In the latest edition of BRIT Trust Diaries, Anthem CEO Rhian Hutchings discusses how young people – supported by the charity’s Unlocked programme, Anthem Gateway and Young Curators Cymru – can play a bigger role in shaping music in Wales and in leading a vibrant and connected youth music ecosystem…
Over the last few years at Anthem, we’ve been thinking a lot about the role young people can play in shaping music in Wales.
We’ve worked with thousands of young people, alongside a dedicated network of grassroots organisations, venues, artists and practitioners across the country. Through that work, we’ve learnt a huge amount about what helps them to find their way in music, and what can get in the way.
It’s also made us think differently about what creating opportunities for young people really means. We want young people to be able to make decisions, develop their own ideas, try things out and help shape the music communities they are part of. We want them to feel that music in Wales belongs to them and that they have a role in deciding what its future looks like.
That thinking has shaped Anthem’s new vision of a Wales in which young people lead a vibrant and connected youth music ecosystem.
Our mission is to build young people’s skills, confidence and community through music. Those things are closely connected. A first live performance can build confidence. Putting on a gig can develop new skills. Meeting the right person can lead to a collaboration, a friendship or a first paid opportunity.
IWe want young people to be able to make decisions, develop their own ideas, try things out and help shape the music communities they are part of
Rhian Hutchings
Often what matters is having somewhere meaningful to start and someone who can show you what's possible, so you can build on this.
We’re seeing this happening across Anthem’s work. For some young people, Unlocked might be their first experience of live music in a local venue, whether that’s getting on stage for the first time, helping run the event, or being part of the audience.
From there, we want young people to be able to see where music could take them. Through the Anthem Gateway they can find opportunities, advice and people who can help them take a next step. FFWD>> gives young creatives space to develop their ideas, skills and networks, with alumni going on to work with Anthem as freelancers and project leads, as well as building their own careers.
Through Young Curators Cymru, teenagers are trusted to programme and produce live music in their communities. They are making decisions about what they want to see happening locally and creating something for others around them. These experiences can start small, but each gives a young person more confidence, more connections and more say in what happens next.
Anthem is only one part of this. There is brilliant work happening with young people across Wales, led by grassroots organisations, venues, educators, artists and practitioners. A big part of our job is to help connect that work and create clearer routes to opportunities, so that wherever a young person lives, whatever music they’re interested in and whatever role they can imagine for themselves, they can find a way forward.
Support from The BRIT Trust this year is helping us do that. Their funding is creating opportunities for young people to perform, develop their skills, build relationships and gain a better understanding of what they can do with music, now and in the future.
As Anthem moves into its next chapter, we are passionate about young people having a stronger voice in shaping the ecosystem in which they make music in Wales. We can help young people to build the skills and confidence they need for the future, to explore new ways of working together, and to generate the power to make changes. What we don’t know is exactly where they will take it. And that’s absolutely the point!
PHOTO: Ceirios Bebb
