Rooted in Community, Inspired by Music
The power of music
Music-making has many personal and social benefits for young people including wellbeing, confidence and self-discipline. (Sue Hallam, 2015).
Crisis in youth services
Since 2011, many of London’s youth centres have closed. Young people need safe, positive and engaging opportunities now more than ever.
Music education under threat
Music is often underfunded and sidelined in schools due to pressure on Maths and English results. Fewer students are choosing to study it.
A challenging industry
There are many barriers and pitfalls within the music industry. Grounded, sensible and relevant advice for how to navigate it can be hard to access.
Regardless of age, gender, race or social class, music is a universal tool for connection which can improve our mood, boost our memories and help us carry out tasks more effectively. Research shows that the skills acquired through making music leads to greater success for people, including increased employability in future.
Despite this, music education is under threat and the music industry is hard to break into without the right knowledge, networks and support. Which is why we set out to level the playing field for tomorrow’s musician’s and future industry professionals.
We are committed to ensuring young people have the best possible chance of success, from partnering with other community organisations, to building and maintaining strong relationships within the music industry.
Our purpose is to create opportunities for young people to gain access and insights into the music industry through workshops, programmes, events, professional development, networking and performance opportunities. We provide a supportive community which nurtures our participants and encourages them to thrive and bring to life their creativity, artistry and professional development.
90%
Over 90% of young people who completed our 16+ programmes felt confident about pursuing a career in music.
90+
industry professionals have helped our young musicians
160+
young musicians given live performance opportunities
86%
The % of participants expressing confidence in performing increased from 41% to 86% after taking part in our Spotlight Programme.
91%
The % of participants reporting a good understanding of how the music industry works increased from 36% to 91% after taking part in our Spotlight Programme.
Paul’s story
Paul is a drummer from Brixton. After leaving school, Paul ended up getting into trouble with the law. We were introduced to Paul by Divert, a youth custody programme in Brixton Police Station. Paul joined us in 2019, where he developed his professional network and wowed the audience in a showcase. His story was written about in GQ magazine by Ciaran Thapar.
After the course, Paul joined our Mentoring Programme and was paired with Fabio, the drummer for George Ezra and other major artists. He was given the opportunity to shadow Fabio at the Royal Albert Hall (photo left). Paul has since been nominated for a Youth Music Award and has performed with Afrobeat Star Burna Boy at Madison Square Gardens, The 2024 Grammys and more!