We called ourselves a 'forum' because we recognised from the outset that one of the most important reasons for the existence of TSF was to enable those interested in collecting, research and other aspects of the study of traditional song to meet and to discuss their work with others who would be interested in what they were doing, could offer help and advice - and who could offer some consolation on what is, sometimes, a lonely journey. While electronic communication is great for sharing ideas, documents, and other information, there is no substitute for sitting down with like-minded colleagues every so often and having good conversations, discussions - and even arguments!
A 'typical' TSF meeting will fall into three parts. Firstly we will spend time going round those present to hear what they have been doing and to discuss it and to offer help and advice. Secondly (and always very briefly!) we will deal with the business matters of the forum. The afternoon is usually organised as a 'Forum Focus' session where TSF members or guest speakers can talk at more length about particular topics - often themed. Having said this, we are very flexible and if it makes sense to depart from this format we will do so.
Occasionally we have run special, whole day sessions such as the 'Life and Times' events, featuring a number of collectors talking about their work, or the 'Broadside Days', which have proved very popular.
We produce brief notes of each of our meetings which are published on this site - though not always for the 'special' events. The notes of the most recent meetings can be seen here. There is also an archive of past meetings which you can visit. There is, though, no substitute for being there. To help this we move the meetings around the country. The best attended sessions are those held in London and the North though we try to other parts occasionally - usually at the invitation of a local group. You can find details of forthcoming meetings below
Meeting Notes
The most recent meeting of the Traditional Song Forum was that held in Woking on 21st May 2011. You can see the notes of that meeting here
The previous meeting was that held in Dublin on 13th November 2010. You can see the notes of that meeting here.
You can see the archive of previous TSF meeting notes here
Future Meetings
The next meeting of the Traditional Song Forum will be held at the Elphinstone Institute, University of Aberdeen on Saturday 26th November 2011. Details of the meeting can be seen here.
On 25th February 2012 we have another 'Broadside Day' which will be a joint event with EFDSS and will be held at Cecil Sharp House, London.
Other meetings for 2012 are now being planned. Recognising that the recent Dublin, and Woking events and the forthcoming meeting in Aberdeen are some distance away from our usual venues we will try to ensure that the next few meetings are within reach of more members. Any offers to host meetings would be very welcome.