Inspired By…

Concerteenies is delighted to have been awarded £150,000 by Youth Music to deliver our Inspired By… project.

Inspired By... is a new musical programme for children aged 2-3 years and their families in economically disadvantaged parts of Sheffield. Through regular and sustained musical activities at seven Sheffield Family Hubs and Meadows Nursery we will support children's early development and elevate the place of music in their lives by inspiring and upskilling adults to be their musical play partners.  We will share music, songs, stories, and culture in ways that uplift families and communities and encourage children to experiment and grow their own musical voices.

We will produce printed and digital activity packs and filmed resources to support continued engagement at home and in the settings.  

We will share our co-design process with the wider early childhood music sector through short films centred on the four pillars of our vision: Wonder, Wellbeing, Early Childhood Development and Musical Learning.

Family Hub staff have requested training to, “upskill the prevention workers and have an overall plan for focussing on music and singing which can then be tailored to the different groups we offer families.” Likewise, early years practitioners at Meadows Nursery are eager to improve their confidence to use music across the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. After each monthly Inspired By event there will be a collaborative training session for hub/nursery staff, musicians and creative practitioners to share reflections, ideas and resources. 

Monthly Inspired By… sessions for the Concerteenies team will provide space and time to share new ideas, best practice from other leading early years music specialists, reflections on recent sessions and to identify areas for individual and team professional development. Funding will support paid opportunities for 3 emerging creative practitioners to develop their practice through training, observations, mentoring and activity delivery throughout the project.  They will spend time in each setting between the monthly events to strengthen bonds with the children, share and model musical activities in regular groups and generate more inspiration.

Concerteenies is grateful to have also recieved funding from the Brelms Trust and Hays Travel Foundation to make this work possible.