Youth Music Regional Plans - North West. Youth Music in The north west January 2011

Transcription

1 Youth Music in The north west January 2011

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3 About Youth Music Youth Music is the leading UK charity using music to transform the lives of disadvantaged children and young people. We support and develop exemplary music provision at every stage of a young person s development, whether it s the first time a mother and baby make music together, or a talented teen s debut at the Royal Albert Hall. Youth Music has transformed the landscape of musical opportunity in the UK. Since 1999, we ve reached over two million children and young people through all types of music, both in and out of school. Our vision Through music making, any young person, regardless of their background, should have opportunities to discover their creativity and fulfil their potential. Our mission To help young people make the most of their lives through the power of music. Since 1999 Youth Music has: Enabled over 2,150,000 children and young people to make music Created employment opportunities for over 25,000 music leaders and trainees (music leaders 15,853, trainees 9,341) Provided music-making opportunities in 99.5% of local authority areas in England Used 100m of Lottery funding to lever an additional 46% ( 46.4 million) into the sector Made over 2,400 funding awards (2,467) Funded the delivery of almost 275,000 music-making workshops Helped young people create 22,364 new works and compositions Brought over 13,000 musical instruments back into use Produced, with consortium partners (AMV BBDO, Faber Music and The Sage Gateshead), Sing Up National Singing Programme for primary school-aged children in England 2007/11 to date benefiting 86% of schools We ve facilitated sustainable music provision, with 93% of funded organisations continuing to offer music-making services beyond the life of our support. We ve also seen a 92% increase in the selfconfidence and self-esteem of children and young people participating in our projects as well as substantial improvements in interactive social skills, respect for others and literacy and language skills. Page 3

4 Youth Music s areas of focus for the next five years ( ) Early Years - we want to advance the learning and development of children in their early years (0-5s), by aiming to ensure universal access (in England) to high-quality music-making activities across a range of settings. Challenging circumstances - we want to improve the life chances of children and young people in the most challenging circumstances by supporting them to achieve their full potential through engagement and progression in music making. Encouraging talent and potential - we want to realise the musical talent and potential of children and young people by ensuring opportunity for all to develop their talent regardless of background or chosen genre. Workforce development - we want to enable the highest-quality music making, by developing a diverse, highly skilled and inspirational workforce. Our approach Listening to young people and their communities Learning from experience to enhance our advocacy and programme development work Making the case for participation in high-quality music making as a powerful force in the development of young lives Focusing our activity on areas of concern in collaboration with others, on a national, regional and local scale Developing resources, sharing good practice and providing practical support to ensure maximum impact Raising funds and targeting funding to areas where the power of music can benefit those with least opportunity Page 4

5 How Youth Music works We fulfil our mission and objectives in a variety of ways including: Youth Music s Open Programme enabling grass-roots organisations and schools to do work they couldn t otherwise do. Solicited programmes regional programmes of activity enabling organisations to make a significant local and regional difference through Youth Music s support and guidance and together have a major national impact. This includes MusicLeader Networks, National Youth Music Organisations and Youth Music Action Zones. One significant subset of these is: Partnership programmes bringing organisations together, working with Youth Music to make a significant national difference. Youth Music initiatives initiatives or events that complement the above programmes and extend the impact of our other work. Advocacy acting as a catalyst for change and innovation - evidence-based advocacy and influencing; sharing good practice; taking a national leadership and co-ordination role, based on a solid understanding of national and local needs. Page 5

