Championing the transformative potential of music for children and young people in North Yorkshire

annual review 2014–15

Our year in numbers

children & young people participated

2,203

music workshops delivered

423

performances88

hours of online tuition196

Continuing Professional Development opportunities

28

partners28

network members458

music leaders43

NYMAZ is focused on giving all young people in North Yorkshire access to music opportunities and I am delighted to report on a year of real innovation. NYMAZ’s advances in the use of research, advocacy and digital solutions will benefit children and young people in our county and also lead the way for rural communities across England.

The ground-breaking Connect: Resound project has brought one to one instrumental tuition to children in remote locations and contributed to the sector’s understanding of technological solutions. Moreover, the publication of the Gone in the Air report has enabled NYMAZ to share both its expertise and its aspirations for the development of inclusive music-making opportunities in geographically isolated communities.

We are pleased and proud to have worked with so many inspiring individuals and organisations to create new opportunities and make great music over the past year. We would like to thank our principal funder, the National Foundation for Youth Music, as well as our growing band of financial supporters, for making it possible for NYMAZ and our delivery partners to create life-changing musical experiences for the children and young people of North Yorkshire.

Sarah Derbyshire MBE, Chair

NYMAZ is... a youth music development charity, which champions the transformative potential of music for our children and young people. We know that music has the power to change lives. It can raise aspirations, enable personal and social development, and enhance career prospects. Working with our trusted partners, we deliver high-quality inclusive music-making activities across North Yorkshire to those in challenging circumstances, including rural isolation. We’re also committed to strengthening the sector - through workforce development, building strategic partnerships and advocating for the benefits of participatory music.

Welcome

Our VisionAll young people in North Yorkshire will have the opportunity to actively engage in music regardless of their circumstances.

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NYMAZ activity 2014–15

Accessible Arts & MediaArmy Welfare ServiceBlue Boxt ProductionsBroadacres Housing AssociationCapeUKDales JamGrassington FestivalGeorgian Theatre RoyalThe Green Howards MuseumHarrogate International FestivalsHelmsley Arts CentreJazz NorthLive Music NowMusicport FestivalNorth Yorkshire Music Hub

North Yorkshire County Council (Connecting Youth Culture, Libraries Service, Quality & Improvement Service and Music Service)Pied Piper ProjectsRed Sand ArtsRichmond Jazz FestivalRichmondshire District CouncilRyedale District CouncilThe Station, RichmondUCan PlayUniversity of HullYorkshire Festival

Thanks to our partnersWe have worked with our fantastic partner organisations to deliver music projects across the county.

Our working contextNorth Yorkshire is England’s largest administrative county by area, covering over 3,000 square miles. It has a population of 600,000, of which 134,900 are aged 0 to 18 years old. Predominantly rural, five of the county’s seven Districts are designated as the most sparsely populated classification of Rural-80.

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NorthallertonCatterick

Richmond

Yorkshire DalesNational Park

North York MoorsNational Park

Ripon

Thirsk

HarrogateYork

Selby Hull

Bridlington

Filey

Scarborough

Whitby

Middlesborough

Guisborough

Doncaster

Huddersfield

Bradford

Skipton

Settle

Leeds

short-term and one-off activitieslong-term projects

Making and creatingl Creating musical instruments and artworks

from decommissioned ballot boxesl Helping residents write new songs inspired

by their local communitiesl Taking inspiration from deserted medieval

village Wharram Percy to devise original compositions

New experiencesl Testing online methods of teaching musical

instruments in rural primary schoolsl Singing and playing instruments with babies,

toddlers and their familiesl Bringing high quality live jazz and folk music

performances and workshops to rural primary school pupils

l Performing in public at high-profile festivals and events

l Providing new choral opportunities with online access to rehearsal materials

l Enabling children to further their musical understanding by making music with leading folk musicians

Musical progression l Helping talented instrumentalists learn

ensemble and performance skillsl Enabling young musicians to explore

different genres including jazz, improvisation and music theatre

l Signposting young people to new music opportunities, from live concerts to creative projects

l Establishing two after-school ukulele clubs in Ryedale

Training and employabilityl Enabling young music leaders to gain new

transferable skills and explore possible careers in music

l Running a creative careers event in Richmond (Creative Industries Unmasked: On Tour) with hands-on immersive experiences for secondary school pupils

l Offering insights into recording and production through a live streamed broadcast with popular band, Hope & Social

