RNCM's Young Artists: Northern soul

Pop music is rarely put on an equal footing with classical music in education – especially at conservatoire level. One school changing the tune on this is the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), home to the UK's only four-year conservatoire-based undergraduate degree on Popular Music.

Responsible for the degree programmes, access and participation, Jennie Henley's background is in teaching the classical flute, but she too believes pop music is an important part of the school's offering. ‘It is really important to us that we are working across classical and pop, and that they are seen as being of equal value. We've done a lot of work to make our pop students feel that they are really welcome at the RNCM and that they are important,’ she tells me. For example, in their final showcase, students on the pop undergraduate course can score for a full string or horn section, just as the classical music students can. ‘The young people know that they are on a level playing-field, and it opens up different pathways for them as they collaborate across different courses,’ reiterates Henley.

When asked if teaching pop music is a response to a growing number of job opportunities in the field for students, Henley responds this is unlikely to be the case. Rather, there's a change in attitude from schools, which have realised young people want to learn about pop music. Teaching something students are passionate about is important for the future of the subject.

RNCM Young Artists

Following the success of its now world-renowned Popular Music department, and determined to reach and support young people from all backgrounds in local communities, the RNCM launched a new Young Artists scheme in September 2022. