Published: 06 Apr 2023
Drummers from Pulse of the Place, part of A.R.Ts Afternoon, performing at Make Music Day 2022. Image by Mihaela Bodlovic.
In the 20th year of the Youth Music Initiative (YMI) – the key funding channel for youth music projects in Scotland, backed by the Scottish Government and administered through Creative Scotland – 63 community music projects across the country have been awarded nearly £1.7m in total to support incredible music-making initiatives targeted towards children and young people.
58 received funding through the Access to Music Making stream which aims to deliver high quality music-based experiences to young people who face opportunity barriers. A further 5 were awarded funding via Strengthening Youth Music, which supports individuals, organisations and networks who undertake strategic action to champion Scotland’s youth music sector.
The announcement saw continued support for YMI’s flagship funded projects, such as the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, Highlands-based Fèis Rois and Lothian’s A.R.T.S Afternoon, who will be representing the best of young Scottish talent at New York’s Tartan Parade later this month.
The awards also include support for new initiatives aimed at improving children and young peoples’ wellbeing through a variety of creative approaches.
The National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland perform at Celtic Connections 2023. Image by Cameron Brisbane.
Edinburgh-based project, Into The Music, has a vision to create an immersive, tactile music-making environment where purpose-built instruments will allow participants to improvise music in a safe space. Innovative adaptations to the instruments mean the music is always played in tune, which promotes relaxation and confidence.
Giorgos Bouras, Community Music Facilitator at Into The Music, said: “Into The Music provides an accessible platform for music improvisation in a relaxed environment. The YMI Access To Music funding will allow us to provide weekly workshops to children and young people with additional needs who would otherwise not have many opportunities to take part in quality music making experiences. Purpose-built string instruments and motion tracking technology will allow everyone to participate no matter their ability and musical experience and explore the possibilities of group music making in a fun and informal way.”
Bathgate early-years project Nurture Nursery takes a uniquely seasonal approach to singing. Grounded in gardening, the ‘Music To Help Us Grow’ scheme explores music inspired by nature and food from across world, culminating at a community event at the musical garden.
Katie Robertson, Nurture Nursery Owner and Manager, said: “We are really excited to start our next music project ‘Music To Help Us Grow’ with Alec from Central Voices. The children have loved getting to know Alec in our previous project and have really missed our weekly sessions. The funding will also provide opportunities for visiting musicians which is a fantastic experience for young children especially those who may not have access to this out with nursery. Many thanks to Creative Scotland for this helping this project go ahead!”
Angie's Project in Edinburgh is a youth work music project centred on electronic music production education. Named after Angie McNeil, an Edinburgh nurse and DJ who tragically took her own life this year, her legacy will see beat-making used as a tool to improve engagement and boost wellbeing, with workshops to be trialled in NHS settings.
Robert Tolson, Director of Turn the Tables said: "Angie McNeil’s friends approached us about fundraising to deliver DJ workshops for young people in Edinburgh after the tragic passing of their friend Angie. Angie was a passionate music lover, DJ and nurse. After a successful fundraising campaign led by Angie’s friends, we felt the best way to honour Angie would be to combine our youth work activities into a single project, working alongside Action For Children and other partners to deliver; “Angie’s Project”. A project that will deliver music sessions in the form of DJ & beat making sessions to young people within both a community setting and at NHS Lothian hospitals.
We are immensely proud and grateful that Creative Scotland and the Youth Music Initiative is supporting Angie’s Project first year of delivery. The funding provided will double the capacity of what Angie’s friends have already fundraised, enabling hundreds of young people to try DJing and beat making for the first time."
Paisley-based Kibble Education and Care Centre are supporting young aspiring artists to create a record label under which they produce and record their own tracks. From filming music videos to masterclasses with industry professionals, the participants’ hard work will come together at a performance which showcases their original sounds.
Jim Gillespie, Chief Executive at Kibble, said: “Kibble is delighted to have received funding through the Youth Music Initiative programme. It’s an exciting opportunity for young people to develop their music-making skills while connecting with industry professionals. With so many creative minds, we can’t wait to hear the music produced through the Sounds Right project.”
Music Space is a new initiative produced by AC Projects and its flagship festival, Counterflows. Music Space opens up the possibilities for young people in Glasgow to be a part of a wider artistic community and to access skills and knowledge to support participation and sharing in the arts. Musicians facing barriers will be given financial support, mentorship, and a residency opportunity through the programme.
Matilda Strang, Music Space producer said: “We are thrilled to have funding support for the next iteration of Music Space. The funding will support a bursary programme for two young people across nine months, exploring sound and music with the support of monthly mentoring sessions. The funding will also support the delivery of Music Space creative sessions – a series of eight practice-based workshops for young people. Eyve and Mawaddah (Music Space bursary recipients 2022–23) achieved huge amounts over the last year both creatively and professionally, and we are very much looking forward to watching what happens next for them both. We are also looking forward to building on the Music Space community of young people, partners and mentors over the next year.”
Sapta Swara, meaning Seven Notes, will develop and promote South Asian Music among young people from BAME communities in Central Scotland, delivered by Abhinaya (SCIO), The Glasgow School of Music, Glasgow based freelance musicians and an expert South Asian musician based in India, working in partnership. Weekly tuition practicing Indian music pieces will see the development of a youth band over the course of a year.
Esther Sunija, Artistic Director of Abhinaya SCIO, said: "We are delighted to receive the funding from the Youth Music Initiative to bring Sapta Swara to life. This project will provide an invaluable opportunity for young people to explore their cultural heritage and develop confidence and life skills through music."
Morag Macdonald, YMI Manager at Creative Scotland, said: “Scottish Government’s renewed commitment to YMI into its third decade recognises the strength and ambition of Scotland’s vibrant youth music sector and the very real benefits it brings to young people and their communities. The funding announced today is supporting an incredibly diverse array of projects that will create meaningful opportunities for children and young people to take part in music activities right across the country.”
In 2021, more than 362,000 children and young people from Scotland’s 32 local authority areas were given free access to music-making experiences. YMI not only recognises the barriers to arts opportunities for young people from socio-economically deprived areas, but commits considerable resources to tackling them, recently underlined by the Scottish Government’s continued commitment to distributing around £9m of public funding annually.
Christina McKelvie, Culture Minister, said: “I’m delighted that children and young people in many of our communities will have the opportunity to benefit from a range of inspiring music projects through YMI. The projects that have been awarded funding focus on inclusivity and widening access and participation in cultural opportunities for children and young people from under-represented groups. Music has the power to boost overall health and well-being and plays an important part in bringing people together to build stronger communities.”
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot.
Explore the Youth Music Initiative (YMI) fund guidance and application forms.
YMI has two distinct strands:
Shona Bruce
M: 07740 948 719
