"I expressed myself on the drums" - Tommy's story

Drummer Tommy, 15, is studying GCSE Music and loves composing his own beats. It’s a real change from a few years ago, when he had issues controlling his temper and was excluded from school several times. The Drum Works project has given him a creative outlet and helped him stay out of trouble.

Maddie Morris on Touring As An LGBTQ+ Artist

For Pride Month, Youth Music NextGen Fund artist Maddie Morris shares their experience of touring as an LGBTQ+ musician, and how activism through song can impact an audience.

Transforming music-making in Essex special schools

Essex Music Education Hub* realised that opportunities for music-making in the county’s special schools were patchy at best. They knew things needed to change, and they embarked on a strategic plan to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEN/D) don’t miss out.

The Plugin Project: Music For Mental Health

The Plugin Project by Quench Arts brings music-making to young mental health inpatients (12-25) in Birmingham and Coventry, empowering them to express themselves and paving the way for lasting music opportunities in care settings

Amy Frenchum, Worldwide Project Manager - Future Bubblers

Future Bubblers is an expansion of the Gilles Peterson and Brownswood Music ethos. It’s a talent discovery and development idea put together in collaboration with Arts Council England, with a focus on making in-roads into new areas, geographically and musically across England.

Project Visit: Horizon Studios

Jess Fisher - musician, Nottingham

Jess Fisher, musician, Nottingham. A part of the Able Orchestra for many years, Jess has been involved in the development of Control One, an assistive instrument made by Digit.

Music-making in hospitals and healthcare settings - OPUS Music

East Midlands-based arts organisation OPUS Music is one of the leading UK providers of music-making in healthcare settings. OPUS’s musicians are experts at engaging patients, visitors and hospital staff in music-making.

Digit Music: Future Talent

Digit Music is a record label, digital instrument manufacturer, and a creative learning and performance company supported by the Youth Music Trailblazer Fund. Their CMPSR instrument won a ‘Tech 4 Good’ accessibility award in 2019.

BREATHE Academy: The Empowering Art of Beatboxing

BREATHE Academy is an empowering project supported by the Youth Music Trailblazer Fund, helping young people aged 12 to 25 across the UK to explore their identities using beatboxing.

Sing our Story: The Community Music Project Bringing Families Together

Sing Our Story (formerly the Lullaby Project) is a project funded by Youth Music that is designed to use song writing to support children’s early musical development while increasing their confidence, emotional wellbeing, and creating a stronger relationship between schools and parents. 

7E Youth Academy: The Power of Music

The Power of Music is a project run by 7E Youth Academy in Birmingham. They’re a community organisation working with some of the most at-risk young people in the city.

Hull Sound Circles

Hull Sound Circles is a not-for-profit organisation creating positive change in people’s lives through music.

Do Your Own Thing

Creative community project, Do Your Own Thing, enables young people with learning disabilities and autistic young people to harness their boundless imagination.

T Roadz

Born and bred Birmingham rapper T.Roadz, is a rising star at the age of just 15. T.Roadz already has an impressive list of achievements under his belt that some artists could only dream of. 

Spotlight on Beats Bus

Beats Bus have developed a unique and exciting way to allow our young people to express to the city and to the world what Hull people have to offer.

Tuning into Identity: Music's Role in LGBTQIA+ Self-Exploration

Youth Music NextGen writer, David Simkins, examines the importance of queer representation and identification in music for young people.

NextGen Spotlight: Meduulla

Get to know Youth Music NextGen Fund artist Meduulla, a Mancunian rapper whose slick lyrical flow is paving her path into the music scene.

Meduulla's work reflects her experiences growing up in contrasting cultures as a first-generation immigrant to the UK from Zimbabwe, often using music as a vehicle for social and political discourse.

NextGen Spotlight: Luke RV and the Impact of Radio Play

Selected in the first round of the Youth Music NextGen Fund, Luke RV is a rapper, singer and songwriter from South Wales.

Thanks to the Youth Music NextGen Fund, Luke released his project, WHAT'S THAT, over there, in November. The record combines relatable, witty lyrics with a laidback production to create a lo-fi, alt hip-hop, post-garage feel.

Before sharing the full project, however, Luke dropped singles 'Stop Spoiling Everything', 'BLOW MY HIGH' and 'LONG TERM PARKING' to build up anticipation.