Making the Case
In 2012, Sound Connections set out to map public funding for non-formal (out of school) music provision and social need in London, an exercise made possible by Youth Music’s Musical Inclusion grant awarded to Sound Connections from 2012-14, and extended until 2015. The mapping led to the identification of so-called ‘cold spot’ areas where music provision was historically low or underfunded, and where social deprivation was high. By channelling money from our Musical Inclusion grant and securing additional funding from Youth Music we have worked ten London boroughs.
Our approach has to been to work closely with the Music Education Hub to identify specific local needs within each area of deprivation, and developed pilot strategic projects which would address social need in specific localities within the cold spot. We have been successful at developing strategic links that allow work to become embedded once the initial project finished. We also reached more young people that most needed support, with over 500 engaging in total. And we’ve supported some creative and innovative approaches to working. However, we have also met some challenges. Building strong partnerships can take time that can complicate a project timetable and we know that what may work in one area might not work in another.
These are the first in a series of case studies that we are sharing from this work. The case studies highlight a range of projects and reflect on individual successes and challenges that might inspire or reassure your practice.