GemArts East by North East – BLOG BY MUSIC LEADER – GEORGIA MAY (July 2023)
Here is a blog by Georgia May, who is one of our music leaders on GemArts’ Youth Music funded East by North East music project. Georgia started on the project in November 2021 and outlines her work with Benfield School and discusses the value of learning music with friends for developing skills built on the shared creation of music.
Hi, my name’s Georgia May. I'm a Nigeordian (Nigerian/Geordie) Neo-soul vocalist based in Newcastle. I graduated from my BA in Community Music in 2020 which is when I started my career as a Community Musician. I’ve been working for Gem Arts since June 2021 as one of their Music Leaders. My first session was at Benfield School co-leading one of the East by North East sessions with year 8s and 9s. Adam and Louis were already leading these sessions but I was employed for this role specifically to support the singers in the group. Each Gem Arts Music Leader offers their own set of skills and specialities with varying experience. My time co-leading on this project has been invaluable. It’s given me the opportunity to develop my skills as a Music Leader – learning about my own practice and understanding the methods and pedagogy of my peer Music Leaders.
Our participants at Benfield School appreciate the importance of these sessions as there is no longer music in their curriculum. Luckily, we have access to the music room and a classroom during these weekly sessions to develop their emerging talent and rehearse for end-of-year performances organised by Gem Arts. So far, each cohort I’ve worked with have written or produced at least two original songs and taken part in our performances. I always feel proud to see the participants on stage performing to their families and peers in the audience. The support from the audience at our event at Life Transformation Church was truly heartwarming.
In 2022 I started additional Music Leader roles at The Soundroom; a music charity based in Gateshead, who have been supporting the local community since the mid-1980s. I lead two of the youth sessions (8-12 year olds on Tuesday and 13-18 year olds on Thursday). The younger group is full of emerging talents, young rappers, singers, instrumentalists and breakdancers. While we run a music group there every Tuesday, there are dance teachers who also co-lead the sessions so the participants split into two groups to have the opportunity to spend half the session learning to breakdance then swap over to music making or vice versa. Last year the group wrote a Soundroom anthem that they performed at our Christmas show.
Leading the sessions for the older youth group at The Soundroom is my most recent role at Gem Arts. Some of the participants are at college age and studying music at school, for others it’s an additional interest outside of their studies – but they all really enjoy coming together to make music. These sessions give opportunity for the participants to further their skills and learn new instruments. One of my recent highlights has been teaching a bassline to one of the participants who’d never played a bass guitar before but took to the instrument so naturally, now it’s her instrument of choice and she’s learning new basslines to popular songs every week.
I recognise the need for the East by North East sessions; Gem Arts supports youth groups from various social and cultural backgrounds. We work with a lot of young people from the global majority, some with additional needs, as well as from the LGBTQIA+ community and generally from families with a lower socioeconomic status. We offer the opportunity to have fun, learn new musical skills, meet new friends and socialise in safe environments led by Music Leaders who come from similar walks of life and are making a living out of music. Without this project and the centres we’re based in, some of the children might not have these opportunities. The reason I’m so passionate about Community Music is that I know how much music and the support of mentors has helped me through challenging times with my own intersecting identities. There’s a huge lack in funding for youth groups and creative projects, yet so much evidence of their benefit.
I find being a Music Leader for GemArts really rewarding because I get to see the confidence and talent grow within our participants. Witnessing the journey some of them go on – from having never performed music in front of people before, to performing on stage to larger audiences – is amazing. I feel proud to be part of an arts organisation that values community engagement and to be part of a diverse team of Music Leaders who can inspire our participants in their creative development.
Prior to working for GemArts as a music leader I had a range of experience in this field. I’d worked with refugees and asylum seekers at Crossings and I ran Newcastle College’s ESOL choir. I also ran a regular singing group at Hopewood Park Mental health hospital and worked for Newcastle City Council’s Arts Team as an Artist in Residence. Working for Gem Arts has given me the opportunity to work with youth groups leading regular music sessions working towards end of year goals like performances and completing arts awards. Some of the young people I work with have never learnt to play an instrument or sang/rapped in front of anyone, so I know how important these sessions are to their development. For me as a leader I recognise there are a number of responsibilities that come with this role but ultimately I strive to inspire the participants to find their own musical interests and creative expression. I can admit that I have faced challenges along the way, sessions don’t always go to plan and there is a lot of reflection-in-action needed to facilitate disengagement. Something I’ve learnt in my time as a practitioner is to always allow room for adaptability because ideas don’t always go to plan, improvising alternative ideas just becomes easier with more experience. I’ve learnt a lot from my experience working for Gem Arts and the sta team are very supportive. When I’ve felt moments of doubt in my own practice I’ve felt able to approach the Project Manager (Annalisa) and the Director (Vikas) for additional support and they have been very understanding and reassuring. The team of music leaders are a cohort of inspiring individuals, I always enjoy the opportunities to see them at meetings and performance days. We all have a common interest in music and a collective mission “to increase equality of opportunity for everyone to engage with culturally diverse arts”.
