directory of professional musicians; professional development events including seminars, webinars and conferences. Campaigns and surveys In its work to protect musicians' rights and support the profession across the sector, the ISM campaigns and lobbies to make their views known to policy makers. The ISM led a successful campaign to secure the place of music in the English Baccalaureate as part of a sixth pillar of creative and cultural subjects. The campaign achieved nearly 50,000 signatures to a petition and support from over 110 organisations. On 7 February 2013 the Government withdrew its EBC proposals and introduced a new performance measure for schools that will include creative subjects. In 2015, the campaign was relaunched in response to the Department for Education's proposal to implement the English Baccalaureate as a headline accountability measure in schools. The campaign is supported by 100,000+ individual signatories and over 200 organisations from across the creative industries including Aardman Animations, Shakespeare's Globe, The BRIT School, The Design Council and more. The campaign has recently debated the issue of the EBacc and its exclusion of creative subjects in the Houses of Parliament. In 2014, the Government launched a consultation on the new GCSE, AS and A level in music. While the aims of the reforms were positive, the Government defined only one area of study: ‘music composed in the western classical tradition between 1700 and 1900.’ The ISM stated, 'not only does this artificial time-frame make no musical sense but musicians of the future will only be able to study classical music written before 1700 and after 1900 if they take this as a separate area of study, and the overall effect of the reforms will do little to support and encourage musicality. And it could even have a detrimental effect on musicianship and the study of musical genres.' The ISM subsequently the 'Beyond 1990' campaign, urging the music sector to respond to the consultation. In 2013 the ISM launched the campaign Protect Music Education calling for confirmed funding for music education hubs from 2015, and for the Government to drop its proposal advising local authorities to cease funding music education. It united the music sector, gaining the support of 134 organisations from across the music sector, 5,000 individuals and many distinguished musicians. On 22 July 2014, the campaign was deemed a double success, with £75million of funding for music education in 2015/16 secured, and the Government backing down on its proposal. The ISM has an ongoing campaign to help musicians travel by air with confidence, taking fragile, hand-held instruments in the cabin as part of hand baggage allowance. easyJet announced a more musician-friendly hand baggage policy following discussions with the ISM. A survey by the ISM in 2017 found that 60% of the respondents had experienced sexual harassment. Affiliations The ISM holds memberships with many industry bodies, including the Council for Subject Associations, Creative Coalition Campaign, Creators' Rights Alliance, Educational Recording Agency, National Campaign for the Arts and the National Music Council. Awards In 1976, under President Ida Carroll, the ISM established the Distinguished Musician Award to acknowledge outstanding contributions to British musical life. Recipients have included: Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, Errollyn Wallen CBE, Thomas Adès, John Wilson, Kathryn McDowell CBE, Dame Emma Kirkby, Dame Felicity Lott, Malcolm Arnold, Janet Baker, Nicola Benedetti, Sarah Connolly, Pierre Boulez, Adrian Boult, Julian Bream, Janet Craxton, Peter Maxwell Davies, Colin Davis, Norman Del Mar, Jacqueline du Pré, Mark Elder, James Galway, Alexander Gibson, Evelyn Glennie, Reginald Goodall, Charles Groves, Christopher Hogwood, Witold Lutosławski, Charles Mackerras, George Malcolm, John McCabe, Antonio Pappano, Peter Pears, Simon Rattle, John Stephens, Michael Tippett, William Walton, Fanny Waterman, Judith Weir, David Willcocks, Julian Lloyd-Webber and Oliver Knussen References External links Independent Society of Musicians