Leader of the Miliband – MP launches the Evolution of North East of England (UK) youth music scene
On Friday 30 January at South TynesideÂ’s Tyne Dock Youth Centre, in the North East of England, David Miliband MP for South Shields will officially launch the Customs House Youth Music initiative entitled Evolution. Local bands Envy and At Any Time will provide the melodic vibe for the occasion: symbolising the energetic state of the North East youth music scene. The press-call will commence at 13:15 and David Miliband MP will be interacting with the young musicians and playing a few slick jazz riffs on the electric guitar.
(PRWEB) January 29, 2004
The music industry is currently seen as a highly competitive breeding ground for manufactured singers and bands. Evolution is a £42,000 6-month initiative that plans to buck the trend and revert back to the old-school values of encouraging songwriters to produce their own material and be able to perform the songs in front of a live audience. This launch has extra significance as it occurs in the same month the Government launched its own survey investigating the state of Britain’s live music scene, a campaign fronted by the Undertones punk icon, Feargal Sharkey. The survey is hoping to break new ground as part of the introduction to the Live Music Forum. The Government body is hoping to source new avenues for promoting live music and creating more live performance venues.
"Nothing inspires, moves or motivates us quite like music. It is a powerful tool for developing communication skills, creativity and self-expression and can have a genuinely positive impact on young people's educational attainment and self-esteem. Music is also fun. No other curriculum subject has quite the same crossover into life outside school hours; young people already have an interest in and enthusiasm for music that it would be foolish to ignore, “ said David Miliband MP for South Shields.
He continued: “I believe that the opportunity to be actively involved with music should be available to everyone, whatever their background and wherever they live. Young people already have access to a rich and diverse mix of musical experiences as part of their music education in schools; with opportunities to compose, perform, and listen and respond to music from a range of traditions and styles 'built in' to the national curriculum. Through our support for LEA Music Services, and organisations such as the lottery-funded Youth Music, we are also providing additional opportunities that allow many to pursue their interest beyond the classroom and develop their talents to the full. Our pledge, over time, to extend these sorts of opportunities to every primary school child, is a sign of our commitment to this wider access in music."
Evolution has been established to make music accessible and achievable for 50 young people and give them the chance to develop a freedom of expression through music. The project will cater for diverse musical tastes and interests that are highly represented in the music industry of 2004. Evolution intends to broaden the musical opportunities available to young people in the North East and to complement the work they produce at school as part of the National Curriculum. The ambitious scheme looks to introduce consistent creative discipline for the young people, ideally generating valuable personal rewards and developing skills that are transferable to the rest of their adult lives. The project will provide some exciting creative experiences including: weekly rehearsal opportunities; learning cutting edge DJ mixing and sampling techniques; singing coaching; half-term intensive music workshops; and learning about the legal aspects of the music industry. Evolution enables the musicians to cut their own CD and the climax to the project is a live showcase event, which is scheduled for 20 July 2004.
In October 2003, the Customs House piloted the music scheme to see if the young people of South Tyneside had the creative appetite for such a project. It was greatly received by the young community and seen as an essential learning experience for aspiring singers and musicians. Evolution has benefited by accessing funding from Youth Music’s ‘Plug into Music’ scheme and from South Tyneside’s Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF). ‘Plug into Music’ is intended to provide financial support to develop the use of modern technology in music making. Youth Music exists to facilitate and fund quality and diverse musical experiences for all young people.
The Customs House is the only arts centre in South Tyneside serving an immediate community of 155,000 people. The Customs House has recently undertaken the role of Arts Education Agency for North and South Tyneside under the guise of Custombuilt. The team works closely with professional artists to create innovative and exciting projects, with the intent of reaching out into the community and involving people of all ages to generate a multitude of imaginative experiences.
Ginger, 39, is lead singer and guitarist with legendary hard rock band The Wildhearts, he was born and bred in South Shields, spending most of his time penning songs and teaching himself how to play the guitar. In the 1970’s an inquisitive combination of the love for music and a 3-minute flamboyant performance by The Sweet on Top of the Pops were the key inspirations for Ginger’s road into music making. Ginger compliments the forthcoming Evolution project he says: “I think Evolution is a fantastic idea, and I wish I had something like it when I was a kid. It’s very important that the venture does not romanticise this vocation in any way. If young musicians can use music as a valid emotional outlet, then nothing but good can come of it. As a confidence building process it is second only to boxing. The more career minded musicians, however, should be made aware of the pitfalls and dangers of this business, long before they decide that it is the path for them. Education is paramount in enabling young musicians to make a change and to avoid disappointment.”