6 Arts Council England Youth Music and Arts Council England Youth Music is a delegate Lottery funds distributor on behalf of Arts Council England. Achieving Great Art For Everyone Arts Council England has produced a strategic framework to focus their work over the next 10 years which will encourage shared purpose and partnerships across the arts. It provides the rationale for their investment in the arts and will inform their future funding decisions. It was shaped by the views of artists, arts organisations, the public and their many other stakeholders and partners. With its focus on long-term collaborative action, the strategic framework will enable the Arts Council to work with partners towards positive change in the arts. It will help create the conditions in which great art can be made, experienced and appreciated by as many people as possible. It will support us in realising our vision of England as a world-leading creative and cultural nation. It will enable us to focus our investment and achieve even more impact. Long-term goals At the heart of the framework are five 10 year goals. Goal 1: Talent and artistic excellence are thriving and celebrated. England is regarded as a pre-eminent centre for artistic excellence. Goal 2: More people experience and are inspired by the arts. The arts are at the centre of people s lives more people are involved in arts in their communities and are enriched and inspired by arts experiences. Goal 3: The arts are sustainable, resilient and innovative. Collaborative and networked, the arts are known for resilience, innovation and their contribution to the nation s reputation and prosperity. Goal 4: The arts leadership and workforce are diverse and highly skilled. The diversity of the arts workforce reflects the diversity of society and artistic practice in England. Outstanding arts leaders play a wider role in their communities and nationally. Goal 5: Every child and young person has the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts. Children and young people have the best current and future artistic lives they can have. They are able to develop their artistic capabilities and engage with, and shape, the arts. Page 6

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8 Youth Music in the North West The North West is a diverse region of geo-political complexity: 60% of the population live in the conurbations of Merseyside and Greater Manchester, the remainder in Cumbria, Lancashire and Cheshire. There is a varied landscape across the creative and music sector in terms of provision, ideas, work, knowledge, experience and ambition. The focus on youth leadership is gathering momentum in the North West with youth-determined activity an increasingly important factor. Youth Music and partners can and do play a significant role in this as the move towards commissioning continues. There is a much stronger understanding of culture s role in the regeneration of the North West now. Cultural investment in Liverpool and Manchester is embraced as a major driver for change, renewal and regeneration. Similar cultural awareness also informs a range of large scale initiatives in Preston, the West Coast of Cumbria and the East Lancashire Corridor. Page 8

9 Regional Executive Officers Youth Music s Regional Executive Officers work in their local communities to promote our work at a grass-roots level. They work with local government officers, staff from other organisations and funded programmes, gathering information and contacts. They act not only as ambassadors for Youth Music, but also as the link between the community and head office. A key part of their role is to support the development of children and young people s music making across their region. They do this by: Building and brokering partnerships with other arts organisations as well as those delivering Youth Music funded programmes, local authorities and schools in order to increase sustained music-making activities for young people, whilst extending their reach and impact Providing regional expertise on young people s music making to appropriate groups across the region Building and maintaining relationships with cultural organisations including Music Services, venues, Youth Music Action Zones and MusicLeader Networks Making the case to key influencers in the region for participation in high-quality music making as a powerful force in the development of young lives Supporting the funding process and applicants who wish to apply to Youth Music for grants Signposting organisations and individuals to professional development opportunities in the region Sharing knowledge and examples of best practice to improve the quality of music provision for young people across the region Our Regional Executive Officer for the North West is Christine Spriggs. Page 9

