Youth Music - BongoClub.org.uk

MusicLeader: Guide for Practitioners

Are you an early years practitioner that wants to find out more about music training but don’t know where to start? MusicLeader is for you.

MusicLeader is a UK-wide Youth Music initiative and aims to provide access to training and professional development for music leaders at every stage of their career. MusicLeader aims to support practitioners to develop their skills and knowledge in order to deliver the best possible music-making opportunities for children and young people.

Who MusicLeader is aimed at?

MusicLeader is aimed at all music practitioners and project managers, from complete beginners to experienced professionals. The service supports those who are already delivering music-making activities and also those who are managing their delivery.

Project managers are those who are supporting the practitioners and managing the activity being delivered (in some cases this is one and the same person). This includes those project managers who specialise in working in the arts and music (e.g. music service managers), but may also be other public sector employees who are increasingly employing musicians to deliver activity, which meets social and educational as well as musical aims, such as early years workers, youth workers, youth offending team managers.

Those already delivering music-making activities may include; music teachers, music service employees, music advanced skills teachers, community musicians and musicians who also work in education.

How MusicLeader operates

MusicLeader operates through regional networks at ground level as well as the online resource; MusicLeader.net.

The regional networks offer the following services:

• Information, advice and guidance.
• Networking and skills development opportunities.
• Support for music leaders to access professional development.

MusicLeader.net supports the regional networks through:

• A national/regional search facility of training courses and events.
• Case studies, guidelines and news.
• An online community of music leaders.
• A directory of training providers and music makers.
• Regional and national email updates.

Get involved with MusicLeader

The easiest way to get involved with MusicLeader is to sign up for membership. There are three types of membership to choose from, and all are free of charge. Membership enables you to:

• Receive job info
• Receive email updates
• List your skills online
• Search the training directories
• Chat online to other members
• Download research & reports
• List your organisation
• List training courses

To register for MusicLeader membership, visit: http://www.musicleader.net/registration.asp

Alternatively you can contact your regional network. To find out if there’s a network in your area, visit: http://www.musicleader.net/content.asp?CategoryID=858

What Youth Music hopes to achieve

MusicLeader aims to support practitioners to develop their skills and knowledge in order to deliver the best possible music-making opportunities for children and young people.

• By 2010 MusicLeader aims to have:
• 11,000 music leaders networked
• Enabled 1,100 new leaders to have entered the sector
• Provided 2,500 music leaders with skills development opportunities

To find out more about MusicLeader, visit www.musicleader.net

Funding for music activities

If you're a practitioner looking for funding for music activities, your project could be eligible for funding from Youth Music's First Steps programme.

MusicLeader