Pop Recs-based project receives funding boost to foster young musical talent in Sunderland

We Make Culture CIC, has received a large boost from Arts Council England to expand one of its programmes, Young Musicians Project.

The £15,000 funding will help We Make Culture CIC secure its core group, which meets weekly at Pop Recs Ltd on a Saturday and is for 11 to 21-year-olds.

It will also enable the organisation to offer more music workshops in different genres, music technology training and to work in schools and new community settings.

We Make Culture CIC will also support promising young musicians in the city to develop their talent, through mentoring, masterclasses and more chances to record and play in professional venues.

The organisation will also be supported by Sunderland Music Hub, Sunderland Culture, Generator and Pop Recs Ltd.

Laura Brewis, director and project manager of We Make Culture CIC, said: “We are over the moon to secure this funding, which will allow us to develop the Young Musicians Project from a single group to a programme of diverse musical opportunities for young people.

“We see the young musicians we work with as the next generation of musical talent in the city, following in the footsteps of bands and musicians such as Kenickie, Nadine Shah, The Futureheads and Field Music.

“We have a strong history in the city of successful bands coming out of youth projects, such as The Bunker and Dave Murray’s Detached Youth Project, and we’re lucky to have many professional musicians who are keen to pass on their skills.

“It’s really inspiring for the young people to work with professionals and learn about what a career in music entails.”

The Young Musicians Project is led by professional musicians, including Marty Longstaff (The Lake Poets), Beccy Young (This Little Bird) and Natasha Haws.

In the past year, the group has worked with local Mercury Prize-nominated artists Nadine Shah and David and Peter Brewis (Field Music), and have recorded in the Field Music studios.

Tom Hawick, of upcoming Sunderland band the Roxy Girls, who have recently recorded sessions for Radio 6 Music, attended the Young Musicians Project and has returned to lead group sessions as a peer mentor.

Young Musicians Project began in 2015, as a songwriting project started by regional writing development agency New Writing North.

We Make Culture CIC took over the group in 2018 and have broadened the group’s activity to include producing, recording and performing.

The group recently took on its own space in Pop Recs Ltd and has also performed at venues such as Sage Gateshead, Summer Streets Festival and The Warren in Hull.

•Weekly sessions run at Pop Recs Ltd in Stockton Road, Sunderland, in term time on a Saturday at 11am-1pm and are free.

For more information about the group and the programme, contact [email protected] or check Young Musicians Project on Facebook.