10 Key Funded Partners Youth Music has over the past 11 years developed some key partners in each of the regions. In particular we have our Youth Music Action Zones and MusicLeader Networks. We have also supported other organisations through our Open Programme and Youth Music Power Play funding streams. We work closely with other colleagues from the wider Music Education sector including Music Services and other youth, music and arts organisations. Youth Music Action Zones Since December 2000, Youth Music has established 21 Youth Music Action Zones (YMAZs) in areas of social and economic need across England and Wales. The YMAZ programme reaches young people from communities where aspiration and hope for the future can be very limited by their surroundings. We encourage them to see that, with hard work and determination, they can achieve more than they ever thought possible not only in their music making but also that they can extend that new-found confidence in their abilities to other areas of their lives too. Actively seeking out and identifying areas of need across the country was key to the development of this network. The YMAZ programme is delivered by established organisations made up from the public, voluntary and private sector. They cover all genres of music and deliver a wide range of activities, the majority of which are free of charge, including workshops, rehearsals, performances, one-to-one teaching and mentoring. By working closely with agencies such as youth services, youth offending teams and the police, YMAZs are able to reach young people who would most benefit from being involved. Each YMAZ responds to the particular needs of their host community, encompassing broad agendas. A recent independent evaluation of the YMAZ programme found that, for young people, YMAZs provided their only chance to access such a wide range of opportunities for music learning. North West organisations delivering the YMAZ programme: GMMAZ (Manchester) - GMMAZ which is part of Brighter Sound, is based in Manchester town centre, but works throughout the 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester and beyond. Partners include Northwards Housing, North Manchester Cultural Strategy Team, Youth Offer Team and local music services. More Music (Lancashire) - established in 1993 More Music manages the Lancashire YMAZ for Youth Music, facilitating music making for young people up to the age of 18, particularly those living in areas of social and economic need. SoundWave (Cumbria) - SoundWave deliver the Cumbria YMAZ. SoundWave work in partnership with Creative Futures Cumbria, Whitehaven Police, Carlisle City Council and the BBC amongst others. Page 10

11 MusicLeader MusicLeader exists to raise the quality, value and impact of music leadership in the UK. Funded by Youth Music, MusicLeader is a unique national network which supports the development of the music leading workforce, who work in and across the formal and non-formal education and arts sectors, equipping them with the knowledge and skills required by employers. MusicLeader provides support to any individual or organisation that is interested in delivering music-making activities. It offers three core services: Information, advice and guidance Training and networking opportunities Online resources MusicLeader also advocates the importance of music leading and the need for investment in this area of work - the North West regional MusicLeader Network is hosted by GMMAZ. Page 11

12 Regional Plan for the North West The purpose of this regional plan is to guide the work of the Regional Executive Officer and our partners to enable the effective delivery of Youth Music s strategic goals in the region through: Increased regional advocacy Developing partnerships in our region Improving music-making opportunities that help and support children and young people who grow up in challenging places through the strategic deployment of the Youth Music Power Play grant Achieving synergy between the different elements of Youth Music s offer, e.g. YMAZs 1, MusicLeader, Youth Music Power Play and Open Programme funding, and paving the way for better understanding and recognition of Youth Music s position and role in the region Improving Youth Music s service in and our knowledge of the regions through strategic development Our Regional Plans make reference to pre-henley 2 landscape and Local Authority Music Plans. The principles and thinking that underpin our plans remains relevant and can contribute to the development of effective local Music Education Hubs and a National Music Education Plan. Challenges for the North West region We believe the key challenges and issues facing the children, young people and music sector in the North West are: Changes to funding: We recognise that at the start of this five year phase one of the most significant challenges we face as a sector is the impact of changes to the funding system, with not only resources becoming scarcer at national and local levels, but the climate in which we work becoming increasingly competitive. We envisage that restructuring and devolution of funding will have an impact on local government resources available, which in turn may affect youth work, educational outreach work and music provision. Profile: The profile of the work that we and our partners lead on across the region (especially in areas where there is no YMAZ or Youth Music Power Play funded project) is not high enough with decision-makers and stakeholders in the North West (locally, regionally and nationally). Youth Music and its partners need to work to position themselves more strategically in the youth and music-making sectors so that our organisations can become more influential and effective. Disadvantage for children in their early years: Many of the region s youngest children do not get the best creative and musical start to their education. A report by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport from 2010 found evidence to suggest that children of teenage mothers have a 63% chance of being born into poverty themselves and are more likely to have behavioural problems and accidents. There are not enough skilled Early Years music leaders in the North West and there are too few settings where high-quality developmental music education and activity is taking place. 1 The Merseyside programme 2 In reference to the Government commissioned Review of Music Education led by Darren Henley Page 12

