Attending the weekly Musical Mums sessions has made an enormous difference to Laura. She was initially extremely shy and would not join in with the activities. Fast forward nine months and Laura is now a confident participant, who is quick to learn and feels comfortable making music with the group.

Her mother, Emily, has actively participated in the sessions which has helped Laura to overcome her shyness and also led to the development of new friendships. In particular, the pair have bonded with Jack and his mum Ann-Marie and started to regularly socialise together outside the group.

The children’s friendship has improved Laura’s confidence but also enhanced Jack’s engagement – he is now less easily distracted as he enjoys spending time with his friend. She also encourages him to take part in the different activities. Similarly, the friendship has had many positive impacts for the mums, including helping each other with childcare.

The sessions have also nurtured Laura’s musical skills - she is developing a good sense of pulse and responds very well to the different activities. The group recently visited a local library to enjoy a story-telling activity. This trip really highlighted Laura’s progress, she was happy in this new setting and able to maintain her focus throughout.

Leon has been involved with Richmond Jam and other music projects delivered by BlueBoxt for over three years. Now aged 17, he is developing a strong portfolio of work experience as he completes his sixth form studies.

Living in a rurally-isolated area means that the music projects are a real lifeline. At first Leon worked on his musical skills and showcased them at concerts. He progressed into the role of young people’s mentor, for example helping them try new instruments and musical styles such as Samba drumming.

Leon is on the Autism spectrum but refuses to let this stand in the way of his ambition. On the contrary, he seizes every opportunity which comes his way. He is a very committed person, demonstrated by his involvement in a recent youth musical where he not only performed as both actor and musician, but also helped the technical team to set up and pack down every show.
When the chance arose to perform at the National Cycling Championships, Leon was instrumental in making things happen. He arranged for local young musicians to attend, booked rehearsals and equipment, and also acted as the main liaison point for the town council.

In his own words, “Without projects like this, young musicians wouldn’t be able to flourish or showcase their talents…I have progressed dramatically and can’t be grateful enough.”

Music activities are often not available in rural areas which limits the life opportunities open to young people. When Milly’s grandparents read about the Get Musical project in their local paper, they knew it would be perfect for her, despite living a considerable distance away.

Milly threw herself into things, feeling excited to have a new outlet for her acting and musical abilities. She had already gained a Grade 5 in singing and played musical roles as part of her drama studies, so was thrilled to take on two roles in this stage show. She worked hard to develop the different characters and to get to grips with the script, lyrics and vocally-demanding melodies.

She delivered seven consistent performances to sell-out audiences and is now a valued member of the Get Musical project and guest vocalist for Richmond Jam. She has also given solo presentations at local festivals and events. She is highly respected by her peers and makes a significant contribution to group activities.

In addition to developing her vocal skills, Milly has grown in self-belief and widened her social circle.

Her parents sum up their thoughts: “Milly has grown in confidence and we are immensely proud of what she has achieved. She has had the opportunity to try different genres of music and also different venues thanks to the project leader’s support and encouragement.”

Adam lives in a rural area so opportunities to be involved with music outside of the school curriculum are limited. He is a keen saxophone player, and after attending taster sessions with BlueBoxt soon wanted to join the Musical Theatre Group.
He was excited to show how he could mix with a larger group and develop his playing style. He took to the sessions very naturally and soon began to transpose his parts, learn melodies and riffs and play solos.
Being one of the younger members (aged eleven) he needed to learn how to concentrate for extended periods and to communicate his ideas with his peers. He rose to the occasion and has become a valued member of the group.
Alongside playing sax he also tried new instruments such as drums and percussion. Taking advice from the music leaders and his own instrumental teacher he was able to rapidly develop his playing style and technique. Having the chance to socialise and make music with other like-minded young people in such a friendly and supportive environment has offered Adam the opportunity to grow in confidence as a young person and a musician.

Adam has become key member of the group, delighting audiences with his showmanship!

