What do we do when a global pandemic means we can’t work with young people in schools? We get creative, come together with some of the most exciting artists in town and produce an online music education project with a difference!
Featuring super talented artists Arji Manuelpillai, Sans Soucis and Oscar Jerome and guided by experienced music educator Adam Saunders, we’ve developed a hybrid sibling to our award-winning Future Sound music education programme. So we can keep helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds develop their confidence, composition and performance skills remotely – until we can get back to gathering in real life again.
We worked with brilliant filmmaker and visual storyteller Lou Jasmine to film the videos last week at Spitfire Audio, who generously donated their studio space. The Future Sound Digital programme covers everything from writing lyrics and the spoken word; to learning the core elements of building grooves; plus how developing self-awareness can inform your songwriting. Partner school Mossbourne Academy in Hackney will be taking the first cohort of young people through the programme at the end of this month.
Plus, all the Future Sound Digital videos will soon be available for all young people to access on our YouTube and Instagram channels – so that we can reach even more students from any background with high quality, exciting and inspiring musical learning.
About the artists
Arji Manuelpillai is a London-based poet, rapper, performer and education artist who’s performed and taught around the world – from theatres like the Young Vic, Roundhouse and Estonia’s National Youth Theatre, to prisons, immigration centres and schools. He’s passionate about the arts connecting people, nurturing relationships, improving mental health and increasing self-esteem.
Sans Soucis aka Giulia Grispino is a London-based singer-songwriter and producer whose releases have attracted support from the likes of BBC6 Music, BBC1Xtra and WorldwideFM. She draws on her Italian and Congolese heritage to fuse classic songwriting with melancholy and hope. As an educator she’s curated music workshops for former street children and is passionate about politics and social issues, striving to make a tangible contribution to black artist communities around the globe.
Oscar Jerome is a South London-based vocalist, guitarist and composer who trained at Trinity Laban and is a member of jazz afrobeat collective Kokoroko. He’s supported and played alongside Kamasi Washington, Shabaka Hutchings, Moses Boyd and Yussef Dayes as well as at venues including the Jazz Cafe, Royal Albert Hall and Love Supreme Festival . Oscar’s songwriting is motivated by politics, spirituality and life experiences. His debut solo album ‘Breathe Deep’ is out now.
Adam Saunders is a London-based composer, musical director and creative who has designed and led projects with some of the country’s leading organisations including the Southbank Centre and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. He has curated and conducted choirs across the UK and worked on numerous global advertising campaigns as a creative consultant. He has performed at some of the UK’s most iconic venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, the Camden Roundhouse.
Lou Jasmine is a London-based photographer and director specialising in culture and music-based documentary, portraiture and visual content. She’s worked with clients including WeTransfer, Adidas, Universal, Nike and Red Bull. She’s passionate about exploring a diverse range of engaging stories and using nostalgic aesthetics plus a high quality and personal approach to production to capture the human condition.
Spitfire Audio, based in London’s Tileyard Studios in King’s Cross, was founded by award-winning composers Christian Henson and Paul Thomson. The company makes inspiring sounds and scoring tools for film, in collaboration with the world’s best composers, musicians and engineers.
With thanks to Arts Council England, The Ashley Family Foundation, The Big Give, The Childhood Trust, Chronotic Brass, D’Oyly Carte Opera Trust, The John Thaw Foundation, The Peter Cundhill Foundation, PRS Foundation, The Vintners’ Company, We Out Here Festival, William Wates Memorial Trust and Youth Music for their funding support that means we can make Future Sound Digital happen.