Thank you to Beckenham Theatre Trust for supporting the successful Arts Train proejct.
24 young people engaged with the project through a series of weekly workshops, one-to-one mentoring sessions and an Industry Panel.
The young people worked with our team of professional music leaders, developing skills in songwriting, recording, music production and performance.
Alongside musical skills, participants also reported an increase in their wellbeing: “Coming into the session I was kind of down, I was more like a 5 out of 10. I wasn’t really up to doing anything to be honest and then we had a little, they basically
warmed us up, and got us in the mood, I was rapping bars in the music room, so yeah. I went from a 5 to like a ten / eight in a space of like 30 minutes!” – participant
Participants also developed their confidence: “I feel a lot more confident in myself, they (the music leaders) made you feel more heard.” – participant
They developed a sense of pride in their new skills: “they taught me something I never knew I could do” – participant
They reported being pushed out of their comfort zone and recognised it as a necessary step to learning: “I kind of felt proud of myself ’cause I actually did it, it’s not something I would usually do.” – participant
Finally, the biggest impact was on participants social skills: “I was just like really happy and jovial, we were all like coming together as a group and I like it there”. – participant
“we were playing this game, when everyone’s mood started lighting up, mine starts to elevate as well, it was very like, kind of a teamwork thing.” – participant
“So much of their lives are spent online so the opportunity to come in person and do something like this and connect with other people is really important.” – Youth
Manager, Crystal Palace Community Trust
Project outcomes
• 24 young people engaged
• 5 new songs created
• 20 hours of workshops
• 12 hours of mentoring
• 2 hour Industry Panel
• 4 Music leaders engaged
• 3 Industry Professionals engaged
