
An insight into the musical progress of one of our young musicians
Musinc works with a number of organisations in Middlesbrough to provide opportunities to young people who are experiencing barriers that can prevent them from accessing music.
One such project is a Music As Strategic Intervention (MASI) project based at Acklam Road Hospital. Since 2019, the project provides weekly music lessons for young people in residence who are receiving support for poor mental health.
Music leaders Danny and Ste of Apollo Arts, who are Stockton-based creative education specialists, reviewed the progress that one of their students made since they started.
Initially, Danny realised that the student had some previous experience of playing musical instruments, but had not played for some time.
The student started off by approaching the ukulele and quickly picked up playing basic chords. They were inspired by Lewis Capaldi’s songs, and started to sing their favourite ones, accompanied by the ukulele.
After a few weeks of practice, the student picked up the keyboard, playing both block chords and broken chords with a left hand accompaniment on songs such as ‘Riptide’, ‘Shotgun’ and ‘Someone You Loved’.
In addition to the ukulele and keyboard, the student was even able to transfer their skills over to the acoustic guitar. Over a course of weekly sessions as well as practicing in their own time, they began to read chord charts and eventually play and sing some of their most-loved songs on guitar.
Music leader Danny comments:
The student has been a shining example of “giving it a go” and has constantly kept trying, even when they’ve faced musical challenges. We look forward to seeing their continuing progress in the coming weeks, and to them enjoying their music outside of their weekly Musinc sessions!
Musical Inclusion Manager Rebecca Johnson explains the impact of the programme:
This project is part of our programme of targeted work aiming to use music as a tool for personal, social and emotional development. We know that taking part in music making activities can have a profoundly positive effect on people’s health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally, so we are really pleased that we are able to provide this support to the young people at Acklam Road Hospital.
This case study shows how young people can build confidence through picking up an instrument and discovering their ability to sing and play songs by their favourite artists. Musinc hopes to continue to support and engage more young people in this way through current and future projects.
Find out more about what we do and how you can get involved.
Please note: for confidentiality reasons, the student’s name has not been disclosed.