Y Share Music

Southend

Since its initial launch, 18 years ago, Southend YMCA has grown into

a vibrant, dynamic charity which has successfully helped thousands of young people transform their lives.

We are situated in the heart of the community working across Southend, Castlepoint, Rochford, Basildon and Thurrock.

Southend YMCA has a skilled team of over 60 full and part time staff members complemented by our dedicated volunteer team all of whom are committed to supporting some of the most neglected, vulnerable and disadvantaged young people in the area. Our youth volunteering project Motivate, will work with nearly 1000 young people over the next four years alone.

Youth should be a time for hope and optimism but this is not the case for so many of the young people we see.

Poverty, hardship, chaotic backgrounds, unemployment are all factors which can damage fragile young lives. Our job is to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to live a happy and fulfilling adult life.

Our work is measurable and quantifiable. Young people go on to enter employment, further education or training, they set up businesses, build healthier relationships and friendships, improve self esteem and turn their lives around. They feel less alone because we are by their side.

About Southend YMCA

Southend YMCA’s vision is to:• Enable young people to build their future. • Contribute to the transformation of society, helping to build cohesive communities which improve people’s lives.

We aim to: Assist, engage and empower young people by providing an inclusive, safe and happy environment.

Actively seek innovative resources and ways of investing in young people, helping them to build a better quality of life for themselves.

Proactively engage young people to pursue a positive future.

We deliver provision in these 5 key areas:

• Housing — We provide safe and supported housing for vulnerable young people aged 16-25 and progress their independent living skills.• Education & Training — We provide outstanding education and training for young people and communities.• Economic Inclusion — We support young people to acquire the skills and confidence to obtain and sustain employment and self employment enabling their economic inclusion.• Positive Activities — We create and provide positive activities which enable young people’s personal and social development and active citizenship.• Community Impact — We drive forward volunteering initiatives which promote health and well being and have a community impact.

Helen RalstonI’m 23 years old and Motivate was a great opportunity for me. Being a graduate student I have found it really hard to find a job that relates to what I got a degree in which is fashion and design but the staff created a range of volunteering opportunities to match my interests and skills. When you graduate, you think getting a job is the next step, but it’s not that easy and you need the additional skills that volunteering can bring.

The Motivate course has helped me in so many different ways. It gave me the opportunity to develop my creative skills and pass these skills onto other people. This has given me a big confidence boost and has motivated me to do other things for the future, given me more direction in life. Southend YMCA helped me progress further after Motivate ended by helping me set up a business and providing business space and mentoring in their eco-hub.

www.herclothing.co.uk

We at Southend YMCA don’t think that’s fair and with the generous support of our sponsors we’ve been able to do something about it.

Via Switch2Music and our Y Share Music networking portal, we’ll be providing music lessons and a variety of programmes designed to offer life enhancing creative activities to those young people who may never have had the chance to engage with music due to poverty, neglect, circumstance or simply lack of opportunity.

Our expert team of musicians provide an exciting, creative platform, utilising the medium of lyrics and music to encourage young people to express and release some of the feelings which may otherwise drive anti-social, self-destructive or alcohol and drug related behaviour.

By developing music skills via instruments, singing, songwriting, poetry and rapping, young people can increase their awareness of their feelings and begin to externalise them in a positive and creative way.

For the majority of young people, out of school activities such as

music lessons are all part of their everyday life experience. As well as increasing proficiency on their instrument of choice, music helps children grow in confidence and ability and offers a means by which they can express themselves. The musical discipline of instrumental practice and perseverance leads to tangible improvements; a valuable learning experience which is applicable to other parts of their lives.

Friends and families can all share in the pride of successfully achieved grades, concerts and performances. These are part of the crucial experience and memories that form a happy childhood and eventually a well-rounded adult.

Not all children are so fortunate. 1 in 4 children in the Southend area live in poverty. For them, music lessons are a luxury that is not on the radar.

