Let it be LEGENDERRY…

                                 

Derry-Londonderry becomes the first UK City of Culture                      

Derry-Londonderry made history in July 2010 when it was awarded the inaugural UK City of Culture designation for 2013. The journey towards City of Culture is both compelling and ambitious and will help unlock creativity and generate new connections to shape the new story of the city.

After many years of turmoil Derry-Londonderry is enjoying the dividend of the peace process and undergoing a renaissance, transforming physically and culturally.  Being designated UK City of Culture for 2013 enables the city to accelerate the pace of change and provides a new story for the city to tell to the world.

The Cultural programme for 2013 is already substantially developed and will feature a calendar full of big ‘cultural brands’ including the Turner Prize, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal National Ballet, Lumiere, Hofesh Shechter.

The City has been rapidly developing its tourism offer and its exceptional assets include the most complete walled city in Europe, its peace making history and the lively youth culture make it a ‘cultural powerhouse’.

A musical highlight of the year will see the inaugural City of Derry International Choral Festival, to be held in October 2013 (24-27^th). Choirs will travel from all over the world to perform and compete in the festival. The festival will provide a unique and exciting platform for individuals and choirs alike in a wonderful city.

For more information see:

www.cityofculture2013.com 

New project success!

Great news, we have just found out the European Music Council’s project application to the Youth in Action programme has been successful! The project titled Make Music Be Heard! is set to drive forward the work of the Working Group Youth through a range of exciting events and initiatives.

Working with a range of partners from across Europe including the International Music Council, Jeunesses Musicales International, Muziekcentrum Vlaanderen, Creative Scotland, Europa Cantat, Superact and Zebrock the project seeks to give young people the know-how and confidence to make a stand for their needs and rights, whilst at the same time help the ‘older generation’ recognise the benefits of including young people in all aspects of an organisation’s operation.

The central aim of Make Music! Be Heard! is to strengthen youth participation in European music networks. This will be achieved with the following strategies:

*Capacity building of youth within the partners’ networks

*Knowledge building of managerial staff of music organisations on youth issues

*Dissemination of information on youth participation as well as current opportunities for youth.

*Putting the manifesto for youth and music into practice

*Engage young people in policy work relating to youth and music by bringing them into contact with political decision makers at local, regional, national and European level.

For more information on the project and the upcoming activities get in touch with the Working Group Youth at wgy@emc-imc.org

Posted by Katharine Lane, WGY Chair

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WGY at the opening of first Euro Arab Youth Music Centre in Cyprus

Last week saw the amazing fusion of youth music of Euro Mediterranean music in the beautiful city of Limassol in Cyprus for the first ever Euro-Med Youth Music Expo.  Members of the Working Group Youth had the exciting opportunity to attend this amazing event which had been organised by Epilogi Cultural Movement of Limassol, Jeunesse Musicales International, the Arab Academy of Music and many other partners.

The Expo kicked off with an energetic performance from Brassical from Estonia who set the scene for a packed weekend of great live youth music.  There were warm welcomes from the Mayor of Limassol and the hosts and an inspirational key note speech from Michael Elefteriades from Lebanon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Elefteriades who commented that the key characteristics to becoming successful are courage and discipline.

The Expo was a mixture of engaging daytime workshops and evenings full of amazing music from youth music from across Europe and the Mediterranean in Heroes Square.  The full list of performers can be found on  http://www.eaymc.org/about/participants/ and you should really check them all out if you want to see what amazing youth musical talent is out there at the moment.

We met some amazing musicians and organisations over the course of the Expo. We were really inspired by Poppunt which is a Belgian non-profit organisation providing free music support for musicians, DJ’s and producers. They gave a great presentation on hints and tips for online success for musicians and the importance of regularly using social media whilst making sure that your content is interesting and fun! There top tips were:

• Invest enough time and effort in social media
• Use each platform for its strengths
• Combine but don’t synchronize
• Above all- BE CREATIVE!

