shmu awarded new funding from Youth Music Initiative

shmu have been awarded £15,000 from Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative (YMI) Strengthening Youth Music Fund .

The funding will help create a new Aberdeen Youth Music Partnership (AYMP) and will build on the solid foundations created by the YMI-funded ‘Aberdeen Youth Music Forum’, which concluded in 2019.  

The Partnership will ensure the active engagement and influence of young people, practitioners and partners and identify areas of alignment with Aberdeen’s Cultural Strategy.

The AYMP will also model an approach which gives young people a greater say in the youth music sector through initiatives which will help meet local challenges and aspirations, with a particular focus on how the sector can navigate the COVID-19 situation.

A new AYMP Advisory Group featuring key strategic partners involved in youth music provision in Aberdeen has already held its first meetings online, the group consists of representatives from NESCoL, the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen Performing Arts, sound Festival and Big Noise Torry.

An AYMP Practitioner Network, which will support and connect those who deliver youth music activity in the North East, will hold its first monthly online session on Monday 2nd November.

shmu Chief Executive Murray Dawson said: “We’re delighted to receive this funding. We’ve already started work with our Advisory Group partners and look forward to working together to develop initiatives which will help to transform youth music provision in the city.”

Tony Young, Curriculum Manager for Music & Sound Production, Drama, Animation and Media at North East Scotland College, said: “The College has an important role in supporting the creative industries and helping musicians to fulfil their potential by developing skills. This initiative will bring together key partners to explore ways of supporting youth music provision in Aberdeen and we are looking forward to playing our part in exciting plans for the future.”