Developmental music projects for children & young people

NYMAZ works with 0 to 25 year olds across North Yorkshire, focusing on those in challenging circumstances, whether that be through rural isolation, economic situation or life conditions. Our projects have demonstrated a wide range of musical, social and personal benefits for participants.Here’s a taste of what we’ve been doing this year:

“The Creative Industries Unmasked event is a unique and invaluable contribution to ensuring that young people and their parents/carers have the awareness and understanding of the career opportunities in this exceptional and often unrecognised sector.” Jo-Anne Simpson, Culture and Wellbeing Delivery Manager, Richmondshire District Council

“The workshops were always well attended, and the fact that the school has decided to run the Club with a new set of children shows the popularity of the ukelele!” David Swann, Breakthrough music leader

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Richmond JamDelivered by: Richmond Jazz Festival and Blue Boxt ProductionsSam is a 15-year old drum player who joined Richmond Jam, a NYMAZ-supported project where young people enjoy regular jazz sessions with professional musicians. He was keen to try out playing with an ensemble, something he had never done before, and embraced the opportunity to learn new styles and play with other musicians.

Sam’s playing technique improved and he also developed an interest in new instruments and the recording/production side of music. Money at home is tight so Sam was inspired to find a part-time job to pay for a ukulele and also enable him to set up a recording studio in his bedroom where he works on production techniques and GCSE composition.

Sam’s personal development has been considerable, particularly his organisational, motivational and interpersonal skills. He now plays a key role in the group, taking responsibility for arranging fundraising activities, and has encouraged new members to join.

“NYMAZ is a key strategic partner in the North Yorkshire Music Hub working as they do across the county, with a wide range of children and settings. The projects completed by NYMAZ this year, often in partnership with the Music Service, have been of extremely high quality, well designed and executed. Of particular note was the digital research project that has run very successfully and will provide a new avenue of instrumental delivery to more rural, remote schools. The partnership between ourselves and NYMAZ continues to grow and I am personally delighted that we are able to strengthen it every year.” Ian Bangay, Head of Service, North Yorkshire County Council Music Service, lead organisation of the North Yorkshire Music Hub

Feedback from participants“I like music. It makes me feel all better. I like making songs of my own.”

“I will do it again. I want to get better at playing and singing.”

“I want a thing like that now, with the buttons. I would play it all day long forever.”

“Our 15 year old son is a very keen musician but here in deeply rural Wensleydale, without this there would be few opportunities for him to develop his skills.”

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Strategic Advocacy:Thinking Big!NYMAZ has developed its role as a thought-leader over the course of 2014/15, sharing expertise and learning across the country via social media and the press.Living in the countryside means that transport times and costs can often limit the musical opportunities open to children and young people. NYMAZ has used research findings to show the importance of informal music activities in terms of life chances and to call for it to be better supported in rural areas. At the same time, NYMAZ has been exploring new ways of overcoming transport issues by using digital technologies.

Gone in the Air: Young people, music and rural isolation research project NYMAZ is calling for a rounded approach to out-of-school music education to ensure children in rural England have equal life chances. Recognising that NYMAZ is not alone in facing the challenges of travel times and costs, Gone in the Air was conceived to share the experiences and expertise of similar organisations.Gone in the Air lays out the opportunities and barriers faced by young people living in rural areas and of the particular benefits that participatory music can offer to their life chances – from improved confidence and more developed musical ability to transferable skills that increase employability.Launched in January 2015 at NYMAZ’s Young People, Music and Rural Isolation Symposium, the findings generated significant interest in the press as well as on social media. NYMAZ has also been asked to present the findings at events and conferences across the UK.NYMAZ wants to effect real change. We have issued six Calls to Action - essentially a series of policy and practice recommendations - to influence the way in which non-formal, inclusive music provision is funded and delivered. We are urging funding and delivery organisations to play their part. We have made our own pledges against each Call to Action, which will be monitored annually.

