Youth Music's MusicLeader Programme has now closed...

In a nutshell...

• You may be aware that Youth Music, funder of the MusicLeader programme has undergone some big changes. As part of this it has decided to shut down the MusicLeader website from April 2nd 2012.
• Many of the online functions that the MusicLeader website provided like training events listings, jobs and resources have now been been taken on by the Youth Music Network.  
• Other services provided by the nine MusicLeader Regional Networks discontinued in September 1st 2012. From here on services like CPD and Networking will be delivered through other projects funded by Youth Music. 

What is the Youth Music Network?

The Youth Music Network is a new online community connecting people interested in music making with children and young people. Free to join, the Youth Music Network is a space to share knowledge, collaborate and access Youth Music funding.

If you are a  music education professional we encourage you to sign up to the Youth Music Network. You will find a range of useful resources to help you with your work, CPD listings and the means to connect to other professionals and organisations.

If you are a training provider or employer, you can begin posting your events and vacancies on the Youth Music Network.

Watch our short video on how to get started on the Youth Music Network. If you have any questions then write to the Youth Music Network team - they will be more than happy to assist you.

Join the Youth Music Network

Why WAS THE MusicLeader Network merged into the Youth Music Network?

In 2011, the music education sector underwent significant change following the government's review of music education. During this period Youth Music conducted its own review of all of its funded programmes and activity. In response to the changes taking place in the sector and the anticipated needs of children and young people in future, Youth Music consolidated some of the services which it has funded up until this point. The result of this was the launch of the Youth Music Programme in November 2011: a new grants programme supported by the Youth Music Network.

The Youth Music Programme is a simplified and more efficient approach to grant giving, focusing Youth Music’s funding where it is most needed. It draws together and replaces previous individual funding programmes including the Open Programme, Youth Music Action Zones (YMAZ) and the MusicLeader programme (including the MusicLeader Regional Networks and MusicLeader website).

As well as being aligned to the National Plan for Music Education, the new Youth Music Programme has also been developed to support Arts Council England’s goals and priorities for the development of arts opportunities for children and young people. It also ensures that the work we support can be responsive to local, regional and national need, including working alongside Music Education Hubs and ACE’s new Bridge Organisations, to ensure greater co-ordination of arts and cultural opportunities for children and young people.

The Youth Music Network has grown directly out of the MusicLeader website. It will be a broad and vibrant online community  – used and contributed to by its community of members, with Youth Music’s maintenance and support. The Youth Music Network is not only focussed on Youth Music’s goals and priorities, although, as you might expect, the content and services that we provide on the site will be focussed on the goals and priorities we have as an organisation.

As the MusicLeader programme is not being carried forward specifically under Youth Music’s new Programme, some of the MusicLeader services discontinued from April 2012. 

We hope that you will spend some time over the coming months on the Youth Music Network. There is already a growing number of resources on the site – we’re hoping, over time, that it will grow to be a substantial resource, featuring contributions from many of you. Suppose every one of the 18,000 MusicLeader members has at least one experience from which all the others could learn – hopefully we can make that happen!