About Y Share Music

Kell On Urth“Writing music personally helped me in my darkest times to express what I couldn’t say in words and it became a positive coping strategy that replaced the self-destructive strategies I’d learnt growing up. I’ve always thought that being creative is the best way to turn your pain in to gain and you never know where it will take you, or what opportunities it will bring.”

www.kellonurth.com

“High quality music education enables lifelong participation in, and enjoyment of, music, as well as underpinning excellence and professionalism for those who choose not to pursue a career in music.

Children from all backgrounds and every part of England should have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument; to make music with others; to learn to sing; and to have the opportunity to progress to the next level of excellence.”

National Plan For Music Education 2011 (Department for Education)

Sheila LordMusic is a joy, whether it’s writing a song that gets you through a bad time, or a jam and a sing-song in a park with friends. Music really brings people together and it’s an amazing feeling to be part of that.”

www.sheilalord.co.uk

Our Music Provision

Cost is often a preventative barrier for young people wishing to access

a rehearsal and recording studio so there are no costs for the young artists participating on our Switch2Music programmes.

Southend YMCA regularly facilitates musical performances and gigs which enable young people to showcase their talent and demonstrate the skills they’ve gained from participating in our music programmes.

Some of the young artists we’ve worked with have appeared on BBC Radio, Channel 4 TV and played at UK festivals and gone on to secure publishing and other industry development deals.

Southend YMCA has a long-standing track record of music making with young people and our provision has been inspected by OFSTED – Southend YMCA is part of the Nova consortium of Work Based Learning Providers – the consortium was inspected on 23 September 2008 and obtained a judgement of ‘good’ - Inspection no: 330478. The Consortium was recently inspected February 2012 and again obtained a judgement of ‘good’. The inspection encompassed Southend YMCA’s music provision (Switch E2E and Foundation learning Programme).

Y CONNECTThis ground-breaking project combines one to one mentoring, encouragement, support and musical development to give young people an appropriate outlet to effectively express their opinions and beliefs via music so they feel ‘listened to’ and better understood.

Young participants will enjoy music tuition with someone who understands how difficult life can sometimes be.

Whether it’s hard hitting rap, a metal guitar solo or emotional lyrics, mentors will help young people find their voice and use it to share how they feel.

Y FLOWThe Y Flow music programme has been designed for aspiring young musicians who’d like the opportunity to develop their talent in an industry standard studio. This is an exciting project for young people aged 11-18 to work informally in small groups to gain or improve upon any existing musical skills or interests they may have. Young people will learn the ‘nuts and bolts’ of music making through a variety of genres from hip hop, grime and dub step to rock, dance and acoustic. The sessions and activities will be tailored to suit the interests and passions of the young people and could include anything from playing, song writing, understanding lyrics, studio and technical work.

Y Flow is an 18 week programme that takes place over 3 hours a week. Priority will be given to young people from the following groups: not in employment, education or training, young people leaving care and young offenders.

Our Music Projects

Our Music Projects

Luke Swift – Westcliff On Sea“For me, learning how to play an instrument, learning the theory of music and then applying what you know to express yourself, really gives you a focus and a purpose in life. That combined with surrounding yourself with good people, is the key to a happy life!”

VIRTUOSO

Virtuoso is our young artist development initiative which gives

young people aged 13-18 the chance to perform, rehearse and record their music at our industry standard ‘Switch2Music Studio’.

Virtuoso offers the opportunity to receive expert feedback and guidance from our staff, all of whom have a professional background in music , so young artists can increase in confidence and improve their performance and maximise rehearsal productivity.

The programme offers groups of young people a few hours a week for 6 months to develop their musical skil ls. Using our industry standard recording studio, young artists will work towards creating a professionally recorded collection of songs and encouraged to arrange a l ive performance in public .

