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Visit the charity's profileYMM focuses on the ways we can support access to music education, increase youth attainment and strengthen community cohesion. Our bursary fund ensures that no student with financial hardship will have to go without.
We take referrals from community organisations, schools and the local music hub to which we belong, as well as direct applications. Often the main reason for a music tuition referral is to help with underlying needs. Students with SEN needs or mental health concerns benefit from both the expressive, emotive and creative side of playing music, and the social side of being part of YMM. We are a family, we support each other and we lead by example.
Music Box 1 with tutor, Jason Charles-Nelson.
Our bursary fund ensures financial hardship doesn't mean students miss out. COVID-19 has caused a significant increase in demand for bursaries from families affected by overnight loss of income. It has never been more important to ensure our young musicians are able to make and share music with their community.
Having music in our flat every Saturday morning (via the zoom calls) has brought the children and I some much needed joy and structure at this difficult and weird time.
Members of Rock n Pop 1, learning virtually with their tutor Martin Ellins.
I started about 3 years ago with Guitar and 1 years with Piano. I've achieved a certificate for completing my first ever guitar exam with distinction and have done many concert performances [both solo and as part of a group]. My confidence has also grown. (Student, age 11)
It really means a lot to be part of the YMM community. The bursary really gave [my child] an opportunity to learn and achieve great skill and have a chance at [their] dream of learning to play guitar and piano. Without the bursary, [my child] would have never learnt how to play an instrument and their confidence would have been what it was 3 years ago. (Parent)
Being able to play music individually and work towards a target, I find provides a structure and rhythm to my everyday life (especially in lockdown) [...] doesn't just provide you with the skill of being able to play music, it teaches you discipline and hard work. This effects your mentality when it comes to learning or having to revise school subjects and exams for example. You become more level headed and strong minded. (Student, age 17)
We're happy to support YMM's young artists. Being taught by working musicians and having plenty of opportunities to play live is a great way to start. (13 Artists, international live music booking agency and YMM bursary sponsor)
I like the playing the violin and my teachers at YMM. Music gives me the opportunity to do / try different things and has helped me with school. There are difficult pieces in the violin book, but because of my violin lessons, I have now mastered them! (Student, age 9)
Both my teachers are amazing and they are both really fun... Learning music calms me down when I am feeling anxious. (Student, age 8)
What I most like about YMM is the enthusiasm for music, and the range of the music lessons and instruments that one can do there. [...] I also like the community spirit that YMM offers, and the fact that I have met a number of parents who also have a love of music. (Parent)
For me, music education has so many positives. So many skills can be enhanced other than just learning how to play an instrument. Through music education I learned how to relate to other people and peers my age. I gained an outlet to express myself whilst also engaging my brain in something stimulating. I found friends and a route to become part of a community, which in turn gave me a feeling of being part of something bigger. Last but not least, music is a really fun activity! Whether someone intends to make music a profession or a hobby, I believe the benefits are endless. As a result, this makes me very excited and honoured to be supporting YMM.
YMM vocal students, supporting Michael on his "Love & Hate" album launch at the Royal Albert Hall, May 2017.
Young Music Makers (YMM) is a Saturday music centre for the whole family, focussed on nurturing creativity and community, through music. We reach out and look to the future with optimism, as pioneers of community music-making. Established in 1967, we have been at the heart of music education in North London for 50 years. We began as two local orchestras joining together in the basement of a house, and have grown to provide 38 ensembles for all ages, genres and abilities, individual lessons, public workshops, 20 public concerts per year, held internally and in our community spaces.
(Top) YMM founder Margot Fagan teaching recorder in the 1960s. (Bottom) Recorder 1 in 2017.
Between 2016 and 2018 we focussed on two key areas:
* extending the breadth of our musical programmes and pathways
* improving the quality of our instrument store to support bursary students and those at the start of their musical journey.
A great example is the September 2016 launch of our Junior and Senior Drumline to expand our percussion pathway. Playing on dustbins to begin with (yes, really!), in a matter of months the groups proved so popular that we decided to invest in a set of drums and cymbals. We raised the £1800 needed to cover the cost through a silent auction for our 50th Birthday Concert in March 2017, where the groups premiered performances using the new drums.
Senior Drumline with tutor Elsa Bradley, Easter concert 2017.
In October 2018 we began a year-long programme for drumlines and brass, beginning with a Box9Drumline workshop to enhance drumline skills and repertoire. This paved the way for large-scale collaborations between the two groups and major growth in external opportunities within our local community and further afield. These included:
* May 2019 Royal College of Music Festival of Percussion Junior Showcase
* Sep 2019 York Rise Street Festival opening parade
* Nov 2019 Swiss Cottage Farmers Market, visit from HRH Prince of Wales
* Dec 2019 Festive Lights Kentish Town.
Senior Drumline, en route to Parliament Hill farmers' market, Highgate Road.
YMM actively supports the journey from beginner to professional.
Our students are taught by some of the best professional musicians in London. As well as providing tuition on a vast array of instruments across all genres, they are a real source of inspiration for the next generation. It makes such a difference for students to see pathways they might be able to follow into the music industry.
Our tutors are a fundamental part of the YMM family and we support them by promoting their gigs and CD launches, and providing CPD training.
Jade Ellins, YMM voice, guitar and ukulele tutor.
We are aware of those who are under-represented in the music industry and we are committed to changing that. For example:
* we include the work of ethnic minority artists in our teaching repertoire
* we run workshops to promote minorities in the music industry, recently connecting with the Women in Jazz movement
* we actively encourage feedback from our minority ethnic tutors and students to help inform our decision-making.
We see this as an ongoing process.
Website: youngmusicmakers.co.uk
Facebook: youngmusicmakersUK
Twitter: @SaturdayYMM
Instagram: @youngmusicmakers
YMM is a partner of the Camden Music Hub.
* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.
