The Big Music Project awarded £4m grant

10 May 2016 01:25 PM

The Big Music Project, which provides young people with the skills and experience to forge a career in music and the creative industries, has been awarded £4 million in additional funding from the Big Lottery Fund.

Established in 2014, The Big Music Project is a partnership between Global, the media & entertainment group, and UK Youth the largest national charity for the youth sector.

The grant awarded to The Big Music Project will support the continuation of the project into 2018 with a stronger focus on disadvantaged young people, more career opportunities and the expansion of the project into more UK cities.

The funding will support the creation of 80 new youth hubs, which provide music-based learning opportunities for 14-18 year olds, bringing the total number to 110. Young project champions will be appointed at each location to deliver a music project for the young people in their area. The Big Music Project will continue to deliver paid internships and work experience around the UK with 30 per cent of work experience given to young people who are already involved and the rest open to other young people from right across the UK. The website will now feature a series of 45-minute live-streamed master classes led by a music or creative professional.

Global brands including Capital and Classic FM support the project. In April 2016, winners of the The Big Music Project Competition’s classical category, The Ayoub Sisters, performed at Classic FM Live at The Royal Albert Hall.

Capital XTRA’s Music Potential, a programme that targets 18-25 year olds not in education, employment or training is joining forces with The Big Music Project. This will increase the number of UK cities involved in the scheme from two to eight giving more young people access to workshops and mentoring as well as the chance to perform in the talent showcases.

Emma Bradley, director of Global charities, said: “Since we launched The Big Music Project two years ago, we have provided thousands of young people with the opportunity to develop the skills to help them get jobs. In the past year alone more than half the internships have led to full-time employment. This substantial grant from the Big Lottery Fund will allow us to reach even more disadvantaged young people across the UK to improve their chances of a career in the music and creative industries.”

Ant Payne, Capital presenter, said: “It can be difficult to know where to start when looking to get into the industry. The Big Music Project is providing young people with incredible opportunities to get work experience and showcase their talent. Sometimes it’s just a case of getting your foot in the door somewhere and that’s exactly what this project is doing for young people – giving them the confidence and networking potential to pursue their passion.”

Peter Ainsworth, chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “The Big Music Project is inspiring young people across the UK to improve their employment prospects and fulfil their potential. It is about using music to gain transferable skills that will help them build careers, whether in music or other creative industries. This fantastic project is just one initiative we are investing in to give young people the tools they need to build a brighter future for themselves.”

Anna Smee, CEO of UK Youth said: “Young people continue to find it difficult to access employment, despite rising levels of academic attainment. The Big Music Project was created to inform them about the incredible range of opportunities available in the music industry, from hairdressing and stage building to graphic design and catering. Through community based youth groups and inspiring national events, young people from a diverse range of backgrounds are empowered to develop practical life skills that will equip them for the world of work.

To date we have worked with over 14,000 young people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We are excited to be able to work with at least 5500 more in this next phase of The Big Music Project.

We know that music is an incredibly powerful tool in helping young people develop life skills and we are enormously grateful to the Big Lottery Fund for recognising the impact that project has had to date and supporting it for the next two years. We are really excited about seeing the next phase of the programme develop to support even more young people from disadvantaged communities.”

Notes to editors:

For more information see:

www.thebigmusicproject.co.ukGoes to different website

twitter.com/bigmusicUKGoes to different website

www.facebook/bigmusicUKGoes to different website

About Global:

Global is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment groups. Global has three divisions, Global Radio, Global Television and Global Entertainment. Ashley Tabor is Founder & Executive President, Stephen Miron is Group CEO, Richard Park is Group Executive Director & Director of Broadcasting and Lord Allen is Chairman. Tabor created Global in 2007.

About Global Charities:

Global Charities is a registered charity in England and Wales (1091657) and Scotland (SC041475) registered at 30 Leicester Square, London WC2H 7LA. It operates Global’s Make Some Noise, which brings together all Global’s brands to give a voice to small charities and projects across the UK that struggle to raise awareness. It also delivers The Big Music Project which helps young people get jobs in music and the creative industries.

About UK Youth:

UK Youth is the largest national body for the youth sector, delivering informal education opportunities for young people aged 9-25 years old across the UK. Our Vision is for every young person to become a positive force for change in their own life, and the lives of others, whatever their background or circumstance. We achieve this through innovative national training programmes, awards and outdoor learning activities.

Through our network of youth development organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland we empower over 700,000 young people to make a successful transition from childhood to adulthood with the capabilities they need to become happy, healthy, valued members of the community, fully equipped to access employment and achieve their aspirations.

To find out more about UK Youth please visit www.ukyouth.orgGoes to different website

About the Big Lottery Fund:

The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. It is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.Since June 2004 it has awarded over £8 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people. Every year it funds 13,000 small local projects tackling big social problems like poor mental health and homelessness.

Media enquiries:

For further information on The Big Music Project please contact Stef Moorhouse atstef@sevendialspr.com or on 0203 740 7475.