Faye Hamilton I didn’t have any qualifications to get a job or to get into any of the “big” colleges because I had to leave school before taking my GCSE’s due to personal reasons. Until I heard about Southend YMCA, I didn’t think I could go anywhere else.

I was a bit apprehensive and nervous about starting with Switch Music at Southend YMCA but everyone was friendly.

After the induction day, we went to the music studio where I was able to play instruments such as drums, guitars, bass etc. And if you’re not doing the live part of Switch Music then there’s all the production equipment for a professional set-up, such as computers with great music software to produce on like Logic, PA systems and a lot more.

I was doing the live performance side of Switch Music where I was playing the drums and singing. I had never played the drums before starting the course, but I learnt quickly as you have teachers to help you and extra help during one-to-one sessions with a youth music mentor that goes towards your CV.

The course ended with my band playing at Chinnery’s in Southend which was an amazing experience. We rehearsed for this final performance throughout the course giving us something to aim and focus on.

After finishing Switch Music I went onto Southend YMCA’s Prince’s Trust course. Southend YMCA has given me a lot of opportunities I didn’t know were available and I am really glad I got involved with them.

Y HARMONY A group of young people aged 11 upwards will create a music video to raise awareness and campaign about a global cause they care about. Young people often have concerns and worries about big issues, but limited opportunities to explore and express their feelings about them, feeling their concerns are not taken seriously. This is their chance to show people what matters to them. The video could raise awareness about animal cruelty, pollution or environmental problems or any other subject the young people care about. Sessions will include listening to music, creating a DVD sleeve, photography and exploring various issues connected to poverty and deprivation.

Although the subject is serious, this project will be great fun and young participants will learn discussion, speaking and listening skills, research skills, self-confidence, team work skills and gain a deeper understanding of world issues.

This project results in a professional DVD of their music video, with a sleeve they have designed themselves and attending a special celebration and screening event.

Q: WHY BECOME A MEMBER? A: Y Share members can attend exclusive music-orientated network events, have opportunities to share their work and expertise as well as enjoy talks and presentations from others working in related fields.

There is no fee for membership and we welcome enquiries from musicians, music tutors, educators, organisations and groups providing music related services for young people, parents and young people up to the age of 25 years.

Members will also have access to the Y Share Music portal directory containing information, contact details and resources to support music provision and learning in the area.

If you would like to become a member, please fill in the form on the next page and return to us via email or post:

Email: YShareMusic@southendymca.org.uk

Address: Y-Share Membership, Southend YMCA, Newlands, 85 Ambleside Drive, Southend-on-Sea, SS1 2FY

Y Share Music Portal

Y SHARE MUSIC PORTAL

The Y Share Music portal is a network providing a platform for industry

professionals, music service providers, music tutors and educators, young people and parents in South East Essex to connect and share resources, and news of music related education and learn about creative opportunities in the region.

Following the guidelines and objectives within the National Plan for Music, the aims of Y Share Music portal are to increase relationships and dialogue between members, service providers and young service users. Also to source and raise awareness of youth music activities in all areas of the provision, to cover and include all styles of music and to facilitate collaboration, joint learning, shared resources and new ideas to improve young peoples’ access to music activities in the region so they may enjoy life enhancing, musical opportunities.

Y SHARE MUSIC NETWORKING PORTAL

I would like to become a member of Y SHARE MUSIC NETWORKING PORTAL

Name: .........................................................................

Address: .....................................................................

Postcode: .........................................................................

Email: .........................................................................

Age (if under 18): ................

I am a (Tick that apply):

A local authority teacher/instructor

Private music tutor

Musician

Local musician under 25

Parent/carer

Professional working with young people in non musical field

I am interested in volunteering on Y Share Music projects

Organisation (please specify).................................................................

Other (please specify)............................................................................

Date: ......................................

Southend YMCANewlands, 85 Ambleside Drive, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 2FYTel: 01702 301301www.southendymca.org.uk

Y Share Music Portalwww.ysharemusic.org.uk