For an organisation that pushes the boundaries to promote inclusive music education.
A huge congratulations to all the nominees shortlisted for our Innovation Award. At Youth Music we want all children and young people to be able to make music, whatever their background or circumstances. Our shortlisted nominees are all pushing the boundaries to make this possible. Read more about them below.
WILD Young Parents Project (winner)
Music Makes Me Happy (Truro)
The Music Makes Me Happy project is focused on encouraging vulnerable young parents to practise music making with their young children. Increasing the parents confidence in music-making has many benefits, in particular with regards to supporting child development, speech and language skills and forming strong attachments.
The WILD team have supported the young parents’ musical development by teaching them how to play the ukulele with their children using a bespoke dyslexia-friendly chord book, and how to use Makaton signing as a musical activity.
The young parents that take part in this project often have poor mental health, live in poverty and have very poor access to services and education, including music provision.
Music Makes Me Happy also facilitates sessions geared towards engaging the parents in new and innovative musical technology away from their children. This includes using the MidiSprout and SubPac technology - with which participants can take electrical impulses from plants - including trees, flowers, seaweed and moss - to trigger electronic synthesisers on iPads, and therefore create completely original music.
These sessions in particular have been transformative, taking parents out of suburban areas and into nature. Feedback from these sessions instigates powerful debates about the environment - in particular, how our actions will affect our children as they grow up.
Music Action International
Harmonise/Everyday People/Syria Summer Camp (Manchester)
Music Action International use the power of creativity to transform lives devastated by war, torture and persecution, connecting divided communities.
Their innovative programmes connect refugees, asylum seekers and Roma [RAS] with young people and international musicians in a fully inclusive way. RAS face barriers including horrific violence and/or death of family in their home country; losing everything to find safety; UK hate crime; threat of deportation; homelessness; discrimination; language barriers; isolation; exclusion and a lack of empathy from their community.
Music Action International’s methodology is unique, developed with refugees at every level, from trustees to volunteers. Programmes engage newly arrived refugees, who are given a voice in their own language, in a safe and inclusive environment to explore creativity through collaborating with others.
The process is led by participants, and supported by facilitators who have been through similar experiences. Huge social and health benefits are also evidenced: improved sense of wellbeing in all children (up to 250%), reduction in stress and trauma, reduction in isolation and bullying.
They push the boundaries of what can be achieved through inclusive programmes with people from all backgrounds - many performing for the first time – taking part in high quality collaborations, inspiring over 2,000,000 audience members through performances including with BBC Symphony Orchestra & Singers on Radio 3, Shubbak Festival, Southbank Centre, Bridgewater Hall, National Theatre and more.
Sound Connections
Wired4Music (London)
Wired4Music isn’t a programme delivered FOR young people, this is a programme delivered WITH young people. It’s a supportive community of Londoners age 16-25 who have a love for music. The 1,200-strong network is made up of singers, rappers, creative producers, musicians, radio hosts, filmmakers and many more!
The Wired4Music staff team deliver a programme of events, informal workshops, one-to-one support and online advice for members who come from across London and have various needs and goals.
Each of their twice yearly flagship events is created with a team of young people who are either new or existing members, and the content is created through face-to-face and online consultation with young people. This means that every time they deliver an event it is fresh, relevant and useful to young people living in the capital.
Evaluation of projects shows that young people's wellbeing, confidence, communication skills and knowledge grow through the process of working on a Wired4Music project and members frequently go into employment or develop careers as musicians; are better prepared to face other challenges they may encounter in their lives; and are empowered to pursue musical avenues into further/higher education and training.
Whether it’s working on/attending a Wired4Music event; applying for support to create a project; working on a paid internship; visiting a friendly, informative monthly drop-in or simply checking out curated job and project opportunities on socials and the website, their unparalleled holistic approach means that members can keep coming back for support.
Novation
Ever since the introduction of the iconic Bass Station back in 1993, Novation has continued to play its part in shaping the sound of electronic music, whether the ubiquitous Launchpad that has now seen well over a billion YouTube views, or synthesisers behind the signature sounds of a constantly evolving musical landscape. From the serious hardware-oriented music-maker looking for new inspiration, to electronic music fans looking to start a journey into making their own tunes, Novation is empowering the creative minds that are shaping the music and art of tomorrow.
