What is a YMAZ?
YMAZs aim  to provide music-making activities to 0-18 year olds who might otherwise lack opportunity.

If you would like to get involved, contact your nearest YMAZ directly using the map above or the list to the right.

Aims and objectives
Each YMAZ is unique as they are designed to respond to the particular needs of the community they operate in, but they all share the same common objectives:

• To establish a legacy of music-making opportunities in areas of social and economic need.
• Improve the overall standards of music-making across all music styles and genres.
• 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.
• To establish the value of music-making opportunities as a force for regeneration in communities, fostering social inclusion and community cohesion.
   

What do Youth Music Action Zones do?
YMAZs deliver a wide range of music-making covering all music 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.

How were Youth Music Action Zones created?
Each YMAZ is set up through a process of consultation with local agencies and organisations, as well as children and young people within each target area, to establish local requirements. Youth Music aims to achieve its overall objectives but leave all music, artistic and social decisions to local people. Partnerships have also been built with regional Arts Councils, local education authorities, music services, community music organisations and youth agencies. Please note that the YMAZ programme is not an open programme and cannot be applied for.

Funding
Youth Music makes awards from a fund set aside to create and support YMAZs. Each YMAZ must raise at least another 25% of the value of the Youth Music award from complementary and alternative funding sources.

The future of Youth Music Action Zones
Youth Music Action Zones have already reached over 150,000 young people, giving many of them their first real experience of music-making. They have undeniably had an overwhelmingly positive effect on the communities they operate in, proving that music has an invaluable part to play in advancing the educational and social development of young people.

The quality of their work has been so outstanding that many YMAZs have now qualified for and received a four rounds of funding from Youth Music and the charity is examining the possibility of further YMAZs in England.

For further information email info@youthmusic.org.uk