This is an updated post from our archives. Music for Youth’s annual proms at the Royal Albert Hall celebrated inclusion by featuring Massed Ensemble performances from young musicians, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), in collaboration with groups like the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Leicestershire Schools Music Service
Music for Youth (MFY) has announced several exciting events for 2025, offering young musicians across the UK opportunities to showcase their talents and engage in enriching musical experiences.
Regional Festival 2025
The MFY Regional Festival series provides a platform for young musicians to perform in a supportive environment, receive feedback from professional Music Mentors, and connect with peers. These festivals are scheduled to take place across various locations in the UK throughout the year. Participants can look forward to:
- Diverse Performance Opportunities: Open to ensembles and soloists across all genres.
- Constructive Feedback: Guidance from experienced Music Mentors to aid musical development.
- Progression Pathways: Potential selection for national events based on performances.
For more details and to register, visit the Regional Festival 2025 page.
Music for Youth Proms 2025
A highlight of the MFY calendar, the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London celebrate the achievements of young musicians from across the UK. Scheduled for November 2025, the event will feature:
- Massed Ensemble Performances: Large-scale collaborations showcasing regional talent.
- Diverse Repertoire: Performances spanning classical, jazz, folk, and contemporary genres.
- Inclusive Participation: Opportunities for young musicians of all abilities to perform on a prestigious stage.
Stay updated on application deadlines and event details by visiting the Music for Youth Proms 2025 page.
Frequencies Music Video Festival
Building on the success of previous editions, the Frequencies Music Video Festival returns in 2025 to celebrate the intersection of music and film. Emerging creatives are invited to submit original music videos for a chance to be featured. The festival includes:
- Screenings: Showcasing selected works from young filmmakers and musicians.
- Workshops and Panels: Sessions with industry professionals on topics like content creation and career development.
- Awards: Recognizing excellence in categories such as Best Music Video and Best Director.
Details on submission guidelines and event dates will be available on the Frequencies Music Video Festival page.
For the most current information on these events and other opportunities, please visit the Music for Youth website.
Inclusive Music Events cross the world
As we continue to celebrate inclusion in music, here are some upcoming events in the UK that champion accessibility and diversity:
- Ability Fest: Australia’s most accessible and inclusive music festival is making its Queensland debut in October, featuring elevated viewing platforms, pathways, quiet zones, and sensory areas to ensure everyone can enjoy the event.
- Culture Night: This annual event in Ireland aims to attract more young people by partnering with diverse ambassadors, offering a variety of free gigs, performances, and exhibitions. Find out more.
- Rock in Rio: For the first time in its 40-year history, this festival featured sign language interpreters on its big screens, enhancing accessibility for deaf attendees. Read about it.
These events exemplify the growing commitment to making music accessible to all, ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability, can participate and thrive in the musical community.
This year, Music for Youth’s annual proms focus on young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Its three Massed Ensemble concerts bring together groups from across the country to perform at the Royal Albert Hall on 5th, 6th and 7th November.
Music for Youth (MFY) provides life-changing performance experiences for young people of all backgrounds and musical abilities. Its Massed Ensembles are large-scale collaborative performances from different areas of the UK. They support innovation, inclusivity, ambition and good practice and showcase the successes of local partners and organisations working together, on a national stage.
Three MFY prom concerts, traditionally held at London’s Royal Albert Hall each year, are the culmination of the MFY season and showcase high-quality performances from some of the UK’s most creative, innovative and energetic young musicians.
These events are one of the cornerstones of the MFY proms, and involve around half of the 1,000 young musicians who perform each night. This year, the programme champions young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SENDS).
The three Massed Ensemble groups
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is working in partnership with three music education hubs to form one of the largest, and most varied massed ensembles ever.
BSO is hosting two SEND schools as part of the massed ensemble. It includes members of the National Open Youth Orchestra project, the world’s first disabled-led national youth orchestra.
To commemorate its 125th anniversary in 2018, BSO will be performing a special arrangement of a new commission in partnership with SoundStorm and composer James Redwood.
Leicestershire Schools Music Service
2018 marks Leicestershire Schools Music Service’s (LSMS) 70th anniversary, and its musicians will be performing a new commission by composer Fraser Trainer. He has been working creatively with musicians and schools this year, incorporating their own ideas into the performance.
The piece has an emphasis on bringing together young musicians from diverse genres and cultures, incorporating Indian instruments, western classical instruments, steel pans and voice.
Oxfordshire County Music Service
50% (around 300 young people) of Oxfordshire County Music Service’s (OCMS) massed ensemble will be SEND instrumentalists and singer0. It’s been working with special schools and youth arts organisations in the local area as part of a buddying project. Its workshops bring both mainstream and SEND musicians together
Part of the OCMS performance will be a new composition with melodic and rhythmic themes written by the students themselves and conducted by John Lubbock. John is founder and conductor of Orchestra of St. John’s and staunch advocate of bringing live music to children with SEND.
Music for Youth
Founded in 1970, MFY is a national youth music charity that provides free opportunities to both perform and experience live music, Each year more than 60,000 young people aged 21 and under come together in a season of nationwide festivals, concerts and tailored projects.
MFY offers young people the opportunity to perform live in a supportive, non-competitive environment, celebrating and supporting the breadth of music-making by young people both in and out of schools and music hubs. MFY stages a series of free concerts, performed by young people for young people, providing first-hand experience of live music- making.
For more information, please visit the Music for Youth website.
More on Disability Horizons…
- Top critically-acclaimed disabled artists and writers
- The OMHI Trust: making music inclusive for disabled people
- How you can get involved in a new orchestra for young disabled people
Originally posted on 24/10/2018 @ 8:25 am