For more advice and information check out www.vi.be

We also had the great opportunity to meet representatives from the International Federation of Choral Music www.ifcm.net ; Steve Lawson a solo electric bassist and looper from the UK www.stevelawson.net ;  Live Music Now Scotland www.livemusicnow.org.uk/lmn_scotland; Anna Lindh Foundation www.euromedalex.org;  Junge Norddeutsche Philharmonie http://www.junge-norddeutsche.de/; Agora Arts & Culture http://www.facebook.com/AgoraOrganization and many, many more wonderful people and organisations all delivering amazing world in the field of youth and music today.

The climax of the expo was the opening of the first ever Euro Arab Youth Music centre supported by Epilogi and looks set to deliver some exciting and innovative work over the coming years which we wish all the best of luck to.

One of the highlights for us was the chance to meet Commissioner Vassiliou to briefly present the Manifesto for Youth and Music.  We hope to return to the European Parliament later this year to present the Manifesto to the Cult Committee at the European Parliament.

We need your support more than ever now, in order to make a difference and have our voices heard – please endorse the Manifesto online now at www.emc-imc.org/endorsement/

UNESCO- Ashcberg Bursaries for Artists Programme 2013

The UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries for Artists promote the mobility of young artists in order to enrich their personal perspectives, to develop their creative project, enabling them to engage in a cultural diversity dialogue.

The Programme offers residencies to young artists (between 25 and 35 years old) worldwide. UNESCO-Aschberg advocates and promotes creativity, highlights cultural exchanges and the need for artists to enrich their experience through contact with other cultures.

These residencies are catalysts for the development of artistic expression in all cultures of the world.

The UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries Programme was integrated in UNESCO’s strategy in 1994 to promote cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue. It aims to provide experience to young artists and to help them complete their training in countries other than their own.

Go and find more information about these bursaries at:

http://www.unesco.org/culture/aschberg

There are several deadlines for the applications.

Two bursaries for the European Forum on Music

We would like to announce the opportunity for EMC members to apply for a travel grant of €250 to support a young person (under the age of 30) to attend the European Forum on Music in Istanbul from the 19- 22 April 2012.

This bursary opportunity has arisen because unfortunately 2 members of the Working Group Youth committee are unable to attend the event in Istanbul.

The participation of youth is very important to the EMC and we would encourage your organisation to consider this opportunity. At the Forum the Working Group Youth will be electing two new members to the Committee.

To apply for a travel grant, please encourage your youth delegate to send us a letter of motivation indicating that they are being nominated by your organisation by 10 April 2011 to wgy@emc-imc.org

Become the new committee member of the Working Group Youth!

There is now the exciting opportunity for new members to join the WGY committee as this year sees the departure of long serving members Claire Goddard and Karolien Dons.

How do I stand for election?

We will be holding the next elections for the 2 vacant positions in Istanbul on Saturday 21 April 2012. 

Candidates who are at the Forum will be asked to present a short statement on why they would like to be elected and what experience, ideas and skills they can bring to the WGY.

If you are unable to attend the Forum in Istanbul, this does not exclude you from standing for election. We ask that any interested candidates submit a short statement (no more than 300 words) which will be read out at the election.

A list of FAQ on being a committee member can be found here.

Applications need to be sent by email to wgy@emc-imc.org

Deadline to submit applications for candidacy is Monday 16 April.

A list of candidates will then be sent out before the event. The election will be held at an open WGY meeting during the EFM. The meeting is open to all ages but only persons under 30 can vote.

Candidates cannot vote for themselves. Please note that we welcome nominations for candidates from organisations, however candidates are elected and function within the committee as individuals.

WGY-committee 2010-2012

WGY session at European Forum on Music, Istanbul

The Working Group Youth will host a session at the EMC’s European Forum on Music, taking place 18-22 April 2012 in Istanbul. The session itself will take place on 20 April. Here you find the session’s outline.

Bridging generations in employment: how to get young feet on the music working ladder?

On 30 January 2012 José Manuel Barroso announced that stimulating youth employment is a top priority in recession-hit Europe. According to the latest statistics about 5.5 million young people in the EU are unemployed which is about 22.3 % of the entire youth work force. And the trend does not seem to be improving.

