If the consumer frenzy of Black Friday gives you the ick, supporting a cause you care about on Giving Tuesday is an easy way to reset the balance! Read on for two ways you can help…
This year Giving Tuesday is on 29 November and we are raising money for our grassroots Career Development Programme – which plays a part in addressing the inequalities in the music industry, by empowering artists from minoritised groups to get ahead and develop sustainable careers.
Why are we asking for your support?
We know that artists from minoritised backgrounds face greater barriers to the music industry and that and that composers and songwriters who are women and gender minorities earn less. So it’s not a level playing field.
But we also know that our Career Development Programme works.
“I truly feel that this programme has helped me to begin to take steps to really strengthen my work and practice and create a sustainable, creative, rewarding career.”
“Now, I feel like I’m working consistently towards clear goals, and can see myself progressing towards them. I know how to keep checking in and evaluating them and feel motivated and determined to push myself to develop a career that really encapsulates the varied, creative and balanced career and life that I want.” – programme participants
Our Career Development Programme supports artists through: personalised coaching, career strategy mentoring sessions and masterclasses, as well as giving emerging artists access to industry professionals and opportunities to share and showcase their work.
In our most recent survey, 100% of the musicians said that taking part in the programme supported them to:
- gain more knowledge and more confidence to manage and develop their career, plus build a strategy to help them achieve their goals
- make new connections in the industry to support their career.
They also valued the holistic approach to recognising and empowering them to tackle their challenges and stresses. 100% of the artists said that the personal coaching and connection with a supportive network of peers improved their wellbeing,
“This programme has helped me work out what I need in order to balance the different parts of my career with pressures in my private life. It has given me confidence to approach all new projects on my own terms, has shown me how to control the narrative around my work and has given me the tools to better represent myself in the business side of being a musician.” – programme participant
“I believe I could have lost my compass without this kind of support throughout the course of 2020-2021. For an independent musician living in London throughout a pandemic, it is important to have a positive and supportive team around, as it is really hard to keep motivated at all times and sometimes you just need someone to talk to or someone that has a more holistic view on what it means to pick music as your main career.” – programme participant
It’s not just about the individual artists either, as the programme has a vital ripple effect. Some of the artist mentees went on to gain paid work as music educators, including with our Future Sound schools programme. So they in turn have begun paying it forward to the next generation of young musicians.
“The whole team at Abram Wilson made me feel like my work was valuable and that my contribution as an artist could help other aspiring musicians too. They encouraged me to do my work and keep improving, questioning and reassessing when I felt most unsettled. I have purpose, I have vision and I’m focused.” – programme participant
Please support our Career Development Programme now!
There’s two ways you can do this:
Donate for a ticket to our House of Jazz party curated by Mark Kavuma and The Banger Factory on Thursday 8th December. Immersive jazz + all drinks and food + late night jam session. Suggested donation £150pp.
Give just £20 and as it’s Giving Tuesday, your donation will be DOUBLED!
Either way, with your gift, more emerging artists from minoritised groups will get free support that empowers them to build sustainable, rewarding and valuable careers in the music industry.
Thank you!
Find out more about our House of Jazz party
Read all about the Giving Tuesday movement
See our recent blog, ‘Four reasons why emerging musicians need your support right now’
Read more on gender disparities in the music industry from Keychange