Young people given a Passport to Music
English Dance and Song Winter 2021
This article appears in English Dance and Song, the magazine of the English Folk Dance and Song Society. The world’s oldest magazine for folk music and dance, EDS was first published in 1936 and is essential reading for anyone with a passion for folk arts.
The English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Education team is working on a cross-genre inclusive music project called Passport to Music. Sarah Jones, Programme Manager for the National Youth Folk Ensemble, reports.
Passport to Music is a two-year project in South Derbyshire aimed at young musicians who have little access to music provision. The project is funded by Youth Music and led by participatory arts organisation, People Express, alongside National Youth Jazz Collective, Milapfest, Baby People and the English Folk Dance and Song Society.
In the first year, ten young people aged 11 to 18 have participated in regular sessions in Swadlincote. Through a series of inclusive workshops, the young musicians are exploring jazz, hip-hop, Indian classical and folk music and developing skills in composition, music production, songwriting and ensemble playing.
Julie Batten, Director of People Express, explains: “Passport to Music is for young people who have challenges around engaging in mainstream music provision. This includes experiences of bullying, low confidence levels, rural isolation, high costs of private tuition, school exclusion and disability. We always hoped to have an even gender balance and to work with young people from both rural and urban areas, which we achieved. The project responds to the musical interests of the young people and offers them new journeys into genres they have not explored before.”
Julie adds: “This creates the opportunity for fusion. It provides the music makers with a broader palette of compositional skills, including lyric writing, improvisation, melodies, rhythms, sampling, scales and time signatures. The project also provides opportunities to perform, play and record their original work.”
The young musicians are learning from specialists in each genre and they are given the opportunity to bring their own musical passions into the room. Representing folk music are musicians and educators Sarah Matthews and Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne.
Sarah says: “Throughout this unique project, we’ve encouraged all the young participants to explore a range of traditional instruments, both through listening to them being performed and trying them out themselves. They’ve had the opportunity to improvise and respond to one another in a musical way through the creation of soundscapes. We’ve also explored lyric writing and modification of traditional pieces to bring them into a modern context.
“It’s been fascinating to work with young people who have little or no experience of folk music and traditions previously, and give them the chance to experience folk song, tunes and live morris dancing, and value them equally alongside other styles and genres of music. We’ve also looked at cross-genre collaborations and ways to bring folk music into other compositions and present it in a current and meaningful way through their own writing and recordings.”
She adds: “This process has been a great learning experience for us as educators and workshop leaders, when thinking about what to expect back from the young participants; how to make this relevant to their world and how to further promote folk music in a broad social context.”
Most of the participants hadn’t experienced folk music before the project. Sophie, who is taking part in the project, says: “It’s something I’ve never done before… I thought it was quite cool. I always listen to rap-type music and folk is a different type of music to what I listen to. So it’s nice to see it actually being made.”
Sion, another participant, added: “I really like this music project… I was able to record my beatboxing to add to the folk music and I really like that.”
Kalila Storey, Programme Manager at People Express, talks about the impact of the project so far. “Playing as an ensemble is hugely important for the young people, both recognising and valuing their contribution to the piece at whatever level and making new friendships within their peer group,” she explains. “The project has included progression for everyone involved, from the first time learning an instrument, to recording as an ensemble for the first time; to stepping up from participant to paid music assistant, and skill sharing as music leaders.”
She adds: “One of the project’s strengths comes from collaboration at every level, from the five partners working together, supporting each other and skills sharing, through to the young music makers encouraging, supporting and making music with each other.”
