GemArts East by North East – BLOG BY MUSIC LEADER - MARTHA HILL (July 2023)

Here is a blog by Martha Hill, who is one of our music leaders on GemArts’ Youth Music funded East by North East music project.  Martha started on the project in September 2022, she gives fantastic insight into working with young girls from North Benwell Youth Project and discusses the development of their relationship which was facilitated through music making. 

I started working with the girls' group at North Benwell Youth Project in September 2022 last year. I work alongside Anna Hughes, an incredible musician and music leader, and we're also supported by Margaret who runs the centre. Working with Anna Hughes has been really fun- we both bring different things to the sessions and as a result balance each other out well. Aside from one-off workshops, I'd never done much long-term youth work and it's been really useful to learn from her and other music leaders I've worked with through Gem Arts.

Throughout this academic year, I've grown in experience and confidence in terms of delivering sessions, been trained in delivering Arts Awards, and I've also put myself through some children and young people's mental health training to ensure I'm aware of the diverse needs of the age range I'm working with. Since working for Gem Arts I've made a career move away from music-focussed and towards community-focussed work. The enjoyment of this job has been a huge part of that decision and I'm grateful at being given this opportunity.

My own experience as a musician has enabled me to bring activities to the group such as songwriting, basic production skills, vocal coaching, instrumental lessons (including drum-kit, guitar, bass and keyboard), and we've also had fun bringing in instruments like the trombone or violin for the girls to try. The girls have high energy levels and we've worked hard to keep the sessions fun and engaging, bringing in lots of variation and also learning through play and exploration. The girls love singing a wide variety of music from around the world and, as a result, often introduce us and each other to an eclectic mix. All of the girls have had the experience of playing a variety of instruments and the practice of recording their voices has grown their singing confidence hugely.

On a personal level, the girls have asked me about my life and I've told them that I'm married to a woman. They found this really interesting and asked lots of questions. This also then lead to one of the young people saying that they're also queer, which the girls all accepted openly and kindly. Exposure to positive diversity is so important at this age and it was a really lovely experience.

In terms of challenges, most of the girls don't have instruments at home, meaning instrumental progress can sometimes be slowed. That being said, they've all made huge leaps this year in terms of their playing. One of our girls had never played drum kit before September and now we're currently in the process of putting her through her Grade 1 Rock and Pop Drums. She commented on how proud she felt of this achievement. Another girl has said she's since been put in the top set for music in her class and is often sharing lessons she's learned at school with us and the rest of the group- she would make an excellent teacher. A third girl has shown amazing focus in learning the keyboard and drums. She's an excellent team player and I'm looking forward to continuing this work next year. Finally, our youngest girl didn't talk much to us when she first started attending the sessions, but has since learned to play the ukulele really well and she also sang at our EBNE event at Sage Gateshead this summer. With so much progress and hard work this year, I'm so excited to see what we can achieve next term!