by Author Mike Richardson

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Using The Youth Music Network Effectively

As a former Project Manager for MusicLeader North West (MLNW) I receive lots of enquiries from music leaders about where they can go to access the resources they used to get through the MusicLeader website. I always give the same response: “head straight to the Youth Music Network”.

In many ways a replacement for what was the MusicLeader network and website, the Youth Music Network (or the YMN for short) has many of the same resources MusicLeader users loved, has enhanced them and added a host of new features, as well as looking a whole lot prettier while still being totally free!

One of the main uses of the old MusicLeader site was that members could profile themselves, and more importantly could be searched for by potential employers based on their skills and experience. The YMN has exactly the same facility for all it’s members. If you’ve not already, just sign up using this link and you’ll be able to create your own profile straight away.

The more information you put in your profile, the easier you’ll be able to find and the better it looks!

Here’s some really useful notes from my colleague Darren Poyzer to help you along the way….

Linked in to this of course, is having somewhere relevant to search for new opportunities. The YMN caters for this, with it’s dedicated jobs section -which can be searched both by both job type and keyword - the site automatically searches locally to your area, based on the information provided in your profile. And, you can easily find much more in your local area, by going to the ‘Near You’ tab. 

The old MLNW site gave members access to CPD opportunities that could help enhance their career, along with access to resources and advice. The YMN ticks all these boxes too: • Go to ‘Events & Opportunities’ for CPD. • Go to the ‘Resources’ tab, for well…. Resources! Here you can find advice in blogs, media, discussions groups and much more.

There’s new stuff here too. Users can: • Connect their profiles to their facebooks, meaning they can combine their networks, and share between the two. • Read the section dedicated to Youth Music priority work areas. • Use the enhanced and developed Youth Music funding section. • Access the section dedicated to Programmes & Projects, to find out what’s happening in their area, with potential ways of getting involved.

Like most online resources, new or old, the more you get to know them, the more useful they become and the Youth Music Network is no different… YMN chief Toby Retallick has written an excellent blog to help us all get the best out of this exciting new resource. Highly recommended reading....