Scottish Youth Music Initiative funds 52 community projects

Creative Scotland has announced the latest recipients of its Youth Music Initiative (YMI), providing more than £1.5m of funding to 52 community projects.

The scheme aims to address the inequality of access to high-quality music-making opportunities outside of school for children and young people, particularly those who may face barriers to participation.

Its most recently published figures from 2021-2022 show that YMI projects reached 362,483 children and young people, training 5,631 people and creating 1,182 education posts.

READ MORE:

YMI supports both school-based music-making and the informal sector in which activities are planned and delivered outside school time.

Organisations and individuals from the informal sector can apply to the Access to Music Making Fund for grants of between £1k – £30k or the Strengthening Youth Music Fund, which provides £1k – £20k bursaries for projects that aim to improve Scotland’s youth music infrastructure and services.

The scheme supports longstanding initiatives and new projects, including Keep The Beat from Cosgrove Care, a weekly music group for 30 children and young people with learning disabilities, autism and additional needs in Glasgow.

The group has received £14,982 to work with Mango Music to provide sessions focused on developing music-making skills.

Heather Gray, Chief Executive of Cosgrove Care, said that the scheme would allow them to “showcase the talent and potential of the children and promote equality and inclusion whilst tackling the stigma that exists for this group of young people”.

Morag Macdonald, YMI Manager at Creative Scotland, added: “The impact the YMI has on children and young people’s lives cannot be understated.

“The community spaces created develop social connection, technical skills, confidence and the ability to express themselves in new ways."