Case Studies and Reports

Hello! My name is Chloe, and I have been attending sessions, workshops and events at Inspire Youth Arts since September 2023. I initially started sessions after moving to a Nottinghamshire school for sixth form and was looking for things to do in the local area.

I originally started with the Singer-Songwriter group on Tuesdays, which I really enjoyed because I had the opportunity to turn some of my ideas into full songs. I then tried Rock School on Saturdays.

Rock School has been such a blast because I’ve been able to collaborate with the other members of my band, and up to yet we have performed at 3 gigs (with a 4th on the way!). Everyone is so lovely and it is really nice having others to bounce your ideas off of. We also spent a good chunk of the past year recording an original song, and that was really fun because we got to see an idea build up into a fully professionally made song.

In April I decided to sign up for Tappin’ In because I was looking to do something different, and I was already aware of the overlap between tap dancing and music. It was initially a bit of a struggle trying to remember all of the steps and I could not do a shuffle for the life of me, but I powered through and I really started to enjoy it. At the end of the programme we did a performance at the Mansfield Carnival, and later on we filmed several dances for a Tappin’ In film. I’ve truly gained a love for dance since starting the programme, and I’ve since sought out other dance opportunities such as the ballet class.

The past 2 years have been a lot of fun, and even though I’m moving away for university in September I am going to continue to find as many music and dance opportunities as I can.

My name is Isla and I became involved with Inspire Youth Arts (IYA) projects at the age of 10 after I attended an open day. I decided to join dance and music groups because all the staff and other pupils were so welcoming and supportive. I hadn't done anything like this before, so I was initially nervous, but it turned out that everyone else was in the same position so that nervousness quickly went away and I built great friendships.  

I am now 18 and have been to these sessions virtually every week. I kept coming back because I really felt like I belonged in these groups and enjoyed learning new skills every week with my peers. I also worked with some amazing artists and tutors such as Hayley Corah, Danni Chell, Jasmine Eccles, Loz Shaw, Tom Bacon and Sali Gresham, who have all guided me into becoming the dancer and musician that I am today. They have created amazing opportunities for me partake in, such as creating a soundtrack for a local short film, dancing in front of hundreds of people on stage, and starting my journey into teaching dance myself.  

These opportunities have helped me to personally become confident speaking to anyone from any age or background, and I feel like I can conquer any challenge that is thrown at me. My time at IYA has also allowed me to develop relevant skills to get into my dream university, Durham University, where I will be studying Psychology. After receiving tutoring from Sali Gresham on developing my ability to support young people with disabilities and shadowing her role as an inclusive dance teacher, I am hoping to go into a similar area of work once I have gained my degree.  

Overall, IYA projects have helped shape the last 8 years of my life and I will forever be grateful for what all my tutors and supporters have helped me achieve. I was suffering with anxiety and quite low self-esteem and confidence when I was younger, but younger Isla wouldn't believe what I am up to now - I am confident, very happy, and ready to start defining my own future and career path. Inspire has always supported me through this and I always know that my IYA family will always be there whenever I need them.

If Inspire Youth Arts was a friend, they would be supportive, welcoming, funny and always there for you! 

At my work experience, I wanted to learn about different jobs in the arts. I also wanted to learn about different ways arts can be accessible for people with learning difficulties. It was interesting seeing different devices like “composers” that make music a way for music to be accessible. Due to my passion in music; it was interesting speaking to the artists that came to the sessions and learning about their careers.  

At Inspire Youth Arts (IYA), I have been doing a range of activities including talking to the producers and helping with the activities that they run. It was interesting finding out about people’s background and how it led to them working at IYA. I thought it was fascinating looking at the sessions and seeing different musicians and dancers develop their hobby and passion. I especially enjoyed Able Orchestra, seeing different people from different backgrounds playing together. I was surprised about the amount of activities IYA offer, from tap dance to Spectrum WASP. There is a lot of opportunity to take part in the arts and it’s a great way to get involved.

I have learnt a lot about the creative industry and all the industry opportunity’s it offers. If you don’t want to perform you could be a teacher, or a producer/manager. Before this I didn’t know that there’s so much more to the arts than just either being a performer or director. Talking to the producers about all the different jobs they did before this. It taught me that there’s a lot of different jobs and pathways you could take in the arts.  

This placement has opened my eyes do the arts and all the careers it opens for people. It’s made me realise that a career in the arts is very open and full of opportunity. If you want to teach, teach people in places like IYA. If you want to be on the creative side, be a producer. There is a lot of different steps that can lead you to a career. It has shaped my future because it showed me all the way’s the arts can be a job.  

I have really enjoyed my week at Inspire Youth Arts and I would recommend it for a work experience place if like me you’re interested in music. Or just any of their arts, it’s a good way to see all the careers and experiences the arts can bring you. 

Next Up was an exciting day in which I got to see a variety of young emerging talent outside of my bubble and hear different genres than I typically listen to/play. 

As well as this, I also enjoyed some hands on experience in the event, like assisting in the background of two workshops, especially the second one which was an opportunity for young children to pick from a multitude of different instruments to perhaps play one for the first time. It was inspiring seeing the fun that access to music can create, and seeing some of the children take particular interest, sparking a growing passion for music that can shape a life. 

It was also interesting seeing how events are only possible by the work of those in the background, keeping things running smoothly by ensuring that the little things don’t cause a buildup of disruption, for example everybody forgetting to tune up or becoming dehydrated. Most of all, it was interesting to see the variety of people at the event through my involvement with talking to the public, showing how the influence of music affects all. 

At Next Up, it started up as a very chilled out morning until guests started pilling in to see some exiting music prospects. As the artists started arriving, my main task was to show them where the backstage area was and where to put all their equipment. I enjoyed this job as it helped me gain experience working with artists. 

During the day I also helped out with one of the workshops where people were able to play different instruments. I believe that this is an important experience that kids are able to experience as it can help them gain new interests and help shape what they want to do in the future. I think that by giving children the opportunities to be able to play a instrument at a young age it can help give them a advantage by being able to give them more time to practice and master their chosen instruments. 

Also, by being around an event like Next Up it helped me gain experience while working in a team environment to help gain an understanding on what could happen at things such as music venues and festivals. I thought that because there was quite a few people there it helped a lot with gaining an understanding of how to stay organised during a big event like this. 

In conclusion I think that helping out with this event helped me gain experience working in a music environment. Also, I think that helping out at an event like this gave me a different perspective on what happens behind the scenes at music events and what the team does to help give the artists playing a good experience.