Lewisham Young Producers is our year-round music technology development programme, led by gripping music producer Intalekt. Creative sessions run from the Novelist Studio in our community music spaces at the heart of the Bellingham estate.

 

Thanks to funding from The Ironmongers’ Company, Lewisham Music launched ‘Lewisham Young Producers’ in May 2021 and the level of engagement, creativity and impact the programme has had is astounding.

 

“Lewisham Young Producers is a space where I feel safe and comfortable to try new things. Being around inspiring people has given me confidence explore my music and my creativity.”

David, age 16

 

 

What we did

The programme has been designed by Intalekt, AKA Josh Oladipo, and shaped by the voices and experiences of young people. The series of workshops include:

 

  • Developing technical production skills using a range of production software.

  • Supporting young musicians to explore different genres.

  • Masterclass sessions with industry professionals.

  • Nurturing collaboration with other young creatives.

  • Helping young people to find their own unique sound.

  • Modules: exploring drum patterns, recording audio, recording live instruments, sound scaping, melodies, chord progressions and meet the music industry professional Q&A sessions.

 

 

 

 

Who we worked with

53

young people through regular workshops and intensive projects

73%

of young people are from areas ranked as the most deprived (measured against the IMD) 

58%

are from the African diaspora

10%

were from the Asian diaspora and

7%

were from other ethnically diverse communities 

28%

aged 10-13

72%

aged 14-18 

27%

are in receipt of Free School Meals 

33%

are female

63%

are male

4%

are non-binary

 

The projects aims and objectives

Outcome 1

Young people improve confidence in utilising music technology.

Outcome 2

Young people improve sense of personal confidence through creative expression.

Outcome 3

Young people develop a sense of belonging to groups.

Outcome 4

Young Leader improves knowledge and confidence to teach and lead music activity.

 

 

 

The outcomes of the project and to what extent were objectives met

Following their workshops and mentoring…

72%

of young people felt more confident and that they had learned new music proudction skills

85%

of young people felt more confident

94%

felt better able to express their own ideas through music

85%

felt a stronger sense of belonging and musical community

94%

of young people felt the workshop had inspired them to continue their musical learning journey

 

 

“This project has allowed us to develop a programme with individual progression pathways and opportunities for formal and informal learning. The evaluation indicates that positive outcomes have been achieved for young people against each of the indicators. This project has breathed new life into our music studio.”

Keith Sykes, Community Music Manager/Evaluation Lead

 

 

 

 

Interview with ‘Young Leader’, Joshua

We caught up with Joshua our ‘Young Leader’ to tell us how he has benefitted from the programme:

 

“I’ve learnt what it takes to cooperate with others in the music industry such as producers, videographers and other artists. At school and college I don’t have opportunities to experiment with beat production and learn about the software and techniques that I use here. I have been taught more about these elements and at slow and understandable pace that lets me learn as well as experiment with whatever I make. With the support of the team, I have been able to support other young people to collaborate and record with other musicians and be exposed to their various styles.”

 

 

We also chatted to Joshua’s mum who commented:

 

“Joshua ends his sessions with Intalekt in the best mood. These sessions/opportunities are a lifeline for our children. They are becoming adults and the tutors and mentors treat our kids as young adults, not children which helps them recognise they are maturing, and Joshua certainly feels proud of himself and his achievements after these sessions.”

 

 

Longer term plans

The funding from The Ironmongers’ Company has allowed us the time, space and resource to build a meaningful programme of learning and development for young people, shaped around music technology. The programme has been complimented by our additional creative one-off projects, bringing together young people from different music and social backgrounds to collaborate.

 

This funding has also given us a platform to better evaluate our work around music technology and develop our evidence base. We have built a clearer picture of the positive personal, social and musical outcomes reported by the young people throughout this funding period.

 

Lewisham Young Producers has gained significant interest from Lewisham’s Looked After Children Service which has allowed us to extend our work to children living in care and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.

 

Throughout this programme the young people and leaders have identified a need for further progression pathways, particularly for young people aged 16+ to explore routes into the creative industries.

 

Finally, we are particularly interested in continuing to extend this area of work to reach more children and young people facing challenging circumstances. For example, young carers, young musicians with disablitlies and young people excluded from mainstream education.

 

Check out the Lewisham Young Producers blog

If you’d like to get an insight into the world of Lewisham Young Producers then click through to the blog below.

 

Project funders/partners

This project was kindly funded The Ironmongers’ Company.

 

The Ironmongers’ Company website

 

If you’d like to read more about the impact of our work or if you’d like to make some music with us then check out ‘Taking part’ and ‘Our impact’ below.