What are the challenges of youth unemployment for the music labour market?
What efforts can individuals and organisations do to overcome these challenges?

Taking into account various aspects of the music sector, this session attempts to discover successful approaches for young people taking their first steps in the professional world. This session is aimed at:
– young music professionals facing their first career steps
– music organisations dealing with young people
– music organisations wanting to rejuvenate their staff

Three speakers with diverse backgrounds will explain their work in encouraging fair employment of young people in the music sector and their personal path to success. It will be an interactive session which enables participants to pitch their own ideas and questions.

Session speakers are:
Nienke van der Peet (NL/GB), a 24-year-old recent graduate in music management, has proven that creativity and a pro-active attitude are the ingredients of establishing a successful career. She is the director of Skyway Programs C.I.C. which organises festivals for impaired and non-impaired young people in Europe and is currently the London-based representative for Mobile Backstage, making deals with upcoming bands and labels on fan engagement platforms.

New Deal of the Mind (GB) is a coalition of artists, entrepreneurs and politicians lobbying for putting unemployed creative people into arts and culture placements and jobs. New Deal of the Mind has recently launched a campaign to address the issue of unpaid internships in creative industries. www.thecreativesociety.co.uk.

Poppunt (BE) is an organisation supporting and promoting talented young amateur and semi-professional musicians and DJs in Flanders. Poppunt provides one-to-one information and advice on social, juridical, business and fiscal questions and organises the annual Muzikantendag, which brings musicians starting out on a career in contact with professionals from the music production and distribution industry. www.poppunt.be.

Session chaired by the Working Group Youth of the European Music Council

In 2011 the Working Group Youth launched its Manifesto for Youth and Music in Europe, addressing the specific situation of young people in the music sector and calling for rethinking of existing strategies. Employment as well as Professional Training were key requirements of the Manifesto. Read the Manifesto and show your support at http://www.emc-imc.org/endorsement.

The Manifesto goes Spain!

As of today, the Manifesto has reached 265 Spanish music supporters , which is almost half of the signatures we got so far!

How one explain this sudden sympathy and interest from one country within almost two weeks? No idea. Since, we did not have many contacts with Spanish associations until now, it is probably the best occasion to get to know them!

A big “Bravo and felicitaciones” to all the activists who commited themselves to this Spanish Manifesto buzz:

The Spanish Association for Professional musicians A.M.P.E(association serving the interests and rights of professional musicians and organised in several delegations which are present in most of Spanish Provinces),  The Canary Association for Music(promoting the various aspects of music in the islands by fostering the local tradition and helping the social, educational and professional sectors),Creamusic(music production company based in Barcelona and Urugay),The Consorcio de Fomento Musical of Zamora(organisation dedicated to the folkloric music and dance of Zamora a Province in the Community of Castile and Leon),the Jeunesses Musicales of Leon,Association Musical Mozart,Acmusics(Music groups from Castellon),the Galician Association for Orchestras,Colegio siglo XXI, Softly Jazz Madrid,Aula Creativa de Musica in Almeria, and all the other organisations, individual musicians and music supporters in Espana!

For the rest of Europe: let’s continue spreading the Manifesto following this example!!

 

Have you signed the we are more Manifesto yet?

Ok, we know, there are a lot of online campaigns and manifestos around and everyone wants you to sign up. For us the most important is of course the Manifesto for Youth and Music in Europe! However, we also support Culture Action Europe’s we are more campaign,and encourage you to do so too!

Did you know that whilst the EC proposes to cut the majority of the EU programmes in the next budget they propose to INCREASE the budget for the culture and education programmes? The EC believes that increasing the investment in culture, heritage and the arts will help get Europe back on its feet, but many Member States of the European Union oppose this increase. You can change their mind by signing the petition which will be presented to all EU Ministers of Culture in Brussels on May 10th 2012. The aim is to get 100,000 signatures!

Read more and sign up here!