Youth Music
Youth Music funds and facilitates music-making for young people up to the age of 18, particularly those living in areas of social and economic need. It is a national charity set up in 1999 with £30m of National Lottery money provided through Arts Council England. Its successes have been endorsed by a further £40m of funding which will allow the work to continue until 2006. By this time, Youth Music aims to have reached more than 3 million young people and their wider communities in a nationwide strategy to support youth music-making.
Youth Music works alongside the formal and community-based sectors and supports music-making and training delivered by not-for-profit organisations mainly outside of school hours. It funds a wide range of music-making across all styles and genres; from funk to folk, roots to reggae, jazz to junk, classical to choral, garage to gospel. Activities include workshops, rehearsals, performances, one-to-one teaching and mentoring.
The key objectives are:
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Establish a legacy of music-making opportunities in areas of social and economic need
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Improve the overall standards of music-making across all music styles and genres
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Champion the value of music-making; proving that music has an invaluable part to play in advancing the educational and social development of young people
Establish music-making opportunities as a force for regeneration in communities, fostering social inclusion and community cohesion.
"My first real experience of choral singing was in the Thorne Grammar School Choir. I realise how vital that early experience was to my development - not only in my career as a singer but in life generally, and I still recall the exhilaration that comes from being part of a big sound! Children today don't necessarily have the chances that I took for granted - whether singing in assembly or in the school or church choir. Youth Music's Singing Challenge provides a fantastic opportunity for today's youngsters to discover the joy of singing together." - Lesley Garret, singing star
For more information about the work of Youth Music, the projects they are involved in and how to receive funding visit the Youth Music website.
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