Arts Council England – South West has recently commissioned an organisation based in Cornwall to look at the input of the arts in early years settings across the region. Music and Dance Education (MaDE) will be working across the whole of the South West region to research organisations, agencies and partnerships and draw them together;  look at examples of good working practice across the country;  and share their findings and recommendations through conferences and seminars over the next two years.

South West North has one Youth Music Action Zone, REMIX, working in Bristol. REMIX offers high quality workshops in early years settings, enhanced by a strong commitment to innovation in Early Years practice.   Since Youth Music’s inception in 1999, there have been a number of other Early Years projects hosted by individual early years settings and funded in partnership with other agencies.

With the Government’s Birth to 5, Every Child Matters and Music Manifesto papers, and the opening of Children’s Centres across the country as a follow-up to the SureStart initiative, opportunities are high at the moment for consultation and pressure.

The aforementioned Music Manifesto puts singing high on its list of priorities, and of course the voice is everybody’s in-built musical tool. However, getting young people over a certain age to sing – particularly boys, and particularly in a group environment proves more problematic.

We have produced the Singbook and funded a national series of workshops for community musicians and teachers to work with the book and more is to come.  Visit the Singbook website.

REMIX offers a range of ongoing singing opportunities, including a GP referral choir and regular songwriting weeks.  In addition, a ‘Super Singing Community’ is in development in Bristol, also funded by Youth Music, and led by Studio 7 in collaboration with a partnership of local schools.

Youth Music is targeting the transition period between primary and secondary school as this is the key time when young people give up their music-making. Youth Music has observed that many children give up through peer pressure and because the practices and infrastructures needed to support music-making at this crucial stage is not always in place.  Music can also be used as a tool to ease the transfer from primary to much larger secondary schools.

All Music Services in the region work hard across the transition period, and there are a number of independent projects with the same goal.  Somerset is one of three areas piloting Youth Music’s Music Passport, and Youth Music is active on the JUMPS (Joined up Music for People in Somerset) partnership leading this work.

At risk of ……? Exclusion, offending, drink, drugs, social and economic deprivation, cultural or geographic disadvantage – any challenging circumstance that prevents young people’s growth and progression. All recognisable predicaments across the whole region – and we believe that involvement in music-making activities can be a very positive force to counter such problems.

In the South West, Arts Council England South West has established a Youth Justice forum in line with its own At Risk agenda, with representation from organisations and agencies from across the region with an interest in how the arts can be active in the prevention and cure of anti-social behaviour and the paths that lead to young people’s inclusion in the justice system.

Specifically to music, REMIX (the Youth Music Action Zone for Bristol) undertakes exemplary work in the At Risk field, through its Alternative Education Programme and its contribution to the national Respect programme.  Many other projects and organisations have been funded by Youth Music to work on the At Risk priority, addressing – for example – barriers preventing girls from accessing electric instruments (fRock Idols) and poor cultural diversity in rural areas (Breaking the Sound Barrier).  Defining and addressing ‘At Risk’ issues in both urban and rural / coastal areas is of particular importance in a sub-region displaying a strong urban-rural mix, and Youth Music is working to ensure that this happens.

At Risk news items
At Risk case studies

Any Youth Music funded programme has to employ a paid trainee(s) and offer professional development opportunities for the music leaders to strengthen and develop the workforce. There are examples in our region where a trainee on a completed project is now leading workshops as a music leader.

Through Youth Music’s Musicleader.net initiative, all music leaders across the UK have access to online information, advice and guidance. Music Leader South West (MLSW) is hosted by the Bristol YMAZ – Remix with a steering group of representation from Artsmatrix, Dartington Plus and Sarah Hennessey, specialist in music education at Exeter University, and an advisory panel of relevant organisations from across the region. The Director of MusicLeader South West is Jacqui Haigh.  For more information please visit www.musicleader.net