We are becoming a Furthering Talent Ambassador Hub!

Furthering Talent Connect: Awards for Young Musicians announce new partnership phase with 10 Music Hubs

AYM are delighted to continue working with ten of their Furthering Talent partner Hubs in an exciting new phase of the programme running from April 2023 to March 2026.

Furthering Talent Connect will build on the longstanding relationship between AYM and 10 current Hub partners who will become Ambassador Hubs from April 2023, continuing the fantastic work of the last four and half years. The Ambassador Hubs will be:

• Bradford
• Greater Manchester
• Hull
• Lewisham Music
• Resonate (Liverpool)
• Manchester
• The Music Partnership (Staffordshire, Telford and Stoke)
• Sheffield
• Sunderland
• Severn Arts (Worcestershire).

In this new phase, Furthering Talent Connect will further embed the principles of inclusive musical practice and child-led, personalised learning within partner Hubs and sector-wide. Furthering Talent Connect comprises:

• 400 nominated young people will have individual instrumental or, for the first time, vocal tuition

• A Musical Progression Bursary per child to help achieve the goals they, with their teacher’s support, set themselves in their Individual Learning Plan (ILP) using the new Charanga hosted tool.

• Termly Get Togethers where diverse high-quality musical partners will develop their musical knowledge and skills, provide new experiences, connect them with peers, engage families and build belonging and community.

• An AYM Connector who will work two days per week, identifying hundreds more young people facing barriers to music making and connecting them to information and opportunities.

• Music leaders will be invited to termly Teachers’ Forums to reflect, discuss their students' progress and share good practice.

AYM will also be recruiting 10 further Connector Hubs in early 2024 (more details in due course).

Greater Manchester Music Hub Lead Carolyn Baxendale said: “Furthering Talent has enabled us to work with children whose interest in, and love of music could easily have been missed. We have reached out to children with musical potential, in areas of low music uptake, and are supporting them with rich musical pathways. Children on the programme are making excellent progress. We are delighted to be continuing this work through Furthering Talent Connect.” 

Jonathan Dickinson, Head of Service at Resonate, Liverpool Music Hub said: “This is an outstanding programme that reaches young people in Liverpool with the most profound barriers to learning. Music is making a difference to these young people and we are delighted to continue this work with Awards for Young Musicians.”

Debbie Fawcett, Severn Arts Director of Music Education said: “We are delighted to have been selected by Awards for Young Musicians as one of their 10 new Ambassador Hubs. Being part of the Furthering Talent programme over the last two years has given our pupils access to some wonderful experiences, helped build confidence and enabled us to develop our teaching practices. As an Ambassador Hub we’re looking forward to increasing our programme’s ambition over the next two years; having more engagement with our pupils, sharing Furthering Talent principles more widely across the region and enabling more young people to benefit from the programme.” 

Hester Cockcroft, AYM’s Chief Executive said: “We’re excited to collaborate with our Hub partners to deliver Furthering Talent Connect over the next three years. Together we’ll share and implement our inclusive progression model more widely than ever before to help realise young people’s musical potential across England. Youth Music’s amazing support and input for so many years will continue to be vital as we further develop this ground-breaking work.”

Youth Music have been a partner and major funder of Furthering Talent since 2014.

Matt Griffiths, Youth Music CEO said: “It’s crucial we enable more young people to make, learn and earn in music, whatever their background or goal. That’s why we’re proud to invest in AYM who are leading the way in equalising access to music by putting young people’s voices and their musical progression front and centre. We look forward to seeing their great partnership with the 10 Ambassador Music Hubs reaching increasing numbers of young people, backed by our long-term support.”

Read more about AYM and Furthering Talent: https://www.a-y-m.org.uk/how-we-help/furtheringtalent/

Notes to Editors

About Awards for Young Musicians 

Musical talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t: family finances and other obstacles too often get in the way. AYM is here to change this is two key ways. By:

• Supporting young musicians from low income families, with funding and other help
• Supporting music education through training, advocacy and research.

This combination creates real impact. See our website for more: www-a-y-m.org.uk

About Youth Music 

We are Youth Music. We’re the UK’s leading young people’s music charity. And we believe that every young person should have the chance to make, learn and earn in music and wider creativity.

Yet our research shows that many can’t because of who they are, where they’re from or what they’re going through.

We leverage our insights, investment, and influence to build a national grassroots infrastructure that ensures the future of music is more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible. 

Youth Music is a national charity funded thanks to the National Lottery via Arts Council England, players of People's Postcode Lottery and support from partners, fundraisers and donors.

Media Enquiries

Matthew Tiller, Awards for Young Musicians, matthew.tiller@a-y-m/org.uk

07837 569506