“I feel like I’ve found my own voice.”- Charlotte, Dwight and Finlay's story

Charlotte, Dwight and Finlay are all in Year 11 at Co-op Academy North Manchester. They took part in Exchanging Notes – a project in partnership with local music organisation Brighter Sound – which provided valuable experiences both inside and outside the music classroom during Years 7-9.

They’re now all taking GCSE Music – and they say that the project has played a big role in their musical development, as well as improving their confidence and ability to express themselves.

Discovering a career in music - Chi's story

Chi, 21, is a beatmaker and music producer from Oxford. The Beat Route project, run by the Ark T Centre, has helped him learn new skills and work out a direction for his future.

“I make quite a bit of chilled music, trap, drum & bass, anything and everything – it depends on my mood at the time,” says Chi. “I use Logic and Pro Tools to record a whole range of people, so it could be guitars, bagpipes, singers – I’m happy to record anyone!”

Chi’s currently studying for a degree in audio production at the prestigious SAE Institute, and working towards a career in music. It’s a big turnaround after going through some tough challenges when he was younger.

Expressing themselves through songwriting - Shelby, Phoebe, Kylie and Shona's story

Shelby, Phoebe, Kylie and Shona took part in a music-making project run by My Pockets at the Astra Youth Centre young carers’ group in Hull.

The girls, aged between 12 and 14, are all carers for siblings or parents who have additional needs or long-term health problems. As part of the project, they co-wrote a powerful song about their experiences.

Songwriting has helped them express their feelings, improved their relationships with their families – and earned them local celebrity status with their track being played on BBC Radio Humberside!

10 year journey to becoming a music leader - Kallum's story

Kallum, 24, is a rapper from Cambridge who’s been taking part in music-making projects run by local youth charity Romsey Mill since he was 14.

With their support, he’s made huge progress in developing his lyrical style and technical skills. And he’s now taking on additional responsibilities as a music leader – helping younger participants write, record and produce their own material.

Bringing music to the wards - Fabrice's story

Fabrice loves to sing. “I've been making music since I was young – since I was born!” says the 18-year-old, who grew up in central Africa but moved to the UK with his family in 2014 and now lives in the North East of England.

Fabrice experienced some serious mental health problems which led to him spending several months in hospital last year. Making music with the Singing for Health project has given Fabrice some of his happiest memories from a difficult time.

"I feel happy that I’ve got somewhere" - Filip's story

Filip, 14, is a jazz drummer who takes part in the East by North East project run by GemArts in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

The project provides music-making opportunities for young people across the city, including many like Filip who are from Eastern European families that have settled in Newcastle, as well as those from asylum-seeking and refugee families.

The five members of Filip’s group – known as The Marian Band – all met through the project and come from a mix of Czech and Slovakian Roma backgrounds. They meet up each week to rehearse traditional Eastern European jazz songs.

Bonding with my daughter and finding friends through music - Hannah's story

Hannah, 19, is a mum to 11-month-old Lilly. A Youth Music project has helped her bond with her daughter and find a supportive group of friends.

Since Lilly was eight weeks old, Hannah, from Bodmin in Cornwall, has been taking part in the ‘Music Makes Me Happy’ project for young parents with babies or toddlers, run by WILD Young Parents Project.

The weekly music-making sessions include ukulele, singing and Makaton (a simple sign language that can be used alongside songs or speech to help with children’s language learning). The songs and skills that Hannah’s learned from the group have provided hours of fun at home too, and given her a real sense of achievement.

Experimenting with music - Leah's story

18-year-old Leah is a rapper living in Corby who took part in CONCEPT, a project run by Pedestrian in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.

CONCEPT is based around a series of week-long studio residencies where young people collaborate to produce an original EP with a shared concept, character or theme.

The project supports participants to develop their confidence, communication and creative skills through writing lyrics, making original music and recording their own tracks.

How music venues saved me, and why we need to save them: A Love Letter.

Last night another band saved my life! Well, actually, it’s been three months and 18 days since another band saved my life, and with each day in lockdown feeling eerily the same as the last, my patience is dwindling. Seeing live bands feels like something I used to do in a past life... 

This pandemic has brought so much universal pain, anxiety and confusion I still hear myself on the phone to my mum saying “what the hell is going on?” There is so much sadness, loss and a feeling of trepidation for what will come in the aftermath. More than ever we are turning to the comforts of the arts to sustain us; my comfort is, as it always has been, music - especially the live stuff.

Music industry Q&A with Jungle’s Tom McFarland

In November 2020, Tom McFarland, co-founder of Jungle, stopped by for a Q&A with young people from YouPress, to answer their questions about music, and working in the industry. Watch the video, and read the article for tips and advice Tom shared.