Midlands Arts Centre (MAC)

MAC Makes Music is an award-winning programme* providing innovative music making opportunities to enable children and young people from all backgrounds and abilities to realise their musical potential. We work with Families, Pupil Referral Units, Charities, Primary Schools, Children’s Services, Centres for Newly Arrived Children and Young People, Resource Bases/Focus Provisions and Special Schools to influence sustained music making activity for those with limited access to music provision.

As a strategic partner of Youth Music and proud member of the Alliance for a Musically Inclusive England we are working regionally and nationally to create a musically inclusive England, where every child can access music-making opportunities, regardless of their circumstances. Through MAC Makes Music, we champion innovation in music making approaches, support workforce development and advocate for equality in music education in close partnership with Music Education Hubs in Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Solihull and Worcestershire.

Our passion is to offer young people high quality music making experiences led by a team of highly experienced musicians. The young person’s voice and creativity is at the heart of a diverse music offer in new music technology, song writing, band development, singing and music production. The young people’s ideas, interests and thoughts are valued and nurtured and the young people are encouraged to listen to and respect one another. The environment created by the Music Leaders is a safe space that encourages young people to express themselves and for one another to listen to each other. A range of forms of communication is valued including musical, verbal and physical enabling the voice of the young person to be heard.

We are working to influence progression pathways for young people who identify as disabled by supporting ensemble activity and creating performance opportunities. MAC Makes Music runs an in-house offer at MAC for those with additional needs from 6 months old to 25 years old, as well as supporting band development, choir, and orchestral opportunities across the region! While working with national partners such as the National Open Youth Orchestra and Bristol Plays Music’s National Centre for Inclusive Excellence we hope to develop inclusive career pathways into the music industry.

Similarly, the programme aims to influence progression pathways and increased meaningful music making opportunities for children and young people with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health difficulties. MAC Makes Music is working with Music Education Hubs to identify settings where music leaders can deliver projects to model effective practice and provide training opportunities for hub staff/school teachers to develop their skills in this field further.

Early Years is another focus for the programme where we aim to encourage settings to embed music into daily life and enhance the knowledge and skills of the music leader workforce and EY practitioners in the region.  

*Tune into Listening, achieved Excellence in Primary/Early Years Award in the Music Award for Excellence 2017. In addition, Birmingham Music Education Partnership won the Music Education Council Major Award in the Music Teacher Awards for Excellence 2018.