Seven-year-old Samantha attended the BIG SING project with the rest of her class. Having recently joined the school after being homeschooled, this opportunity provided her an equal setting in which to interact and form relationships with her classmates.
As a child who has experienced social isolation, the project was ideally suited to help her develop and work on key interaction skills within a supportive and enjoyable environment. It had been noted that Samantha struggled with social interaction and knowing how to engage with others in an appropriate manner. Through his participation in the BIG SING, Samantha showed his classmates that she was socially capable and a ‘team player’, which ultimately strengthened her position within the class.
The project engaged the pupils collectively and Samantha threw herself into the sessions, trying her best at everything she was asked to do. Samantha displayed great enjoyment throughout the event, learning words quickly, singing with confidence and happily chatting about her experience after the sessions.
Collective projects like this are devised to have this type of outcome.. Samantha felt empowered by being a part of something big, her existing skills as a singer enabling her to interact further with her peer group and increasing her confidence within social settings. Samantha will take part in Big Sing again in October 2017.

One-year-old Ella was brought to the sessions by her mother – the family were new to the area and keen to get involved with as many new groups as possible.
The mother’s main motivation for bringing Ella to Music Tots sessions was to work on her communication and language development. The mother has impaired hearing and found that she connected with Ella especially well through music and sound.
During the sessions Ella didn’t vocalise initially but displayed excellent eye contact and giggled and smiled during the songs. She clearly enjoyed the sessions and was a great listener from the very start, although it took a while for her to engage with active music making. After several sessions however, her first vocal participation was to say her name during one of the songs - something that she was very pleased with herself about!
The sessions have particularly helped to develop Ella’s relationships with her peers. She is lively and cheerful and is forming bonds with the other children, which in turn has helped her to become more confident with the songs and actions.
Ella has really benefited from joining Music Tots and her mother has even brought her to additional sessions in order to build on her skills. It’s wonderful to see that her mother recognizes the benefits of the sessions beyond just ‘singing along’. 

Natalie is a fourteen-year-old girl based in North Yorkshire, she faces challenges relating to rural isolation and attends the pupil referral unit at her school. During 2016, Natalie worked on her Silver Arts Award and evidenced her journey throughout the year using sketchbooks, video clips and sound recordings.
Live Music Now arranged for two music groups to visit the Silver Award students, the first of these was the band Bright Season who led a workshop on singing and songwriting.
At the start of this session, Natalie struggled with confidence issues and could barely speak to anyone. However, by the end of the workshop she sang out loud to peers and staff. The Arts Award adviser commented on how it was an emotional moment for herself and her colleagues to witness such a response from Natalie. This major breakthrough was seen as a direct response to the kind and sensitive encouragement offered by the ensemble.
To fulfill the Leadership Skills element of her Arts Award, The Musala Trio worked with Natalie to help her conduct a singing and songwriting workshop. Natalie encouraged her peers to write about an experience and then used these words to develop lyrics. The students then composed a melody and communicated their ideas to the ensemble with direction from Natalie.
Being given the opportunity to work with talented and encouraging musicians meant Natalie was able to develop her confidence and leadership skills. It also helped her experience meaningful interactions with her peer group. The students may not have otherwise had the chance to benefit from these invaluable musical experiences.

The SCAMPs project brought together disabled and non-disabled young people as equals at weekly. term-time sessions. The aim was to provide fun, engaging and creative learning to a group of young people who are poorly served by other providers. The young people met to make music and forge new friendships whilst developing skills and confidence. The project also enabled participants to build a greater understanding of the world around them by becoming visible, active members of their local community.

Seven-year-old Jenny was described by the project leaders as an introverted and extremely shy young person who found it difficult to communicate.  Although she attended every session, she did not initially engage with discussion and spoke very little or at a low volume. She also signed with tiny movements and did not sing at an audible level.

As the project progressed, Jenny eventually started to join in more. She began to interact, offering her own suggestions and opinions to the group and spoke at a normal level. Practitioners could see that she was visibly happier and found it easier to express her emotions, such as - ‘I like learning new songs and signs’.

Through general group discussion, it became clear that there were issues at home relating to extended family/ step family members, which had impacted on Jenny’s self-esteem and confidence. The regular workshops helped her overcome these difficulties, by providing a space for her to develop her inter-personal skills and build self-esteem. They sessions literally gave her a voice with which to express her feelings and thoughts.

