Nikita's Youth Music Journey
My Music Journey
By Nikita Aged 17
Music has affected my life through confidence. I used to be so self-conscious and have no self-belief. I used to mouth the words to songs or sing quietly. When I was 12, before the Youth Music Project, Paul asked me and my cousin Cieran to do some music for Child Dynamix with My Pockets. I wasn't ready and I just helped write some lyrics and that was done, but seeing my cousin so willing and brave enough to do it gave me some confidence too - having someone to look up to really helped me.
Skipping a few years later to 2020, when I was 15, I took part in a Plastic Citizen Project that included Youth In Nature and Child Dynamix. We planned what we was going to do before, then when lockdown hit we went into action, through online meetings. As part of The Youth Music Project we wrote a rap to help the younger generation understand why we should reduce, recycle, reuse and repurpose. We all wrote our own lyrics to the character of the story. I understood from that how music is produced and the process to getting it finished and how to make music as a whole.
In August 2020, I started a DJing project 1 on 1 at the Hut with DJ Methodz (Santino) and it lasted 3 months (October 2020). During my learning I did an Arts Award over the 10 sessions that included DJing, research and learning about David Guetta. Throughout this project I learnt what everything was on the Pioneer controller, I learnt some interesting facts about DJing and how the technology has changed overtime. I got my award in 2021 and is currently something I’m very proud of. I feel as the way I listen to music has changed like I can hear the 8 bars in a verse and other such things and I guess it's something that you get from DJing - or it’s just me.
How I Progressed
A year later, (2022) I came back to the project at The Hut, for more djing and this time doing it I was more relaxed and did less thinking about it and went with the flow. This time it was with some boys and working with them was as much fun. Actually getting to interact with them and show them my knowledge so far. I will say I feel less anxious about it all, I’m calmer and I feel as I don’t have to plan much and taking it one step at a time.
I know I’ve improved since 2020 and leaving it for a year didn’t make me lose interest, which led me to join a group of young women DJ’s with Santino. Since I was so used to working 1 on 1 or with the boys it was different to work with the girls. I was a bit nervous at first because I didn’t really know most of the girls and soon as we got a few sessions together it eased up and I enjoy working with them and working as a team or in a group feels so amazing since they all are brilliant. I seem to enjoy it even more than I did in 2020.
Throughout all these projects I learnt how much effort is put into producing songs or actually bringing people together to do something they like to do. I learnt how to work all the controls of the DJ set and the names for them all. I have learnt how to be independent as well as working together and those skills you need for everyday life
Benefit of Music Activities
Young people should take part in music activities like this not only because it’s fun but it helps you grow as a person so you can trust others, feel like you’re in a safe environment, to feel free to be yourself, to feel confident in yourself and what you are doing, to get experience and help others learn as well as help yourself add to the knowledge you already have and to help develop your minds and yourself as a person. It also helps to have someone to look up to if you’re nervous or if someone else is nervous and if you’re in a group or 1 on 1 it works both ways. It takes pressure off yourself, peer support is beneficial to others and can be to you, having someone to look up to I suppose. It also benefits your mental health because you’re not focused on what’s going on in life or any problems that may go on or any worries you’re having on a daily basis, you can just sit back relax if you wanted and just listen to the music or engage in and take your mind of it and focus on the energy of the music. Lastly, you can bounce ideas of one another, get feedback to help you and them improve. Overall it’s just good for you it gives you something to do, something to get out of the house and put down everything for a few hours, since the world is changing and gives you a change of scenery. Childhood isn’t going to last forever may as well enjoy it before it’s too late.
I took a break 2021 and I’m back in 2022 ready for some more challenges, but I’d like to thank Paul and the rest of Child Dynamix because if it wasn’t for them giving me the opportunity to do any of this stuff I wouldn’t be who I am today and everyone else as a whole.
Why don't you check out my DJ link: https://soundcloud.com/fmc-youth/dj-chewitt-drum-bass-mix?utm_source=cli...