Bridge Centre Music Project
The Bridge Centre
The Bridge Centre Music Project
The Bridge Centre Music Project and the Youth Music Initiative
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‘Through the project I’ve been able to do what I love to do. (…) It helped me gain entry to college and make contacts. (...) I’m glad I can now give something back to the project’ – Martin |
The Bridge Centre is an independent voluntary organisation that works in partnership with East Lothian Council and other stakeholders to provide culture, community learning and development opportunities to people in East Lothian. The majority of it's work concerns developing informal educational programmes with children and young people, through the medium of clubs, workshops and projects.
The Bridge Centre Music Project was launched in October 1992. It has proved to be one of the Centre’s most successful and enduring areas of work and continues to be East Lothian’s main provider of creative music-making opportunities out of school hours. It is run by a small team of volunteers and part-time paid youth workers/tutors.
| Their overall aim is to offer music making opportunities to children and young people regardless of their initial ability, stylistic preference, or their social and economic status. This aim is achieved through a variety of activities, including instrumental tuition, access to rehearsal facilities, musical instruments and support from experienced tutors, encouragement to compose their own music and lyrics, access to the Bridge Centre recording studio and opportunities to learn more about audio recording. Regular youth concerts are planned to showcase the Bridge Centre bands as well as emerging talent from all over Scotland. |
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During February 2006, the entire Bridge Centre was the subject of an in-depth inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education. An initial summary report has highlighted the Music Project as 'a model of good practice' and this will be featured on the HMIe website.
Following a development report, which highlighted an increase in demand from young bands and individuals across East Lothian, the Bridge Centre Music Project successfully applied for funding through the Youth Music Initiative (YMI) Informal Sector fund to help them expand to better meet this demand, in partnership with East Lothian Council.
Specifically, funding was granted for them to:
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- Extend the diversity and frequency of weekly instrumental workshops to include singing, piano and keyboards
- Extend the frequency of tutored workshops and rehearsals to meet existing demand
- Link rehearsals with tutored recording projects, which develop specific technological skills
- Develop school holiday workshops
- Develop an outreach project that can deliver a programme of out-of-school music making in towns and rural villages across East Lothian.
- Support the development of a live music circuit designed specifically for young musicians
| Since the YMI funding was granted in November 2005:
- Four part-time Music Project Workers have been recruited.
- 390 children and young people have attended three successful gigs held at the Centre, with a fourth gig scheduled for April 2006.
- 25 additional children and young people now receive tuition in guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and vocal skills at the Bridge Centre Music Project in Haddington.
- Three Outreach Music Programmes have been delivered, providing tuition and support to a further 31 children and young people across the County (North Berwick 10, Ormiston 11 and Musselburgh 10).
- 93 keen and enthusiastic young people of 11-18 years old are now registered members.
- 57% of members don’t receive music tuition anywhere else.
- 71% of members are involved in 14 bands supported by the Project Workers.
- 45 children and young people receive tuition at the Music Project every week. A further 48 young people are involved in playing in bands that practice at the Centre on a weekly basis.
- 21 recording sessions have taken place in their recording studio in the three months since January 2006.
Participants play a full role in shaping their own learning and are actively encouraged to contribute to the development of the Project. They engage in all aspects of the project including organising, promoting, production and technical aspects of staging concerts. They also produce and market their recordings.
The Project is in discussion with Jewel and Esk Valley College, Edinburgh, regarding the possibility of formal accreditation. This would allow young people attending the Project to work towards gaining nationally recognised academic qualifications in music or music technology.
In June 2006, the Project will pilot a live youth music circuit in East Lothian. This will comprise of five consecutive nights of gigs in the five largest towns in East Lothian. The tour will involve up to 12 youth bands, a mixture of bands from the Bridge Centre Music Project and the youths who have been participating in the Outreach Programmes, providing them with invaluable experience. The majority of bands will be performing their own original material.
| ‘The main success [of the Bridge Centre Music Project] is in the now considerable numbers of young people who crossed that door knowing little or nothing about the making or recording of music but who left with enhanced self confidence and self esteem because of that experience.’ - Pete Wishart, Runrig |
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For more information about the Youth Music Initiative, visit the YMI section of our website. | |