Wave, alongside SoundStorm Music Education Agency, has forged an exciting new partnership with Lighthouse, Poole’s Centre for the Arts, delivering elements of Lighthouse’s Learning and Participation strategy. The partnership commenced in September 2015. It has already engaged 93 artists, 4811 young people aged 5-18, and facilitated 136 creative sessions. The partnership will continue in the autumn.
The flagship of the new programme was the Young Programmers series, a first for our region, which provided creative industry training across four strands for young people aged 14-25, in partnership with Arts Ambitions and Lit Up. The four strands were:
- Music Programmers
- Technicians
- Young Writers
- Young Reviewers
Young Music Programmers experienced events and speakers inside and outside the venue, getting an insight into the range and scale of events associated with programming different genres. They saw everything from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra playing Stravinsky at Lighthouse to the X Factor show at Bournemouth International Centre and jazz at SoundCellar at the Blue Boar. They then programmed and event managed their own event, ‘The Study Break’, in the main concert hall at Lighthouse on 20 May 2016, featuring acclaimed up and coming bands, New Desert Blues and Emmay.
The Techs worked with Lighthouse’s in-house technical team and Arts Ambitions’ Libby Battaglia on a wide variety of events, in all four of Lighthouse’s auditoria, gaining valuable insight into technical setups for different types of show. They set the sound and lighting for the 20 May event, creating a truly spectacular event.
Young Writers, delivered by Lit Up, met weekly, sharing writing in a variety of styles, including creative writing and blogs. The aim was to equip them with a range of skills that could set them on the road to writing regularly. The group continues to meet at Bournemouth Library whilst Lighthouse is closed.
Young Reviewers, curated by Arts Ambition, saw participants meet around shows, receiving practical tips from professional reviewers from national websites and publications. They met for their first show in February, commencing with a masterclass from Susan Elkin, freelance writer and journalist for ‘The Stage’ and ‘The Independent’ and finished at the end of May.
Read a review of ‘The Study Break’ in The Daily Echo, written by one of the Young Reviewers
A new round of Young Programmers will begin in autumn 2016 and recruitment will begin in July 2016. Watch this space for more details
