East Lothian Council’s Youth Music programme is one of the most comprehensive and successful in the UK and has seen them scoop a number of awards over the last 5 years.

The council’s programme spans from Nursery up to Primary 7 and includes an extensive provision of free music tuition in their schools, as well as a wide range of creative projects such as: composition and storytelling classes; African drumming workshops; and lessons in music technology.

A key part of their success has been the establishment of 6 Music Hubs throughout the area to support and develop youth music activity. These were set up following receipt of £180,000 investment from Creative Scotland and the Hubs meet regularly to discuss and agree developments at a local level.

At last year’s National Music Council awards, they were presented with two major awards. A Diploma of Merit, which recognised their wide range of music programmes and opportunities provided to pupils; and the Performing Rights Society (PRS) Foundation Diploma which acknowledged the high priority East Lothian Council places on creative music making opportunities.

‘These awards, which are judged by fellow musicians, place East Lothian at the forefront of community-based music provision initiatives and I would like to add my congratulations to all involved in the delivery of the service.’ - Councillor Ruth Currie, Cabinet Member for Community Wellbeing.

Central to their YMI programmes and initiatives is the principle of developing sustainable programmes that have legacy aspects/elements to them, as well as developing the skills of teachers through Continuous Professional Development (CPD) training.

An example of how East Lothian’s YMI programme invests and encourages its teachers and support staff is a new resource called Music and Me - an initiative aimed at nursery staff  with no specific musical skills. It enables them to deliver music lessons that help develop children’s emotional literacy and pre-reading skills, as well as preparing them for the challenging transition from nursery to primary school.

‘Music and Me is a marvellous resource that gets the children off to a great start in music and reinforces one of the main principles of YMI and Music in East Lothian, which is that above all else, music has to be fun and music has to be for all!’  - Pat Holden, East Lothian Council.

40 nursery staff from across the East Lothian area have already taken part in the CPD training and additional sessions are planned for the future.

With the help of YMI investment in 2011/2012, East Lothian Council will deliver 17 projects across their local authority area that will offer children and young people even more musical opportunities, as well focus on supporting vulnerable children and children with special needs.

More Info on Music & Me

Feedback from staff who have taken part in the CPD training so far is extremely positive and other local authorities throughout Scotland have already expressed an interest in the resource. Further information regarding Music and Me can be obtained from the author of the resource, Dave Trouton dwtrouton@btinternet.com.

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