13 Continued disadvantage for children and young people: The socio-economic disadvantage that starts at birth for far too many of the North West s children and young people continues to affect their life chances adversely as they grow. Many become marginalised in their communities, leaving school with no qualifications. This can lead to drug and alcohol misuse, teenage pregnancy, gang culture and crime. These are the hard to reach children and young people that have the fewest opportunities in our society. The transition from primary to secondary school: Young people in the North West often feel that the way music is taught formally is not creative, exciting or relevant enough. The socio-economic pool from which the region s various youth orchestras and conservatoires draw their members is too small with too few opportunities to become involved. Many young people learn to play from one another and are accessing and creating a much wider and more diverse musical landscape. This needs to be more fully embraced by schools, music teachers and music professionals. More young people in the North West need to be given opportunities to develop as music leaders. Workforce development: The music leadership workforce in the North West is not large, diverse, skilled and/or specialist enough. This needs to be addressed in order to deliver a range of music projects and programmes across the music, youth and community sectors, whilst driving up the standard of excellence in musical leadership and developing the diverse, highlyskilled and inspirational workforce. Communication: We need to improve the communication between Youth Music and its external partners so we can become more effective as organisations. We need to give consistent messages about our work, be more strategic, identify gaps and share best practice and learning from case studies. Young people s development: There is still a long way to go in the North West in terms of recognising and supporting young people who want to develop as the new music and creative leaders of the future. Youth Music and its partners need to take a lead on this work, listening to young people s views on how they want to develop and progress and responding supportively. In addition we need to continue to respond intelligently to the range of diverse musical forms that young people are accessing and creating as well as to the increasingly multi-media and cross-arts approach that many young people are now involved in. Page 13

14 Our Identified Priorities for the North West As part of our work over the next five years and our commitment to being an effective and efficient organisation, Youth Music and its funded delivery partners will: Develop effective and appropriate methods of advocacy and communication by meeting regularly with partners, including key music delivery agencies and organisations, to gather and share regional intelligence relating to the children, young people and music sectors. By 2015 the outcome of this will be to ensure that Youth Music is visible and accessible, enabling effective partnership working in the region. Prepare and inform third sector organisations for commissioning, contracts, opportunities and initiatives that may arise in the next five years. Advocate and recognise the achievements of Youth Music and its funded partners through the publication of research reports, online content, case studies and bulletins to be made available to North West partners for their reference. By 2015 the impact of this will be a greater awareness of good practice in the region and recognition of our national impact whilst raising the profile of Youth Music and its delivery partners. Raise the profile of Youth Music s work in the North West with MPs, heads of children s services, key agencies and decision-makers. The outcome/impact of this will be wider support for Youth Music s work in the region. Continue to collaborate with wider partners in the region, including partnerships and models developed via Open Programmes and Youth Music Power Play. This will help enhance best practice and build on successful models which we can consider replicating elsewhere to advocate collectively the power of music in changing young lives across the North West. Page 14

15 Involving young people We are all committed to extending the reach of young people s voices in order for them to influence and shape decisions affecting their lives for the better. Youth Music has carried out youth consultation work for many years, mostly through our Youth Music Council comprised of young people from across England, and whilst we are looking to maintain these relationships, we would like to broaden engagement by developing a broad network of links to other young voices. We hope to establish a mechanism in order to poll a wide array of young people more easily, to provide them with information more regularly, and to engage with a changing group of ambassadors who might work with us for time and task-bound periods. Ultimately, we would like to maintain and build on effective relationships with groups of young people that have already been developed by music education organisations at local and regional levels, in order to extend these voices upwards. We aim to recognise young people as the leaders of the future and respond intelligently to the diverse musical forms that they are accessing and creating. Youth Music and its funded delivery partners will contribute to addressing these issues by identifying, engaging and training up to 150 new music and creative leaders through involvement in projects and programmes that we and our partners run in the region. This will mean that more young people can play an active leading role in the musical landscape of the region through making music and as the next generation of music leaders in the North West. Page 15

