Innovate 2024-25: Project case studies

Innovate is Sound Connections’ annual investment programme to support music projects with young people aged 0-25. Last year, the programme provided investment of £8,000 across four projects to explore new ideas and approaches to working with children and young people.

*Applications are now open for our 2025-26 Innovate programme. Apply now to receive £2,000 towards your project.*

Our 2024-25 projects have just wrapped up and we’re pleased to release a summary of the feedback and evaluation following each project.

Deadline for applications – Monday 21 July 2025 at 9am. 

Play It Forward Music Therapy

This Innovate project, led by Music Therapist Alison Whittle, placed children’s creativity and voice at the centre of school life. Working with five children with additional needs and disabilities, Alison used Music Therapy techniques to support them to compose original pieces of music that could be shared across their school and embedded into classroom learning. 

Through two 1:1 music-making sessions, each child created their own musical activity using a wide range of instruments and their voices. The children’s compositions were diverse and imaginative, ranging from rhythm games and body percussion pieces to original songs exploring feelings of pride and bravery. Flexibility was key: each activity was designed to be adaptable by teachers and students over time. 

After creating their pieces, the children had the opportunity to co-lead class sessions, sharing their music with their peers. Most children found this empowering — one participant commented that the experience “made me feel like a rock star” — although the transition from 1:1 work to group leadership was challenging for some. Reflecting on this, Alison noted that a smaller ‘mid-stage’ sharing could help build confidence before whole-class sessions in future projects. 

Staff training was delivered to ensure that the music created would be embedded into school life long after the project ended. Teachers responded positively: 78% reported feeling confident to lead the activities after training, and 88% said they intended to use the resources at least weekly. 

The final resource pack included recordings of each piece, sheet music or chord charts, and an activity guide with ideas for classroom use. A Music Curriculum Officer at Essex Music Hub praised the resource for its accessibility and integrity, noting that the children’s personalities shone through the music, and that the project could have a “hugely valuable” impact in other schools too. 

The project demonstrated the power of youth voice when children are supported to lead creative processes from start to finish. It also challenged traditional models of support for children with additional needs — rather than adapting activities for them, the project placed their creativity at the core, creating materials that everyone could use. 

For Alison, the project strengthened her belief in the potential of Music Therapy approaches to drive inclusion in mainstream schools and opened new conversations with Essex Music Hub about wider sharing and replication. 

Soundscape – Music Tech Project 

Noah Johnson, Isle of Wight 

For their Innovate project, Noah set out to combine music technology with environmental awareness, inviting young people to create soundscapes inspired by the places they live. Building on previous freelance work teaching music tech, Noah wanted to develop a new workshop model that wove creativity, community, and nature together. 

Over the course of the project, sessions were run with a small group of young people, using iPads and Garageband to record environmental sounds and build original tracks. Although the participants were initially encouraged to create atmospheric soundscapes, they naturally gravitated toward making full musical tracks — an important reminder of the value of flexibility and following the interests of young people. The sessions became a space for musical exploration, with participants enjoying the freedom to create independently, often working with headphones, and showing strong engagement through their attendance. 

Feedback showed that while the young people valued the sessions, they preferred the idea of sharing their work anonymously online rather than through public exhibitions. Noah adapted accordingly, collecting the group’s work into a resource pack that could be shared with schools to inspire others. In the process, participants contributed to a set of instrumental tracks designed for others to add lyrics around environmental themes — maintaining a link to the original goal while respecting the creative directions the young people chose. 

There were challenges: attendance was lower than hoped, with eight participants engaging rather than the planned twenty, and it was clear that offering clearer frameworks in future sessions — such as structured choices or themes — would better support creative decision-making. Nevertheless, the project’s impact has been significant. As a direct result, Noah has secured Arts Council funding to expand the work with new groups and is working with the local Music Hub to offer the project to schools and organisations across the island. 

One standout story from the project involved a young participant who initially showed signs of disengagement during group sessions. By adapting the offer and providing one-to-one sessions, Noah was able to explore their individual interests more closely, discovering a passion for learning an instrument. The participant is now receiving regular bass guitar lessons through another local music programme — a testament to how closely observing and responding to young people’s needs can open new pathways. 

For Noah, Soundscape – Music Tech Project has been a springboard into new ways of working, blending youth voice, environmental themes, and music technology in ways that respond to young people’s real interests and needs. With a model ready to adapt and expand, the project promises to continue growing well beyond its Innovate beginnings. 

Creative Lab: Young Adults with profound and multiple learning disability (PMLD) and specific learning difficulty (SLD) and their communities. 

Rachel Bradbear, Living Song CIC, Newham 

Living Song CIC’s Creative Lab project opened a new space for young adults with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) and severe learning disabilities (SLD), alongside their support networks and wider communities, to explore creativity through music-making. 

The project brought together a multi-level team of four practitioners in every session: an experienced lead artist, a young emerging artist, an early-career artist, and a young music mentee. Working collaboratively, they facilitated informal, voice-led workshops inspired by the cultural richness of Newham. Activities included singing, songwriting, collaborative composition, and sensory experiences, with trauma-informed practice underpinning the approach. 

Across three creative sessions, the project reached 42 young people and 10 support staff. In addition, Living Song trained six young artists and two managers, culminating in a community sharing event attended by 20 people. Participants, many engaging through non-verbal communication, expressed themselves in powerful ways once they grew comfortable in the sessions. For some, seeing their peers enjoy the activities opened the door to active participation. 

Beyond the sessions, the project fostered stronger community understanding of the creative potential of young adults with PMLD and SLD. Participants from Living Song’s Young Artists Approach Collective also gained valuable experience in inclusive, multi-sensory leadership. One young artist reflected: 

“This project has expanded my knowledge as an artist, and I’d be more confident working with a wider community. I could see that even though this was for young people with PMLD/SLD it would be so beneficial to people of all ages. During the sessions, I had an activity station the young people would come to, and at first, I wasn’t sure how it would go — but I pushed myself, made changes along the way, and was supported by the LS team throughout. It was fun seeing how much enjoyment the group was having, which inspired me even more. In the feedback, my station ended up being the young people’s favourite activity. It has improved my leadership, creative, and problem-solving skills.” 

The sharing event highlighted the joy and creativity cultivated throughout the programme, bringing together young people, families, and community members in a celebration of expression and connection. 

Creative Lab has helped Living Song CIC pilot new inclusive practices that will shape their future project design. Early conversations with local partners are already underway to build on the learning from this project and embed inclusive creative opportunities more widely across Newham. 

Applications are open.