What is the BSO Young Associates programme?
Created to give aspiring young community music leaders from diverse backgrounds a career springboard, the BSO Young Associate musicians programme is a bursary-supported training scheme which offers practical experience, training and mentoring. Applications commence each summer ahead of the annual seven-month programme which coincides with the orchestra’s season and the academic year.
Throughout their placements, BSO Young Associates work closely with long-established BSO Associates, who act as mentors and create shadowing opportunities in their community work across the Southwest. As they gain experience, the BSO Young Associates build up to two shared projects, which they plan and execute as a team.
In 2023/24, we welcomed Àánú, Ed and Tammy as BSO Young Associate musicians, who came to the programme with varied expectations and goals.
Tammy, an oboe player, said that her motivation for applying to the scheme was to gain “more hands-on experience”. Meanwhile, Àánú, a violinist, joined the project feeling like she would really like to work with younger people, but on finishing the placement said, “I think the only thing that surprised me was I didn’t realise how much I would really enjoy working with adults”.
Young Associate Musician, Tammy
It’s not necessary to be classically trained to join the placement and musicians of all types and genres are welcomed. BSO Young Associate and guitarist Ed said, “I’d come from a pop and rock background, I’m often used to playing with drummers, keyboard players, other guitarists and basses and singers.”
Hear more from Àánú, Ed and Tammy in the video below…
Highlights and learnings were many and varied. Tammy summarised her experience by saying “it’s been great to go into different community settings throughout the scheme […] we’ve gone to care homes, we’ve been in schools, we’ve done wellbeing sessions and orchestras, and also presenting”.
Ed said “I feel I have really had my eyes opened to a world of socially engaged work that I really hadn’t appreciated properly before. Previously, I had sort of conceived of socially engaged music work as a form of therapy, but through the programme I came to understand and experience that it can be so much more than that ”.
Àánú also observed, “I think this has taught me that community music can reach anyone, like any kind of community … people with whatever kind of past or, anywhere in society, music can be brought to any place and it can be used in any way”. She went on to say “I feel like I gained a lot more experience. I feel confident with the things that I took ownership to do.”
Young Associate Àánú working with our Family Orchestra in Exeter
The placements finished with the Young Associates completing two independent projects together: a four-week music-making project at a Bournemouth-based SEND school, and the presentation of a ‘BSO on Your Doorstep’ concert and pre-concert workshop for families in Bridport at Bridport Arts Centre.
The four-week project at Linwood School, was based on the theme of Dorset’s ‘Past and Present’ and used local folk songs, centering on ideas around the sea, local history, and heritage. It culminated in a finished track which the students made with the help of the BSO Young Associates, available to listen to on the school’s podcast here. A teacher from Linwood School described the project as “really pleasing” and said, “the students really warmed to them [the Young Associates] and it felt sad at the end of the four weeks”.
Several students who took part in the project said they felt very “proud” of their work and Ed described the project as being “student led, right from the heart”.
Young Associate, Ed, taking part in the project at Linwood School
Their second project, presenting their own ‘BSO on Your Doorstep’ concert at Bridport Arts Centre and running their own family pre-concert workshop, was also well received. Of the experience, Ed said, it was great to put ”everything we’ve learned, all of our musical magpie moments where we’ve stolen all of these ideas from the associates and put them into our own toolkit, just put them on display and it just worked”. Tammy reiterated this notion when she said, “I think that’s where I’ve really learned the most from the scheme, just being able to see what works and what doesn’t.”
Àánú summed up the overall experience she had had on the seven-month placement by saying “I’m very happy. I feel like I’ve made good connections. I’ve met really cool people. I’ve made good music with people. And I’ve made lasting connections that can help me do more of this in the future.”
We’ll be following the BSO Young Associates on their next musical adventures, and look forward to welcoming another cohort soon. Applications are now open, please click here to apply!
Thank you to The Stacey Family for generously supporting the BSO’s Young Associate Programme in 2023/24
Thanks to Linwood School and Bridport Arts Centre for hosting the Young Associates’ final projects
With thanks to all our partners who supported and involved the Young Associates in their programme and provided them with invaluable experience.
With thanks to Supporting Partner Allianz Musical Insurance
Gallery
