2FunkyArts Presents Grime and Trap Sessions 2019
2Funky Arts Presents Grime and Trap Sessions 2018-2019.
Background:
2Funky Arts (2FA) is a not for profit social enterprise, established in 2006. 2FA delivers a variety of artist development initiatives, creative learning programmes, issue-based projects and educational initiatives. They are committed to providing unique, culturally diverse services, across generations, through music, dance and performing arts. 2FA provides a unique programme of activities that promotes BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) art forms.
Project Overview:
2FA was awarded funding from Youth Music and the Ernest Cook Trust to deliver The Grime Sessions from 2018-19.
This project engaged two groups of Leicester-based young people, aged 16-25, who worked on music-making activities using grime music and created their own tracks around positive lyrics. Young people were steered away from negative themes and aggressive delivery. Participants included spoken word artists and rappers, who engaged in group activities in writing, rehearsing, skill-sharing, improvising and jamming. Sessions were led by experienced tutors Mr Shay, and Sam Grubb. Two x 12 week programmes at 2Funky Music Café in Leicester, led to showcases, the creation of a CDs of original music, and the filming of individual studio performances. 2Funky Arts set up a dedicated YouTube channel where young artists’ videos were uploaded and viewed (similar to 1Xtra ‘Fire in the Booth’ sessions). Young people also worked towards a Bronze Arts Award accreditation, as evidence of their achievements. Following this, 2Funky Arts mentored participants to facilitate their progression onto other relevant projects and performance opportunities. The project engaged young people in inspirational music activities to allow them to progress musically and express their creativity positively, while also boosting personal skills. This helped to increase outcomes in education and personal development.
Sucesses and Acheivements:
Young people seemed to rate their skills in communication through music highly, across both rounds. Self-assessed skills in self-expression through music and creating new music varied between the two rounds, with round two being more successful. Conversely, listening and interpretation skills were rated more highly in round one. While self-assessment of skills is important, this can be influenced by external factors or through limited understanding and poor self-reflection. Anecdotal evidence from practitioner logs demonstrated that all of these skills were subject to great improvements. Overall, the project made considerable progress towards these outcomes but there were limitations in relation to some of the evidence.
Self-assessed composition skills were rated more highly in round one than round two, while self-assessed skills in creating new music improved massively in round two. Both bodies of self-assessed evidence indicate, overall however, that improvisation was not a strength of the project, even though there were individual examples in practitioner feedback of sheer joy in freestyling. Self-assessed performance skills were not rated as highly as predicted, even though anecdotal evidence indicated that the showcase was a huge positive.
Mr Shay commented on round one: “The final showcase reflected the quality of the course, when seeing the participants’ friends and family cheering in the audience. They all shared their support and positive feedback to the performers adding to a very positive energy in the atmosphere.”
The project was particularly successful in achieving its outcomes through group cohesion. The way that practitioners encouraged team-building and group cohesion through group and paired tasks, fed into all of the outcomes. Self-confidence, self-expression, performance skills, sharing of lyrics, empathy, self-awareness and so many other elements of the project were bound together with the success of group activities. Young people demonstrated considerable respect towards each other throughout.
Unexpected Outcomes
The project offered considerable social benefits to participants, that were not wholly anticipated. Young people formed a close-knit group that provided companionship, support, further creative opportunities, a sense of community and empowerment.
In collaborating, participants learnt a lot from being asked to work with each other. They started off with the attitude that they knew all they needed to know as an artist. Working in groups encouraged them to learn new skills, break down barriers and bounce off each other’s ‘creative vibe.’
In round two, participants started with a good base knowledge of the music industry and sense of their own artistry. This meant that, during the sessions, they were asking questions that were extremely relevant to the subject matter of that particular session or the music industry in general. Tutors felt they were able to impart a deeper level of knowledge for this reason.
Young People's Views of the project:
Round 1,
“The best thing about this project was creating my own piece of music and being encouraged to constantly share it.”
“This project has shown me that I am capable of creating and performing urban music and can cross into grime. It has also made me more interested in grime and the different sub genres within it.”
“Learning new styles has been really good for me.”
Round 2,
“Having space to make more music and meet new incredible artists.”
“Everything it has reignited my passion and feelings for music.”
“Getting to know people and the group performance”
Case Study:
Sophie, aged 22, female:
Sophie presented with issues of self-esteem and shyness at the beginning of the course. Her baseline confidence score was a 3, although empathy, self-awareness and ability to control her feelings were all rated as a 5. She saw considerable progress throughout the programme. Communication in music and expressing herself through music both rose in her self-assessed scores from 2 to 4 (out of 5). Creating new music rose from 1 to 3. Listening and interpretation rose from 3 to 5 and improvisation skills from 1 to 3. Crucially, self-confidence grew from 3 to 5.
Mr Shay commented on Sophie as follows: “Sophie’s progress was phenomenal. She began the course as a shy poet and left as a hugely confident rap star. Sophie demonstrated huge development in her writing style, rhyme schemes and flows, stage presence, self-confidence and mic technique.”
Sophie stated- “It was good to get more experience working and communicating with a live band. It helped me to practice performing in different settings.”
“Overall the experience was amazing and I hope I can find more workshops like this so I can stay motivated to create music and meet other artists. I have been given useful tips and encouragement and will miss attending these grime sessions.”
To find out more about the project please visit www.2funkyarts.co.uk or visit our youtube channel "Grime and Trap Sessions 2019".
