News 15th Mar 2024
In the ever-evolving landscape of music and creative industries, providing opportunities for young people to explore their talents and passions is crucial. However, for many organisations like ours, establishing a sustainable infrastructure and a nurturing creative environment can be challenging. This is where National Charity Youth Music stepped in, igniting our path to success.
Our journey with Youth Music began in 2017 when they funded the initial model of our Musically Unorthodox project, marking a pivotal moment in our mission to reshape the landscape of music education.
Founded in 2013, In Music In Media aimed to bridge gaps in music education, particularly focusing on music genres of black origin and the related skillsets like rapping, DJing, and digital music production, often overlooked in traditional education settings. In Music In Medias founder, Daniel Johnson, and our team recognised this disparity firsthand during their own schooling. Despite the lack of support, they found success in both education and the music industry. Motivated by their experiences, they sought to introduce these skills to younger generations.
Initially the service involved bringing pop-up studio setups to schools and partner organisations, tailored to meet the needs of young people. Using music as a medium, these programmes also focused on improving student engagement and behaviour, while fostering appreciation for diverse musical styles and skills.
As demand grew and faced with limited referral avenues, we asked, “What’s next for these students?” Collaborating with them, we developed the Musically Unorthodox project. Securing funding from Youth Music enabled us to launch and run the project, giving students the opportunity to explore music production and perform live. The process was visually documented and screened at the MU school conference, raising awareness of the value of these skills.
The project garnered positive feedback from secondary schools, leading to a larger-scale cycle. However, the global pandemic in 2020 halted our momentum, forcing school closures. A second round of funding from Youth Music sustained our organisation, allowing us to adapt the programme for online delivery ensuring continuity in our mission.
Post-pandemic, restricted school access prompted us to reconsider our approach. Recognising the need for a dedicated space, we applied for the Youth Music Trailblazer fund. This successful bid enabled us to establish the MU Creative Space, a multimedia social hub housing fully-equipped music and film studios, workstations, and a podcast pod.
This initiative not only provided a physical space but also expanded our outreach and partnerships, offering tailored programmes for vulnerable students, excluded students, NEET individuals, young offenders, and young creatives.
With a sustainable model in place, we were perfectly positioned to apply for the Youth Music Catalyser Fund to scale up the project. The application was supported by Northamptonshire Youth Offending Service, Pluggin, University Of Northampton, UNIFY & Milton Keynes College. The bid was successful, securing funding for 2024-2025.
This grant will help fill gaps in support, particularly for NEET individuals, and further develop industry initiatives and pathways for young people.
Our journey with Youth Music has been transformative, helping us to build our organisations infrastructure and empowering us to create a lasting impact on the lives of young people in our community.
As we continue to grow and support the next generation of creatives, we invite you to join us. Whether you want to refer young people to our programmes or collaborate with us, we welcome your support.
Reach out to us at info@inmusicinmedia.com
Follow our journey on social media and become part of the movement:
Linkedin: In Music In Media
Twitter: @InMusicInMedia
Instagram: @imimcreativeindustries
Facebook: inmusicinmedia
TikTok: @inmusicinmedia