Social buzz for Gone in the Air

Twitter reached

accounts and50,000

69re-tweets

Facebook

updates reached24

1,011fans

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What are we calling for? 1. We call upon Arts Council England and youth music organisations to value and support the role of non-formal, inclusive music provision as part of a rounded music education in rural areas.2. We call upon youth music organisations and Music Education Hubs to invest in workforce development in rural areas and make young people aware of employment opportunities within the creative industries.3. We call upon youth music organisations and Music Education Hubs to test and invest in appropriate digital technology solutions.4. We call upon more funders and stakeholders to take account of higher-than-average per unit costs for activities in rural areas, have the confidence to invest in less attractive elements like transport and offer multi-annual agreements.5. We call upon all music leaders and youth music organisations working under the umbrella of Music Education Hubs in rural areas to take responsibility for signposting children, young people and parents/carers to quality musical progression opportunities.6. We call upon youth music organisations to enhance and support parental engagement in activities and to advocate about the benefits of participatory music for children and young people in rural areas to more parents and carers.Find the full report and a summary of findings at www.nymaz.org.uk

Connect: Resound: Exploring how digital technologies can deliver music tuition Connect: Resound is an exciting project exploring how digital technologies can be used in rurally isolated areas to provide instrumental tuition, access to live music performances and teacher training. Supported by the Digital R&D Fund for the Arts, the aim is to identify a cost-efficient, high quality method of enhancing the music education opportunities on offer. The new business model will be shared with Music Hubs across the country.Seven primary schools are taking part in this innovative project, led by NYMAZ along with its partners the North Yorkshire Music Hub, UCan Play and the University of Hull. Pupils are receiving tuition from the experienced music teachers working for the North Yorkshire County Council Music Service - with the twist that all lessons have been delivered over the internet!With the research still underway, tutors have already remarked on the level of concentration and focus of the participants.Find out more about the project at www.nymaz.org.uk/connectresound and experience live and archived broadcasts at live.ucanplay.tv

Participating schoolsCarlton Miniott Community Primary SchoolDacre Braithwaite CE (VA) Primary SchoolGoathland Primary SchoolHawes Community Primary SchoolKirkby in Malhamdale United (VA) Primary SchoolSelby Community Primary SchoolWest Heslerton CE VC Primary School

“When you hear music, after it’s over, it’s gone, in the air, you can never capture it again.” Eric Dolphy, jazz musician, 1928 -1964

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Workforce development

NYMAZ seeks to support excellence in the youth music sector by offering a range of professional development opportunities for music leaders at all stages of their careers.Through our three specialist networks – NYMAZ Early Years Music Network (ages 0-5), NYMAZ Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Music Network and NYMAZ Music Partner Network – we enable music professionals and practitioners to access training and resources, share learning and meet with peers through our programme of conferences, networking evenings and webinars. Leading specialists and practitioners have spoken at our events this year, including Prof. Colwyn Trevarthen, Hugh Nankivell, Mona Zeidan and Prof. Adam Ockelford.In 2014/15 we have created an online early years video song bank, produced an advocacy video about the benefits of participatory music for Special Schools and offered CPD bursaries and career coaching sessions for our music leaders.

“I’ve learnt about iPad apps, and how accessible they can be for a huge difference in abilities”

“Today has reinvigorated my desire to utilise music as much as possible for profoundly disabled children.”

“Support was always offered and provided by NYMAZ and it was great to have the financial and practical help with our first project. It gave me great confidence as the project was really successful and has made me aware of some skills and talents I didn’t realise I had.” Jane Jackson

SongwiresNYMAZ supported four emerging music leaders to devise and deliver their own projects aimed at bringing participatory music activities to children in rurally isolated areas of North Yorkshire. Thirsk-based musician Jane Jackson, along with colleague Anna Snow, developed the Songwires initiative – setting up a choral project for 5 to 11 year olds.Particpants came from across the county so were given advance access to lyrics and recordings of the songs on the NYMAZ website before coming together for rehearsals and a performance. New friendships have been formed and parents/carers observed how much their children had enjoyed the experience and how it had improved their confidence.

NYMAZ online network resources

“The support that NYMAZ provides has been a real boost helping me to structure my return to self-employment, establish a 3-year vision and assess my learning needs and goals.”

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Wish You Were Here: A North Yorkshire Song-writing RelayDelivered by: Accessible Arts & Media, Grassington Festival, Harrogate International Festivals, Helmsley Arts Centre, Live Music Now and Musicport.Yorkshire Festival 2014 was the first major cultural festival to accompany the Tour de France in its history. NYMAZ’s project Wish You Were Here took inspiration from the founder of the English folk song and dance revival, Cecil Sharp: during the early 20th Century he travelled around England by bicycle, collecting traditional folk songs and dances from the communities he visited.The project saw a series of new collaborations between young people and local music groups, producing songs that represented their present-day communities. Led by Artistic Director Rebecca Gross and with collaborations across North Yorkshire, each new recording was relayed by bicycle courier to the next community. The results of this 230-mile musical relay were showcased in performance at Grassington Festival. A book and CD documented the process and songs.“A great experience, we found lots of undiscovered talent!”

