Youth Music awards £6.8m of funding to education projects across the UK
13th April 2015
Youth Music has announced new grant awards worth £6.8m as part of its recently refreshed grants programme.
The charity has awarded funding to 80 organisations in England supporting a wide range of projects, from a music programme for young people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to a choir project for young carers.
Matt Griffiths, chief executive of Youth Music, said: ‘The grant awards will provide thousands of opportunities to support young people’s lifelong engagement with music.
‘Our focus on the development of personal and social skills, as well as musicality, will ensure that many of the participants attending Youth Music projects will have a life-changing experience.’
The grants include awards to 13 strategic partner organisations which will work with Youth Music to help it achieve its aims. They include Sage Gateshead in the North East, which is set to receive £160,000 a year for up to three years.
Steve Jinski, head of youth participation at Sage Gateshead, said: ‘This funding will enable us to provide sustained musical provision for young people who would not otherwise have the opportunity.
‘Our focus will be on those who are not in employment, education or training, those who are looked after and those with special educational needs.
‘It will enable us to make real progress not just in terms of music-making but also in helping participants to become more confident and resilient, qualities that can be carried into all aspects of their lives.’
Other organisations that will receive funding include Total ADHC Solutions in Leicester, which has been awarded £17,400 for a music project focused on children with ADHD.
Youth Music supports projects around the country that provide music-making opportunities for children and young people facing significant challenges in their lives.
The charity has recently restructured its grant-making process following a review by Arts Council England, led by Derek Avis, in light of the new National Plan for Music Education.
Read more on the Music Teacher website
