Category

• Promising Local Practice

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Poverty impact

• Mitigation

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Poverty driver

• Provide benefit in-kind (material)
• Provide benefit in-kind (experience)
• Non-driver - improving quality of life

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Keywords

• Education
• Empowerment
• Health
• Leisure
• Training for Employment

Aim

The aim of Musicares is to raise the confidence, wellbeing and soft skills of care experienced young people in Scotland through enjoyable music-making activities.

Summary

Musicares: Scotland's leading national music programme for care-experienced youth, provides free music tuition, workshops, mentoring, and guidance nationwide. Musicares empowers young individuals to choose their learning path, location, and instructors, with the flexibility to switch subjects. It fosters improved communication with support services and facilitates informed decisions about their future. It aims to harness the transformative power of music, offering a nurturing environment where young people can explore their talents, build confidence, and shape their destinies, irrespective of their backgrounds or circumstances.

What difference does it make?

By providing free music tuition, workshops, mentorship, and support, the project enhances the quality of life for care-experienced youth. It offers them opportunities for personal development, self-expression, and skill-building, which can help mitigate the negative effects of poverty on their overall well-being.

The project has increased confidence, well-being, happiness, and transferable skills as indicators of impact among the participant group. Participants of Musicares report increased confidence and happiness, and there are various transferable skills developed through participation in music, such as cognitive abilities, dexterity, group participation, leadership skills, and self-advocacy.

Key take-aways

• Prioritising participant autonomy and choice enhances engagement and ownership in the project.
• Building strong relationships and networks within the community is crucial for project success and sustainability.
• Effective utilisation of music as a tool for empowerment can have profound positive impacts on the lives of vulnerable youth.
• Flexibility in project design and delivery allows for better adaptation to the evolving needs of participants.
• Securing sustainable funding is essential for long-term project viability and impact.

 

Organisations

The Scottish Music Centre, The Sound Lab

Location

Scotland (nationwide)

Contact