Crash Bang Ballot!Delivered by: Helmsley Arts Centre & North Yorkshire County Council Connecting Youth Culture.Young people from Ryedale worked alongside musician Billy Hickling and artist Lyn Wait to produce creative responses to Ryedale District Council’s old metal ballot boxes in an exploration of power, democracy and citizenship. Participants transformed the decommissioned ballot boxes into musical instruments and pieces of art, showcasing their work in a performance at Helmsley Arts Centre and at an exhibition at the Ryedale Folk Museum.

Artistic commissions

NYMAZ was delighted to secure two high profile artistic commissions in 2014/15 which recognised our expertise and the skills of our delivery partners.

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FinanceExtract from independently examined accounts, 2014-15

Youth Music project delivery

37%

Digital R&D Fund delivery26%

Staffing & overheads24%

Additional project

delivery 9%

Accounting & Legal 3%

Income Expenditure

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With thanks to our trusteesKathryn Belton, Sharon Canavar, Sarah Derbyshire MBE (Chair), Nigel Mochrie, Carolynn Peace, Samuel Pirt, Richard Safhill, Chris Strong, Robert Wilsmore

Marketing 1%

Extract from Reserves PolicyAs NYMAZ’s operations are sustained through a combination of multi-year and single year grants, with major funds currently secured to 2017/18, the Trustees feel that it is prudent to maintain a sufficient amount in reserves to cover short term fluctuations in working capital and continue to cover the operational costs of the organisation.

Restricted Funds £3,403Unrestricted Funds £62,767Cash at Bank, 31 March 2015 £74,144

Youth Music project delivery £80,486Digital R&D Fund delivery £57,115Staffing and overheads £52,490Additional project delivery £18,855Marketing £2,640Accounting & Legal £5,344

Total £216,930

Trusts & Foundations 1%

Earned Income 1%

Donations 1%Bank Interest 0%

Youth Music grants57%Digital R&D Fund

for the Arts grant24%

Partners’ match funding

8%

Public funding 8%Youth Music grants £112,625Digital R&D Fund for the Arts grant £47,705Partners’ match funding £15,789Public funding £15,533Trusts & Foundations £2,000Earned Income £1,902Donations £711Bank Interest £378Total £196,643

The in-year deficit has arisen due to expenditure of funds brought forward from 2013/14, including £14,470 for Youth Music project delivery and £2,298 for the Wish You Were Here commission.

Future plans

NYMAZ will continue to deliver a varied and interesting programme of projects in 2015/16, focusing particularly on:

l Working with Youth Music to create a musically-inclusive England, where every child can access music-making opportunities, regardless of their circumstances. Selected as one of 13 strategic partners of Youth Music, NYMAZ will be delivering targeted music activities and workforce development against a new three-year funding agreement.

l Growing the charity to take its place as a sector leader, influencing and driving music education initiatives on a regional and national level.

l Embedding youth voice within our governance through young NYMAZ Ambassadors.

l Disseminating the findings and implementing recommendations from our Gone in the Air research.

l Advocating for the benefits of musical inclusion and embedding inclusivity in the North Yorkshire Music Hub.

l Building further musically-inclusive projects across North Yorkshire by brokering and supporting new strategic partnerships

l Concluding the action research phase of the Connect: Resound project and rolling out a new business plan to Music Hubs across the UK.

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Principal FunderThe National Foundation for Youth MusicFunding through Musical Inclusion, Networking, Young Music Leadership and Early Years Children at Elevated Risk modules.Music-making is life-changing. Every year, Youth Music provides more than 90,000 young people with the opportunity to make music, helping them to overcome the challenges they face in their lives. Our music projects support young people to develop their creative and social skills, make positive contributions to their community and improve their wellbeing.

We know that many young people still need our help. Join us in our mission to give every child the chance to make music. Visit www.youthmusic.org.uk

With warm thanks to our funders and supporters

NYMAZClements HallNunthorpe RoadYorkYO23 1BW

T 01904 543382E info@nymaz.org.ukW www.nymaz.org.uk

@NYMAZmusic www.facebook.com/nymaz

NYMAZ staff Heidi Johnson, DirectorMillie Watkins, Projects OfficerEmily Penn, Connect: Resound Project ManagerMade by Marketing, Marketing ConsultantVanessa Hart, Bookkeeper

NYMAZ is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, No. 7035894. Registered charity No. 1134287