Practitioner

Working with young people creating meaningful music making opportunities. Supporting musical skills development, personal growth and community through playing, composing and recording music.

Project examples

. - WHALE Generate Project: a 15-month project working with local young people to compose and record original music with an emphasis on reaching out to young people who would otherwise be out on the streets in Westerhailes.
 
Build a Band:  a 3-year project working with local teenagers in Pencuik (rural) and Newbattle and SIMD area (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation - I did not come up with that title!). We ran weekly sessions in each location to learn to play, write and record original songs. The project included the production of an album of original material and an album launch. 
 
Edinburgh Social Work Southwest: One to one work with ‘disenfranchised’ young person – singing and song writing. The overall aim was to work together on something she enjoyed and that might help to lead her back into educational and social settings.
 
WHALE Music Makers, Edinburgh:  16-month project working with young people identified by Social Work as ‘at risk’.  Composing and recording original songs. Some of the tracks can be found HERE.
 
Polmont Youth Music, Polmont: Working on the first phase of Inspiring Change at Polmont Young Offenders Institution to compose and perform original music. Worked alongside the Scottish Ensemble for this project, so there was a wide range of musical styles and genre-crossing music produced.
 
Moving On, Edinburgh:  a 9-session project working with StopOver – emergency accommodation for homeless young people. Composing and recording an original song. Moving On - hear it HERE
 
Springfield Hospital, London: working in a locked unit for young people with complex eating disorders to compose an original track over two sessions lasting 2 hours each. 

​EC SESSIONS

Established in 2019, EC Sessions aims to provide a safe and welcoming space for young people from the local community and across Edinburgh aged 12-18 to have meaningful non-formal music-making opportunities on a weekly basis.  
The project gives the young people who attend the autonomy to choose their instruments and the music they play no matter their level of ability or experience.  
 Another purpose of the project is to provide a ‘side-door’ to experience Edinburgh College and what it has to offer. This can enable young people to see a place that is for them – a place they are welcome and feel a connection to without all the formality often associated with coming in the ‘front door’. For some, it's meant a gentle route into studying at the college, for others, EC Sessions has simply been a place to come to learn, play, compose and record music without the pressures of school or other issues they may be facing. 

Having the facilities offered by the college means that there are plenty of rehearsal rooms and equipment to hand - something many projects struggle with and is a real asset - thank you Edinburgh College! 
Check out some of the amazing tunes that have come out of the project at our SOUND CLOUD PAGE and here's a track to whet your listening appetite: 

 

​Please use the Contact Page to get in touch!