Meet the new traditionalists

ON A street of soot-stained sandstone, tucked behind Scotland’s National Museum, a door is thrown open and then pulled shut against the cold. A snatch of sound—chatter, strings and the strum of a guitar—hints at what cannot be seen through the fogged-up pub window. Inside, past the crowd of patrons, a group of young musicians huddles around a table and let music fly from their fingers.

There has been great interest in Scotland’s traditional arts in the 20 years since the creation of the country’s devolved Parliament and the folk-music scene, in particular, is thriving. Across the country at least 23,000 people have taken up the craft in schools, community bands and through education organisations such as Feis Rois and Feisean nan Gaidheal; more than 17,000 of the pupils are under the age of 18. Although government funding for folk music lags behind that given to opera and classical fare, Hands up for Trad, an advocacy group, and Creative Scotland, a public-funding body, have helped nurture a wealth of talent [ . . . ]

Read full story at THE ECONOMIST: Why Scottish folk music is thriving – Getting jiggy with it