Newsletter - Autumn 2014
AYM grant enables support for young musicians
Awards for Young Musicians (AYM) is delighted to announce that we have recently been awarded a large grant from Youth Music to support the development of our Furthering Talent programme in partnership with SoundCity: Brighton and Hove
Positive impact on talented young people’s lives
Furthering Talent is all about giving talent a chance by targeting and sustaining excellent support for young people with emerging musical talent from lower income families and it’s already making a huge difference in Brighton.
Here’s a primary school teacher talking about the impact of this personal support on two of the young people in her school:
“It has significantly changed their direction in life, self esteem and self confidence and they have both been back to see me from Year 7 and thanked me as they are just loving Year 7 music. Their families just could not have afforded or even instilled that aspiration in them as their situations were so complicated. K is a refugee and the family have experienced such significant racism that music has just kept him going. A is from a large family and there is not a lot of money in the home, though a lot of love, and he is so hugely talented but also at risk of running off the rails. The music has helped him find his identity and be proud of himself.”
The Youth Music funding will enable AYM to support 90 young people across not just Brighton and Hove but also Greater Manchester and Staffordshire for the next 2 years.
What will the grant fund?
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Individual weekly instrumental tuition for two academic years for young people with emerging potential in music who would otherwise have no chance of continuing to play due to lack of funding.
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Additional support for their musical progression, according to their own individual needs. This will include collective opportunities for the young people via annual Get Together events plus individual support.
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Training for music leaders around identifying and progressing musical potential
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Funding for Brighton’s Local Furthering Talent Co-ordinator, Natasha Bautista, to continue her work in running the programme locally
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External evaluation of the programme
These elements aim to deliver really high quality support for participants, developing what we hope will become a truly excellent musical progression model.
Music Day held on 21 November
Friday saw one of our regular Get Togethers for all the Furthering Talent students across the city, a really important opportunity for all the children to not only meet each other but also to make music together. In the morning they took part in two workshops designed to explore and stretch their musical horizons. In the first they composed music for a silent film and in the second they explored music through movement. In the afternoon all the young musicians came together in a Stomp style body percussion workshop which then lead into playing together in a Samba band. They also performed to parents and carers at the end of the day.
Can you help?
The Youth Music grant, generous though it is, doesn’t cover all the ongoing costs of the programme over the next two years and so we’re really keen to hear from other musical partners in Brighton and Hove who might be able to offer these talented young people additional support: are there existing events, opportunities or resources they could tap into? It would be great to hear from you if you can help!
Further questions?
Please contact Natasha Bautista, AYM’s Local Furthering Talent Co-ordinator for Brighton and Hove.
01273 293524
07769816880
Natasha.Bautista@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Photograph courtesy of Edward Webb.
Laura van der Heijden, Sir John Tomlinson and Richard Durrant are just some of the celebrities backing encore - the new alumni network for the Brighton Youth Orchestra with an initial call out for photographs and archive material.
Planning for our annual concert at the Brighton Centre is well underway. This year, we'll be featuring some newly composed numbers by pupils
SoundCity, music education hub for Brighton & Hove, has won national acclaim for its work getting children and young people into music.
SAVE THE DATE. Monday 2 February, Joint Practice Development Day & Music Conference. 'Creating a Singing City'
Brighton Early Music Festival: A SoundCity delivery partner talks about the Festival's 12th successful year featuring 26 events, and a Basson collaboration with BHMA
SoundCity and Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra have joined forces offering music centre/orchestra members £1 tickets to selected events.
BHMA are once again working with The Place to offer a unique training programme with their CAT scheme.
Awards for Young Musicians has recently been awarded a large grant from Youth Music to support the development of their Furthering Talent programme with SoundCity.
Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival and SameSky are delighted to announce that the theme for the 2015 Children's Parade is 'taking flight'.
Events Co-ordinator, Holly Griffiths, tells us of her love for organising exciting events and international tours and her first musical memory of the steel pans!
SoundCity partners have been taking part in a practical and innovative approach to training exploring different ways to enhance vocal creativity.
SoundCity has become a 'Phase 2' Arts Award Development Hub, working across the arts/cultural sector informing children and young people of opportunities.
The Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra, The Starr Trust and Drum United are welcomed on board as the most recent additions to the SoundCity partnership.
to Grade 4 standard or above? Come along to the BHMA Adult Concert Band get together on Thurs 4 Dec - you might like to join the band after hearing them play.
BHMA is planning for the next Summer School and they would love to hear what courses you would like them to put on next year. Tweet @BHMusicandArts using #SS2015.
The SoundCity: Connect network of hub working groups monitor and develop music provision for children and young people across the City. Why not get involved?
4 classes from Year 7 have been taking part in a brass pilot project, supported by the school and the Head Teacher, using ptrumpets and pbones (plastic).
Ray Chi-Hang Long will join BYO when they perform on Saturday 28 November at St John's Church, Knoyle Road at 7pm.
The BYO concert scheduled on 13 Feb 2015 at St Paul's Church, West Street, will be dedicated to Jenny Caws, much loved and much missed inspirational teacher.
Also performing at the Brighton Centre on 8 Dec will be BHMA percussion ensemble along with pupils from 5 primary schools.
