The leading arts organisation reflects on 13 years of creativity and impact, as it marks the completion of its award-winning MAC Makes Music programme while looking ahead to new opportunities.

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Launched in 2012 in collaboration with national partner Youth Music, MAC Makes Music has opened up inclusive music-making sessions for hundreds of children and young people who have limited access to creative activities.

The innovative scheme has created vital spaces for young people from across the West Midlands to expand their creativity in ways that reflect their own interests, identities and ambitions.

Specialising in non-traditional settings, the programme has delivered exciting opportunities both on site at MAC and through community partnerships, including local Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schools and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs).  

Participants aged 11–25 have taken part in guided sessions where they can create, collaborate and build their confidence through songwriting, performance and digital production, while expressing themselves on their own terms.

The programme has been recognised through xxxx awards, reflecting its long-term impact in working with sector partners to support young people whose voices and talents are often overlooked by traditional pathways. 

It’s also helped to seed new flagship initiatives, such as Sound Futures, a music outreach programme for young people in the Youth Justice system, equipping them with skills in music production, songwriting, and live performance, as well as offering real‑world work experience alongside music professionals

A key strength of MAC Makes Music has been its drive to remain relevant and responsive to the needs and preferences of the young people it serves.

Now, in response to rapid developments across the social, educational and cultural landscapes in recent years, MAC is bringing the current iteration of MAC Makes Music to a close in order to pause and reflect on 13 years of learning, impact and insight and to plan for the future.

Over the coming months, MAC will focus on listening, research and consultation to better understand where the greatest needs and opportunities currently lie and what the next phase of its youth music development work could look like. 

Drawing valuable insights from its work with MAC Makes Music, the organisation will explore ways to build on the programme’s legacy with the aim of developing future models that respond effectively to today’s realities.

DOESN:T NEED A QUOTE AND SHORTEN THE STATEMENT Chief Executive and Artistic Director of MAC, Deborah Kermode says

“We’re incredibly proud of everything MAC Makes Music has achieved over the course of 13 years and deeply grateful to Youth Music, our partners, artists and, most importantly, the young people who have shaped it - it’s been a joy to watch them flourish.

We’re very conscious that as many aspects of society, technology and education have changed, so too have the needs, ambitions and lived experiences of the young people we engage with.

Wrapping up this current chapter gives us valuable time to take stock of everything we’ve learned and to ask what young people need from us next, so that we can bring fresh energy and ideas to our approach.

As part of this, we’ll be looking at ways of creating tangible progression routes for young people at the earliest stages of their creative journeys as musicians. This includes pathways for them to develop as mentors, facilitators and instructors – so that we can nurture the next generation of creative leaders.

We look forward to sharing more updates as our next phase of inclusive music-making activities takes shape”