YOUTH MUSIC CHARITY WANTS TO BOOST MUSIC-MAKING IN THE NORTH-EAST
Charity has invested £1.65m in the region over the last year but invites more applications for funding
Youth Music, the UK’s leading music charity for children and young people, has this week awarded grants to three music organisations in the North East, bringing its total investment in the region over the last year to £1.65m. The charity supports almost 400 music projects around the country reaching out to 75,000 children and young people in challenging circumstances every year. However, it says that the North East is under-represented in the applications for funding that it receives.
Last year, Youth Music restructured its grants programme to make it easier for smaller organisations or projects to apply for funding of up to £30,000. Larger grants are also available for bigger projects. This week, organisations awarded grants included the Pre School Learning Alliance based in Spennymoor, Wolsingham School and Community College in Bishop Auckland and The Sage Gateshead.
The Pre-School Learning Alliance, with a network of nurseries in the Durham area, was awarded a £21,900 grant to provide music and movement workshops for toddler groups in rural communities. These will stimulate language development and help the young participants to develop motor and social skills. The project will fulfil a need in rural areas where families often don’t have the same access to such opportunities as those living in urban settings.
Wolsingham School is set to benefit from a grant of £26,700 to facilitate the 'Weardale Musical Outreach Project'. This project is designed to broaden the range of musical opportunities for disadvantaged young people across Weardale through workshops, performance opportunities and trips to local and national music venues.
Mrs Sarah Blakeman, Leader of the Creative Arts Faculty, Wolsingham School says: “We are very fortunate to have been given this grant from Youth Music and we are excited about the work it will enable us to do with young people across Weardale. We are privileged to work with many remarkable young people in our area and this grant will help us to extend the breadth of musical provision in the Dale.”
Matt Griffiths, CEO, Youth Music says: “We are delighted to fund these very worthwhile projects in County Durham and Gateshead but we know that there is a need in the North East for music-making opportunities to be available to more children and young people. We want every child to have access to these opportunities regardless of background or circumstances, so we are very open to receiving more funding applications from organisations in the region that are working with children in challenging circumstances. For these children, music-making can be a life-changing experience.”
The charity will welcome applications from organisations in the North-East for its next funding round taking place later this year. The closing dates for Fund A and Fund B applications are 22nd October and 5th November 2015 respectively.
For more information about Youth Music’s funding programmes visit http://network.youthmusic.org.uk/Funding/about-youth-musics-grants-programme