RSM People: Clare Tyack and Emily White
It’s never too early to start thinking about your will, and as musicians, there are so many more options of what you can leave. Two Members have chosen to remember RSM, gifting royalties in the case of Clare Tyack and historic instruments in the case of Emily White as an ongoing legacy to the Society which can benefit musicians in need for generations to come.
RSM prides itself on being a Society run by musicians for musicians. What made you decide you wanted to become a Member?
Clare: Throughout my professional career, I hardly had time to draw breath. I spent years juggling a full working diary, and satisfying the needs of a growing family. It was only when I retired that I could look forward to a slower pace of life, and I planned to have fewer commitments. Then I found time to take an active interest in the workings of RSM. I discovered a tremendously dedicated staff, and former colleagues who, as the Society’s Governors, devoted so much of their time to the Board of Trustees. I feel it is a testament to the closeness that musicians feel to colleagues in the profession that inspires many RSM Members to become involved in the Society’s work.
Emily: I first heard of RSM when a cheque arrived on my doormat for £200 as a token of concern when my husband was really ill. I'd had to leave a show, even left my instrument in the theatre, to rush home and then start hospital visits etc. I hadn't even had time to come up for air and someone had thought 'How is she paying for the parking at the hospital?', let alone the dog walking, the rent, the shopping. The bills soon pile up if you are out of the loop and having to hand your work to someone else. That initial speed and sense of caring made a huge impact; I didn't feel alone.
Double bassist Clare Tyack spent stints with CBSO and BBCCO before freelancing with the UK's major orchestras and touring all over the world. Since retiring she has served on RSM's Court of Assistants, Board of Governors and as Chairman.
When did you first start thinking about what you would like to pass on after your death?
Emily: It was a colleague of mine in her 40s, who I considered too young to be thinking about wills, but she said it was because, like me, she doesn't have children. When you have children, I'm sure you think that they will be able to do something with your instruments, but when you have no one who will directly benefit, especially when its something quite specialised like historic instruments you have to think about it quite early. No one in my family is going to necessarily know how much these instruments are worth or why they are important. They are so different to a modern trombone.
Trombone and sackbut player Emily White specialises in historical performance. She performs regularly with The English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble and Il Giardino Armonico in Italy, as well as teaching at Guildhall and RWCMD. Photo: Hugh Beauchamp
There are many musical organisations you could have chosen to leave a gift to, why did you choose RSM in particular?
Emily: Because it's for everybody. If there's a keen musician who would like to get work as a sackbut player, I'd like them to have access to these instruments, no matter where they studied. It would also flag up what the Society is to this young player and why it's important. And if, when the time comes, there is money to be made by hiring them out or selling the instruments, I'd want the Society to benefit. So many of my friends have had life changing support from RSM, including me, so I would like to make it a circle that comes back on itself.
Clare: The trigger to signing my royalties over to RSM in my will was a specific one. A long-standing colleague was struck down with cancer. Towards the end of her life, I visited her regularly and we talked together about the Society’s good work. She joined RSM, donated her viola bow to RSM, and expressed the wish to bequeath her royalty payments as well. Sadly, she was too ill by then to arrange the necessary adjustment to her will and these payments were lost.
In her memory, my husband and I subsequently made the very easy adjustment to our wills which will ensure that the RSM receives our royalties for many years after our deaths. It is comforting to think that our hard-earned royalty income will continue to work for the benefit of future colleagues in need.
What would you say to anyone else thinking about leaving a legacy?
Clare: Act on your thoughts. This is something that most of us with busy lives tend to put on the back burner and then all too easily forget about. Why not check if your will could do with an update anyway, and then, during that process, remember to include a sentence about your royalties? Remember, that if you fail to get that sentence written into your will, your royalties cannot be assigned to anyone, and those payments will cease.
If you are interested in leaving a legacy to RSM in your will, click here for advice on how do so. You can also contact us on 020 7629 6137 or legacy@rsmgb.org