Over 25 years, Awards for Young Musicians has worked with more than 5,000 young musicians from low income families

Applications for help from young people have increased threefold over the past five years

Under its new identity, Young Sounds UK will continue the charity’s transformational work and connect with a broader range of young musicians than ever before

Today, long running music education charity Awards for Young Musicians announces an immediate name change to Young Sounds UK. For over 25 years, the charity has identified and nurtured young musical talent which - due to financial barriers - might have otherwise gone undeveloped. The charity’s new identity has been created to better reflect the breadth of its work with young people, as well as a burgeoning demand for assistance from families and educators around the country today. Young Sounds UK’s programmes of support are available to young people with demonstrable musical potential aged 5-17, living and studying in the UK and from a lower-income household.

Hester Cockcroft, Chief Executive, Young Sounds UK commented: “After 25 years of tackling the obstacles faced by young musicians and those working with them, we’re changing our name to Young Sounds UK. It encapsulates the scope of our work and will further increase our reach to the young people we’re here for. Meeting their needs and supporting their musical ambitions will continue to be central to everything we do!”

Under its new name, Young Sounds UK will continue the charity’s far-reaching work with young people across an increasingly diverse range of musical genres. Its initiatives include:

• Awards programme - Providing financial awards of between £100 and £2,000 to young instrumentalists, singers, songwriters, composers, and producers needing help on their musical journeys. Over 25 years, more than 5,000 Awards have been granted by the charity.
• Connectors - ‘Connectors’ are based in Music Hubs all around the UK and act as a point of contact for young talent facing financial barriers. Leveraging extensive knowledge of their local musical landscape as well as the national picture, Connectors direct young musicians to opportunities and advice ranging from music groups to funding. Young Sounds UK has recently expanded its network of Connectors to 20 - meaning more are now available than ever before to meet a boom in demand for help.
• Furthering Talent programme - A sector-leading instrumental tuition programme, running across 20 regions of England, which lasts for a minimum of two academic years. Young people receive holistic support on their musical journey via an Online Individual Learning Plan. There’s long-term help for their families and for local music teachers too.
• Online Individual Learning Plan - Giving students and teachers access to an online, personalised learning tool which supports young people’s independent music learning and progression, the Online Individual Learning Plan has the potential to reach tens of thousands across the UK.
• Identifying Talent - Helping music educators spot a musical spark in their students via specialised training - ensuring the talent of tomorrow is identified and nurtured from primary school and beyond.

Sir Simon Rattle OM CBE, Founding Patron of the charity commented:
“I’m delighted that Young Sounds UK is the new name of Awards for Young Musicians! Musical talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t: for over 25 years this wonderful national charity has been changing this. They identify and nurture the musical potential of young people from low-income families through targeted and sustained support. It’s imperative that young people facing the most obstacles have the help they need to blossom musically, wherever their journey takes them. Music, and the music industry, will be infinitely richer as a result. I don’t doubt that the newly named Young Sounds UK will be able to reach even more young people who need the charity’s help more than ever before. All power to them!”

Sustained access to musical education resources like instruments, lessons and mentorship is often impossible for those from lower-income backgrounds. Young Sounds UK addresses this and recognises the broader benefits of music education and artistic participation, including: enhanced academic performance, social and emotional growth, boosted confidence and resilience, as well as an important economic benefit - the UK music industry’s contribution to the country’s economy was recently valued at £6.7bn (source: UK Music). By nurturing the next generation of musicians through its targeted programmes, Young Sounds UK plays a crucial role in enriching the musical landscape we see today.

Since inception, the charity has worked with more than 5,000 beneficiaries, notable alumni of its programmes including BBC Radio 3’s Jess Gillam and Deschanel Gordon (winner of BBC Young Jazz Musician 2020).

Jess Gillam MBE, Young Sounds UK Patron and Alumna, commented:
“Young Sounds UK is a great new name for an amazing organisation that I am really proud to support! As it happens, I was born in 1998, the year the charity was founded - the support they gave me as a teenager was vital to my development as a musician. Young Sounds UK supports young musicians in a multitude of ways - alongside generous financial help, the opportunities to perform at amazing venues, build peer and professional networks and to mentor younger musicians are invaluable.  Now both Young Sounds and I are 25 – and I can’t wait to see what the next 25 years bring!”

Hannah Fouracre, Director of Music Education at Arts Council England, commented:  
“For over two decades, Awards for Young Musicians has endeavoured to make music more accessible to children and young people from all walks of life. Their commitment to removing barriers for low-income families and nurturing new talent is worth pausing to celebrate. We are delighted to see their work continue as part of the National Portfolio and as a National Youth Music Organisation, under the fitting new title Young Sounds UK.”

Young Sounds UK remains steadfast in its commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive musical education throughout the United Kingdom, where talented young people facing financial and other obstacles can thrive and excel.

Full information about Young Sounds UK and its work is available at www.youngsounds.org.uk.