NEWS: Next Steps Progression Fund

We Make Culture are founders of the highly successful Young Musician’s Project, which has become a real breeding ground for up and coming talent in Sunderland; they’ve recently announced the launch of their Next Steps Progression Fund, which will enable them to further support young people’s music education and help them to reach their goals.

Six bespoke support packages are available for young people aged 16-25, offering £1,000 worth of support each. Musicians will be paired with mentors who will help guide their first steps into the industry, with support also including the potential for studio time, PR packages, photoshoots, training opportunities and workshops, as well as physical equipment like musical instruments or hardware, there will be an opportunity to join group masterclasses on a range of subjects, and participants will get to perform a live show in front of the region’s biggest industry contacts at the culmination of the project.

We Make Culture are particularly interested in hearing from artists who have a goal in mind but need support in making it a reality. The organisation’s Eddie Scott explains more: “Our Next Steps programme is something that we’ve been very passionate about for a while now, so we’re really pleased to see it all coming to fruition this year. The Next Steps Progression Fund in particular is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who wants to progress their musical career but just needs a little bit of professional support to get the on the right track, we’re over the moon to have the support of Youth Music and the PRS Foundation to make it a reality! The chance to work with an experienced mentor within the industry, even just to discuss where you should be putting your energy, and then get some cash to put towards that is amazing. We’re really excited about this and can’t wait to look through the applications!” 

Applications are open now and close on 6^th March. There’s a free to access Zoom event taking place on Thursday 23^rd February for those who would like more information.