Young Musicians Project receives funding boost to foster Sunderland's musical talent

Young Musicians Project (YMP) has been awarded funding for three years by charity, Youth Music.

Based in Sunniside, the YMP project gives 13-19-year-olds the opportunity to work with professional musicians to write songs and music and grow their skills.

YMP runs three weekly sessions, enabling teenagers from all backgrounds and musical abilities to take the first steps towards gigging, recording and releasing their music with many going on to become successful musicians.

Laura Brewis, Project Director of We Make Culture CIC, who operate YMP, said: “This funding enables us to underpin our three Young Musician Project groups.

“What it also allows us to do is run our community music projects, which are embedded projects trying to reach young people who might not have access to music making and also help us develop our progression pathways for young people aged 18-25.”

Nurturing Sunderland’s young musical talent is one of the many aims of the five-year Music City strategy.

It’s a game-changing strategy for the city’s music economy which will be delivered from this year after Sunderland was awarded Music City status.

Speaking about Sunderland being accepted into the global Music Cities Network and how it helps young people, Laura said: “It’s so amazing as an aspirational thing, just to know they are part of something bigger than the youth project they come to.

“So that it feels possible that young people from Sunderland can have creative careers, can become musicians, can make it in the industry.

“Sunderland can sometimes feel quite far away from the centre of musical production, like maybe you have to move away. But Music City show that that’s not true: you can do it here.”

*No experience is needed to join YMP. Any young people interested in finding out more can visit https://www.wemakeculture.co.uk/young-musicians-project

Year of Music

Part of the Music City five-year strategy to boost the area’s musical economy, the Year of Music will begin on World Music Day on the 21st June 2025 and run through to June 2026.

The year-long celebration of the city’s musical heritage and talent will encompass a huge range of events, from gigs and festivals to educational workshops and community activities.

Joining the roster of established festivals like Summer Streets, Waves, and Monument, Sunderland Music City’s Music Office will create and test new events based on feedback from the music sector and Sunderland residents, with the goal of showcasing underrepresented genres and connecting people with new music.

A true community undertaking, local musicians, promoters, and fans will be encouraged to host their own Year of Music events, which will be included on and promoted through the event’s dedicated website.

Throughout the year, the Music Office, which was set up especially for the Music City status, will explore new financial models for festivals and events, aiming to uncover novel and sustainable options that will support Sunderland’s music scene long into the future and create new opportunities for local musicians and professionals.

The event follows in the footsteps of Sunderland’s fellow Music City, Aarhus in Denmark, which ran its own Year of Music in 2022.

The event was a resounding success, serving to strengthen cohesion in the region’s music industry and creating a framework for further development.

The Music Office will also partner with local communities to incorporate activities from other art forms, such as theatre, dance, and the visual arts, as well as heritage, health and wellbeing, food, and education.

Sunderland’s Year of Music is one of many actions outlined in