The Musical Mums sessions comprise 45 minutes of music-making followed by 15 minutes of socialising over tea and biscuits. Musical Mums offers the opportunity for mums and babies to mix with each other in a relaxed and open environment. The informal format often leads to friendships developing outside of the sessions - a crucial element in avoiding rural isolation.

Twenty-one-year-old Verity joined Musical Mums after moving to Harrogate from Oxford and attended with her one-year-old child. As much as she wanted an interactive and structured music-making session for her child, she also wanted the opportunity to meet other young mums in similar circumstances.

Since first joining the group, Verity and her child have attended almost every week.  It was noted by the practitioners that the mum and her baby both became more confident as the weeks passed. They became more involved with the group and the child was increasingly engaged, often copying the older children.

Verity and her family had to move house again and she expressed how important it was to her that they live close by so that they could continue to come to Musical Mums. It was evident that she recognized and valued the benefits provided by the sessions.

One-year-old Flynn attended Music for Two sessions on a weekly basis with his mother. Music for Two aims to provide a safe, secure environment for parents/carers and their children based in Catterick Garrison to engage in early years music provision. The focus is on developing confidence, musical knowledge, peer support/interaction, parental/carer and child bonding and increase knowledge about the benefits of music in children’s early years. 

As a result of attending the music-making sessions, Flynn developed his musical awareness through his understanding of rhythm and feeling the beat. His mother also commented on how their own bond had developed as a result of working together within the class.

Flynn’s older sister had previously attended the same sessions and now attends a pre-school version, also provided by Music for Two. As a result, Flynn has been able to share his learning with his sister and takes his musical learning from the sessions back into the home to be used during bath and bed time routines. By creating this link between the group and home, Flynn has been able to forge stronger relationships with family members and develop his own musical understanding.

Throughout his participation, Flynn showed significant development in his musical abilities. He is now able to engage in active listening, can respond to a steady beat, use his singing voice and can copy rhythmic patterns. He also takes advantage of participation opportunities within the songs and has increased his positive interaction with other children in the group.

Eleven-year-old Joseph is a new starter on the guitar and faces challenges relating to special educational needs, motor skills and social isolation. 

The CYC Online Academy works directly with ‘hard to reach’ young people and has found that the most efficient and best way to engage them is directly via one-to-one lessons, both in person, and online via Skype, Facetime and Google Hangouts.

Music leaders found that it is more effective when chord technique is demonstrated face-to-face, so they start with at least two face-to-face lessons before progressing to online video lessons. After that face-to-face and online are alternated.

For Joseph, one of the most rewarding aspects of the project was the social interaction. Simply having that dedicated time working one-on-one with someone was incredibly valuable to him. The contact time was time wholly focused on him, without the pressure of a tested, targeted learning outcome. He got on well with the practitioner and, demonstrated good focus during the lesson as well as responding well to positive reinforcement.

Following on from the sessions, Joseph can now play some simple chords on guitar, and hold down a rudimentary rhythm. He can also play a simplified version of the song “Teenage Kicks”.

The RJAM project saw professional musicians lead regular jazz sessions with young people over the course of a year. The aim was for participants to develop their instrumental technique and be encouraged to lead sessions, compose their own music, gain recording experience and to perform publicly.

Lauren joined RJAM after attending a taster session and wanted to explore the opportunities for vocal performance within a jazz context. As the only female member of the group, Lucy altered the dynamics of the ensemble and introduced a regular vocal contribution to the band’s repertoire.

Although she was initially shy and reluctant to experiment with her vocal range or stray far from the main melody line, Lauren encouraged others to try vocal lines which has been of benefit to the whole group. Lauren’s confidence in her own singing has grown and she has experimented with using the loop pedal to layer different parts and harmonies. She has also brought her guitar to the sessions and revisited playing the keyboard, adapting her classically based training to fit chord work and popular music techniques.
The impact that Lauren has had on the group and music leaders is clear: her enthusiasm and passion for music comes across in the performances she has made, from her powerful rendition of ‘I’m Feeling Good’ to performing ‘like a pro’ despite suffering from a bad illness. 
RJAM has allowed Lauren to integrate with like-minded young people and created a safe and encouraging environment in which to develop her musical skills.