16 We, in conjunction with our partners, have identified and agreed the following priorities for the North West: Early years We aim to develop an action plan and advocacy role that strengthens music-making provision for pre-school aged children in the North West, increasing awareness, access and uptake. We need to strengthen early years networks, leading the way on effective partnership around music provision. We aim to build on the good practice that Youth Music and its partners in the region have championed over the last 10 years, influencing and tapping into the wider early years networks with the aim of involving more early years workers and settings in activity and sharing best practice. We know this is needed because there are significant numbers of children aged 0-5 across the region who are not receiving a quality start to their music making and because many early years settings have expressed real interest in having quality music-making opportunities on offer for children, parents and carers. Youth Music and its funded delivery partners will contribute to addressing these issues by: Regular effective early years networking activity across the region including best practice sessions for practitioners in partnership with our North West schools music service and others. Running quality early years programmes in a variety of accessible North West locations giving consideration to areas where too few of these programmes are currently running. Running programmes to skill up individual non-music specialist early years workers so that they are appropriately resourced to do the work (in partnership with MusicLeader North West). Working with parents (including those in their teenage years) to provide them with access to high quality music-making activities for their children. By working with agencies that support teenage parents, we can address issues around high levels of teenage pregnancy. Communicating the benefits of involvement in early years activities to the public (both for themselves and their children) and to key decision-makers. We will help raise the profile of early years work, focusing on the importance of early involvement in creativity and music making. Finding creative ways to connect with and influence NVQ courses in colleges across the North West thereby building an awareness of the importance of music in the early years sector. Page 16

17 Outcomes and impact: The creation of a best practice and information sharing system and network in the North West allowing more music practitioners and early years staff and settings to access quality music-making opportunities. Increased numbers of settings running early years activity leading to a greater number of early years Youth Music Open Programme applications in the region. A radical, new, work-based training programme that can be rolled out to early years settings across the North West helping to drive up standards of best practice. More children having regular involvement in music making at home as well as in school and better engagement from teenage parents. More students gaining music-making skills in relation to pre-school children s learning. Page 17

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19 Challenging circumstances We aim to develop a long term strategy for working effectively with children and young people living in challenging circumstances in the North West (those that are vulnerable, deemed hard to reach and living in disadvantage). We will build a coherent network of regional partners committed to learning from one another, addressing these and other relevant issues and looking at opportunities that might arise from the Big Society model as it takes shape. We know we need to do this because of the high numbers of children and young people in the North West living in disadvantaged communities where attainment and aspiration levels are low. We know that being caught in a poverty trap can significantly impede a child s life chances and that music projects and programmes can provide a range of opportunities for children and young people to develop musical and more general education as well as social and personal skills. Youth Music and its funded delivery partners will contribute to addressing these issues by: Inspiring and involving a wide range of participants and key partners across the North West in high-quality music-making projects and programmes that tackle issues including knife and gun crime, drug and alcohol abuse, high teenage pregnancy rates, low attainment and aspiration levels. We will support the development of new young creative leaders who will receive training, employment, volunteering, mentoring and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities. Involving young people as creative producers and leaders in diverse projects and programmes in partnership with key North West partners (including Youth Music Power Play projects and collaborative programmes such as the North West Cultural Olympiad Programme). Working more closely with the region s youth services, youth workers and other relevant organisations that work with children and young people over long periods of time. Developing strong relationships with the most effective agencies in the region. Making links with those organisations that are being commissioned as well as commissioning at national and regional level. Holding a regional sharing event in the North West about Youth Music Power Play and the relevance of this approach to working with children and young people who live in challenging circumstances. Outcomes and impact: Sharing the learning from Youth Music Power Play projects with a variety of future partner organisations across the North West. Strengthening links in the region to create a more cohesive approach to our work, shared learning opportunities, the development of ground-breaking training programmes and an end to short-termism in practice. More opportunities to be commissioned and to commission work around the challenging circumstances goal. Page 19

