Youth Voice and Participation
Sound Connections leads the way in Youth Voice and Participation, both regionally and nationally. We also amplify young people's voices through advocacy and campaigning across the United Kingdom and beyond.
Central to our work is Wired4Music, a vibrant network of young Londoners aged 16-25 with a passion for music.
Every project, event, and endeavour is co-produced by young people within the Wired4Music community – which is completely free to join – with support from Sound Connections’ staff and music industry mentors and professionals.
From its inception, Wired4Music has embodied an ethos of collaboration and inclusivity, and is committed to amplifying diverse voices and perspectives in everything that it does, working hard to remove barriers and make music more accessible to all young people.
Since it was established in 2010 Wired4Music has produced dozens of live and online music events. In 2020 we recruited a team of curators to produce our first Youth Voice Week alongside the Sound Connections team. These events featured panel discussions with industry leaders, live performances from both established artists and upcoming acts alike.
Wired4Music hosts an ongoing series of Wired4Music Residencies which have taken place at venues such as Battersea Arts Centre and at our home, Rich Mix, where members are able to collaborate on new ideas, and perform their music to the public. Find out more here.
From 2018, there has been opportunities each year for young people to apply for funding through our Generate programme. This is an opportunity for support towards a music project that will either develop their personal creative growth or the development of their own musical communities and networks. We’ve seen Generate help build amazing music projects including music creation, short films, concerts and starting up music management companies. Find out more here.
Most recently, Wired4Music has launched WIRED UP – a new monthly live music night for young creatives and music makers (ages 16 – 30). Produced and hosted by members of Wired4Music, WIRED UP takes place on the last Thursday of every month, showcasing emerging artists/music makers from different music organisations that are putting youth voice into practice. Find out more here.
There are also a series of monthly drop-in sessions at our offices in Rich Mix as well as free career advice and guidance sessions for Wired4Music members. To find out more about these opportunities email Tee@sound-connections.org.uk
Our aim for Wired4Music is to ignite young people’s passion for music, raise their awareness of how the industry works and signpost them to new musical opportunities. We support them in everything from performance and production to events management and campaigning about musical and social issues. Wired4Music is a unique programme in London which empowers a new generation of overlooked young people to get heard and have a say in their music-making and future careers.
Wired4Music is powered by young people and hosted by Sound Connections.
“Wired4Music has been a safe space for me to try new things and meet new people. I have felt able to try creative practices, trial and error, without any expectation. It has been such a supportive network, and as well as supporting my creative development, and providing guidance in a holistic way.”
Milli-Rose
Wired4Music member
Wired4Music
Find out more about Wired4Music, and how it can support young people (age 16-25)