Multi Award Winning Female Saxophonist, Birmingham, UK, Jazz, Gospel, Reggae, Blues, Soul and Originals. 'Music for the soul'
Initiatives and campaigns by the Musicians’ Union of the United Kingdom
During October this year, we had the MU Members’ Conference. The theme was how to build a inclusive trade union and music industry. How did it go?
Millicent Stephenson explores the impact of the Windrush Generation on both her personal musical development, and on the development of music in the UK as a whole.
Read my speech for (MU) Motion 20 ‘Being Black in the UK music industry’, delivered at the TUC Black Workers Conference.
I did not expect the article I wrote for the Musicians’ Union in occasion of World Menopause Day 2020 to have such an impact. It makes me happy to see how all these healthy and very necessary conversations sparkled from it!
Today, I will talk about music welfare and the work of the Musician’s Union in a video-workshop for the Gospel Music Industry Alliance.
There was some good news in the Budget speech, as SEISS and furlough were extended to September and more money also went into the Cultural Recovery Fund. However, the situation for musicians is still extremely difficult. The MU estimates over 70% of musicians are unsure about their future in the industry. The governments needs to do more!
I bet that’s not a question most people ask themselves frequently. We are used to sweep that kind of topics under the rug. However, this is only a disservice to the entire community of musicians, including those that undergo menopause and those who don’t. For that reason, I wrote an article with all about it for the Musicians’ Union.
Tomorrow, Chancellor Rishi Sunak will deliver the Budget speech for MPs in the House of Commons. We are on the last leg of the race to make our concerns heard and push for the government to back up musicians during the COVID crisis and beyond. Find out here what you can do to help.
There is an opportunity to speak up for musicians, but we must hurry: each year, the chancellor of the exchequer – the government’s chief finance minister – makes a Budget statement to MPs in the House of Commons. On 2021, the speech will be delivered by Chancellor Rishi Sunak this Wednesday 3rd March. Mr. Sunak’s choices are going to shape the finances of the country for the upcoming year, and it is essential that he knows about our struggles.