The Wildhearts enjoyed chart success with the hits “I Wanna Go Where The People Go” and “Stormy In The North, Karma In The South”. Ginger provides his advisory thoughts about music industry guidance, he says: “I was born with a talent which enabled me to transcend the misery of my surroundings, both domestic and environmental, while living in South Shields. Musical growth is essential in cultivating confidence and style. Therefore, I would re-introduce 'development deals' and take time to have bands play as many shows as possible outside of their own area. Traveling is an essential part of inspiration for any musician or songwriter. Art is, and should always be, the first reason for being involved in music.”
Envy, are one of the aspiring bands to be showcased at the Evolution launch, the all female four-piece are from South Shields. The band members are: Elizabeth Walker, 15; Julie Hood, 15; Nicola Sanderson, 14; Michaela Sanderson, 15. Elizabeth talks excitingly about her continuing high expectations of the scheme, she says: “I’ve learnt it’s very important to have a strong, positive relationship with your band members, as you spend a lot of time with them and in order to gain success you need to work closely with each member.” Elizabeth added: “Since starting the workshops my song writing skills and technical ability have improved. I have enjoyed creating my own music and working as part of a team to develop songs and building strong friendships in the process.”
If you want to attend the official launch of the Customs House Youth Music initiative Evolution, please call Garry Smith of Strictly Press on (0191) 2461614. (The venue has excellent parking facilities with disabled access to the Tyne Dock Youth Centre building. The address of the venue is: The Captains Row, South Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE33 5AS).
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Photography: The event is being covered by North News & Pictures and if you require any of the news images from the launch event please contact them on: (0191) 2330223 or by dropping them an e-mail pictures@northnews. co. uk
Quote: Tony James, guitarist with Generation X, The Sisters of Mercy & Sigue, Sigue, Sputnik comments on the Evolution scheme:
“Evolution needs to unearth what’s in kids hearts and dreams, to look for their original ideas, even if their abilities are limited. There are several music industries in 2004, the TV created industry selling manufactured groups, that we can’t dismiss as the general public enjoys their music. But at the other end of the spectrum, I would say that the advance in computer technology has put the power of creativity back into the hands of the kids. I believe this present time the music industry is the most exciting it has ever been - there are no boundaries to our imagination.”
Quote from local band ‘At Any Time’: ‘At Any Time’ consists of: Craig Scott – 17; Darren Newbrook –17; and Ryan Gibson – 16. Craig Scott of South Shields says: “The best thing about the Evolution project is the chance to practice, to become a better band, and to be given the chance to record our music. The workshops are improving my musical timing and developing my overall musical abilities. I have learned to write better songs and how to listen to the other band members ideas and musical styles.”
Notes to editor:
Evolution:
The aim of Evolution is to involve two main groups of young people:
A). Disadvantaged young people from South Tyneside who have been identified through a recent pilot research. These young people have expressed an interest in music technology but have little or no experience in the subject and limited access to opportunities.
B). Girls who currently sing in the Customs House Gospel Choir group, these girls are actively involved in developing their singing skills but been given the opportunity to see what they can achieve by using music technology.
In June 2004 six of the Evolution bands will play live sets at the annual North East cultural event, the Cookson Festival.
A variety of methods will be used for collecting evidence in the Evolution project including: collating written and verbal information and implementing the use of a video and audio diary room to ensure the engagement by the young participants.
The Evolution project has also created the opportunity for a trainee employment position to assist in the facilitation of the scheme. The successful applicant was Ben Linacre who will observe the band rehearsals, contribute to the recording technology aspects of the project, and will receive one-to-one training and mentoring from the Evolution team.
Generator North East kindly donated to the Evolution project, bundles of music industry literature to help educate the young participants. Generator North East is an organisation dedicated to supporting the popular music community in England.
If Evolution is successful there are pipeline plans to extend the model to the Buddle Arts Centre in North Tyneside.
‘At Any Time’ Band Details (playing live at launch event): ‘At Any Time’ consists of: Craig Scott – 17; Darren Newbrook –17; and Ryan Gibson – 16.
Customs House:
The Customs House is an arts and entertainment centre for the people of South Tyneside and beyond, catering for the leisure, education and creative needs of the general public. The Customs House is run by a charitable trust, with revenue funding from South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council and Arts Council of England, North East for further details visit www. customshouse. co. uk/main. htm (http://www. customshouse. co. uk/main. htm)
David Miliband MP: Further details about David Miliband MP for South Shields can be found by visiting his website -
Www. davidmiliband. org. uk/site. htm (http://www. davidmiliband. org. uk/site. htm )
Youth Music: Further details about Youth Music can be found by visiting their website - http://www. youthmusic. org. uk/about/ (http://www. youthmusic. org. uk/about/)
The Wildhearts:
Further details about
Ginger and the boys can be found by visiting their website - http://www. thewildhearts. co. uk (http://www. thewildhearts. co. uk) (an image of the band is available from Strictly Press).
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