Origins
Music at the Heart of Teesdale (M@HoT) was formed in 2011, with support from the National Lottery Heritage funded ‘Heart of Teesdale Landscape Partnership’.
The project set out with 2 aims:
To research as far as possible, historic recordings of folk song and dance.
To establish a youth folk band, with the aim of reviving some of this traditional music in a new generation of musicians
Over an initial 3-year funding period, over 80 songs, tunes and dances were uncovered by researcher Mike Bettison, bringing together for the first time recordings made over a 120 year period by the likes of Ralph Vaughn Williams, Joan Littlewood & Ewan MacColl and Alan Lomax.
During this period, M@HoT’s youth band Cream Tees was established. Led by Neil Diment with support from TCR Hub, Teesdale School, Durham Music Service and Newcastle University’s Folk & Traditional Music department, a fledgling group of young folkies emerged; soon establishing a now legendary fondness for biscuits and an inclusive workshop methodology that championed learning music by ear.
In 2024, we established a CIO - part of our on-going commitment to provide access to high-quality music & dance opportunities for young people in rurally isolated communities.
Our programme currently includes 2 open-access youth folk bands for 10-18yrs (Barnard Castle & Wolsingham); and an advanced group for older musicians from the wider North East. We also deliver creative commissions, concerts & ceilidhs; masterclasses with visiting artists, and festival trips - where participants perform alongside professional folk musicians.
In 2026, we start our largest and most ambitious programme yet - NE Folk, thanks to support from Youth Music’s Catalyser Fund. More information to follow!