Current developments - Years 4 and 5

Continuity
Development

Continuity

The Youth Music Initiative (YMI) is nearing the end of its fifth year.  After the massive success of the first three years, an additional £10 million per year was committed for Years 4 and 5.

Local authorities were required to sustain the P6 target ('all school children in Scotland should have access to one year's free music tuition by the time they reach Primary 6').  Local authorities used their Formula Funding to create a huge range of opportunities which work to achieve the P6 target, such as:

Sonic postcards in Aberdeenshire African drumming in Midlothian A network of local and area-level choirs in East Ayrshire.

The Informal Sector fund has also continued with an increased budget, and both small and large grants have gone from strength to strength with a wide variety of locations, music genres and project designs.  Some of the most interesting include:

• East by North East; a rock project at Platform in Easterhouse
• Japanese Taiko drumming with Quavers Music in Cumbernauld
• Tradition Bearers in Shetland; young people work with older musicians to revive unique styles and tunes in order to recreate a living tradition.

The four National Youth Music Making Organisations have also continued to receive YMI funding to develop their work.

Development

Perhaps the biggest development in the Youth Music Initiative since the end of Year 3 has been the expansion of the YMI team.  From just one person in 2003 the team has grown to five people.  The YMI has also begun to fund organisations that can help develop specific styles and genres of music strategically, and on a national level, such as Youth Music Theatre UK and the Scottish Association of Brass Bands. We have recently been working with Bookstart and Youth Music UK to develop Bookstart's music work with babies and toddlers.

In 2006 the YMI commissioned a piece of research into current training and continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities in the youth music sector.  The final report on this research, A Sound Investment, was published in July 2007.

Find out about the YMI's CPD and Training fund for individuals and organisations on the funding pages.

Finally, to encourage the different strands of the sector to work more closely together, the YMI has created a youth music forum development fund. Our aim is to see a forum established in every area of Scotland.

For information about the first three years of the YMI, go to The beginning.