20 Hundreds more young people gaining access to high-quality music-making opportunities and chances to progress, allowing them to pass on their skills, knowledge and experience to others. More than 150 young people playing a leading role in diverse projects and programmes in the region - curating, commissioning and running events and activities such as local gigs and neighbourhood festivals in the build up to London Beyond 2012 young people will be signposted onto longer term opportunities that North West cultural organisations will continue to offer as well as CPD, training, mentoring, ambassadorial and employment opportunities. Page 20

21 Encouraging talent and potential We aim to improve and enhance access to a wide range of progression opportunities for children and young people in the North West as well as their music leaders, teachers and mentors. We need to find a range of methods to increase the number of children and young people in the North West developing their talent and potential as musicians and young creative leaders. There are many children and young people with talent and potential living in our region who do not access opportunities to fully develop their musical abilities. Youth Music and its funded delivery partners will contribute to addressing these issues by: Providing the best progression and referral routes (musical development but also social and personal development). We will become the best introducers to a range of opportunities for children, young people, their families, schools and young people s organisations. Understanding the possibilities and the limitations of the musical landscape, enabling us to better signpost and inform. Profiling the North West s regional distinctiveness in relation to encouraging talent and potential. This will be achieved by strengthening access to the opportunities on offer in the region and by highlighting individual stories of talented young musicians in the North West. Outcomes and impact: An increased number of children and young people in the North West developing their talent and potential via: Formal curriculum Attending vocational courses Their involvement in the wider cultural sector Progression routes in the music industry as a performer/ promoter/manager etc. Better signposting for young people for their continuing musical journey, resulting in an increased number of employable young people in the North West More young people from a diverse range of backgrounds will be made aware of highquality training and mentoring on their doorstep, enabling them to attend the region s conservatoires, orchestras and masterclasses. It will also allow these institutions to attract a much wider and more diverse range of talented young people in the North West. Page 21

22 Workforce development We aim to drive up the standard of excellence in musical leadership and develop a diverse, highly skilled and inspirational workforce in the North West so as to enable more of the region s children and young people to take part in their own musical journeys. There are currently too few professional music leaders and too narrow a range of music tuition on offer. Youth Music and its funded delivery partners will contribute to addressing these issues by: Running an Adopt the MusicLeader Code of Practice campaign across the North West. Creating up to 75 new young music leaders across the North West by Profiling excellent practice in the North West. Identifying more CPD opportunities and engaging more users for MusicLeader North West s information, advice and guidance services. Developing MusicLeader North West s Regional Training Assistance Programme, with a focus on brokerage partners who work in areas of geographic difficulty (i.e. Cheshire and Cumbria) and/or in areas of specialism (e.g. music in health). Improving our learning through more effective evaluation and monitoring across the work of the region s partners. Outcomes and impact: More high quality practitioners created in the region. This will drive up standards for anyone thinking of becoming a music leader. An increased number of employable and economically active young people in the North West. The breaking down of barriers and creation of new networks, attracting more people to become music leaders, mentors and trainees. An increase in the number of MusicLeader members signposted to work/training as well as a stronger and growing network of training providers around the North West. The engagement of more music leaders and potential music leaders and help for them to continue to develop and improve their practice, resulting in the creation of more skilled music leaders in the North West. Gaps in provision across the region to be addressed. Increased knowledge of best practice and more importantly where improvement still needs to happen. Page 22

23 Music has the power to connect us as people. For young people especially it s the perfect medium for self-expression, and for me the real beauty of music is that it helps us communicate with others. It doesn t matter what colour you are, whether you re rich or poor, black or white, where you re from - with music, all barriers are removed. Dame Evelyn Glennie, Youth Music Ambassador

24 Youth Music One America Street London SE1 0NE Tel: Fax: Chairman: Richard Stilgoe OBE Chief Executive: Christina Coker OBE Registered charity number: A company limited by guarantee Registered in England, number Registered office: One America Street London SE1 0NE