A youth music project in Frome has secured £30,000 in new funding to help local young people to create and record music over the next two years.
The grant from the Youth Music Foundation builds on support from Coldplay, which donated £10,000 to fund studio sessions for young people after rehearsing at the Cheese and Grain last year.
“When Coldplay rehearsed at the Cheese and Grain last year the band was so impressed with the venue it donated £10,000 to enable local young people to create and record music in the venue’s recording studio on selected Sundays,” said Cheese and Grain Director Steve Macarthur.
“Now the Youth Music Foundation is providing a further £30,000 to continue the work over another two years. Young people will be able to plan and shape how the project will run.”
James Brooks, who will be the lead youth worker, explained that a young people’s Core Team will meet for regular music-making sessions at the Cheese & Grain, using the Bert Jansch Studio and its workshop spaces.
The sessions will be led by a professional music leader, and there will be help from guest artists with specific skills in composition, lyric-writing, live band work, beat-making, music production and music tech and performance. This creative work will be complemented by the development of key skills needed to forge careers in the music and creative industries.
The content is shaped directly by the young people’s musical interests, career pathways, and goals. Core Team participants will also access one-to-one mentoring and pastoral support to help them build confidence, develop skills and progress their creative ambitions.
The Core Team will also oversee “youth-led venue takeovers” where they will configure the stage, sound, lighting and programming, gaining technical, organisational and leadership skills and also oversee “cross-artform collaboration” bringing together music with visual arts and dance.
“The grant was secured by, and the project will be run by the local charity Young People Frome, an organisation that has been working in Frome for decades and has the trained, vetted, and skilful youth workers needed,” added Steve Macarthur. “The Cheese & Grain staff team, including live music and recording engineers will do everything possible to help the project be a huge success.
“The importance of this can’t be overstated with high youth unemployment and, of course, it’s notoriously difficult to get a start in the music industry.
“Hopefully in the future, some of these young people will be performing on our stage or working for us. But it’s important too for health and wellbeing now, and a chance to be creative, make new friends, build confidence and have fun.”
The project is aimed at 14- to 25-year-olds and anyone interested in knowing more should visit www.youngpeoplefrome.co.uk
Pictured: Young people in the Bert Jansch Studio following Coldplay’s donation last year.
