Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative develops life and learning skills

Young people that participated in Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative (YMI) benefited from “clear developments” in confidence, self-esteem, personal and leadership skills, according to a new impact report on the programme by Research Scotland.

Young people were provided consistent music opportunities with ‘high-calibre’ specialists, even if they lived in remote areas, and all young people were offered a year’s free music tuition by the time they reached primary 6.

The initiative

In operation since 2003, the YMI intends to put music “at the heart of young people’s lives” by creating access to high-quality music-making opportunities for under 25s. Over a quarter of a million young people took part in the scheme in 2015/16, with 215,000 young people taking part in activities at school, and 50,000 participating in out-of-school activities run by the third sector.

The report presents findings that have emerged from a new monitoring and evaluation system adopted by the programme this year. It found that both in-school and out-of-school activities targeted young people in “disadvantaged areas” or with “additional support needs”.

One local authority reported its YMI activity contributed to increased attendance and reduced exclusions, and other projects said work-based skills were developed for those who wished to pursue a career in music.

The report also found benefits for teachers: through the YMI, some teachers with no prior musical experience were able to deliver extra music to their pupils without the YMI practitioner present.

Speaking about the scheme, Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: “The YMI has boosted young people’s confidence, self-esteem and personal skills and helped the development of skills for wider learning, including literacy, language and numeracy skills and development.

“The YMI is supporting a number of work opportunities and potential career pathways supporting over 1,000 jobs, 300 volunteering opportunities and 120 traineeships with over 3,700 involved in continuing professional development activity.”

Continued funding

News about engagement with the YMI coincides with the release of an additional £660k of government funding, distributed to 16 organisations across Scotland to help young people access music making.

Awards of between £5k and £100k have been made to organisations including Scottish Music Centre, Edinburgh’s Canongate Youth MusicWorks, and Dundee’s Hot Chocolate Trust Music Project, with an emphasis on those who wouldn’t ordinarily be able to take part in music-making activities.

Dave Close, Executive Director of Hot Chocolate Trust, said: “Having built our music project from the voluntary leadership of a former Hot Chocolate young person, two years investment from YMI means we can create a stable platform for young people to experiment, innovate and grow in their music making. As the work has grown, with YMI’s support, over the last two years we have seen just how big an impact that can have for young people in the rest of their lives.”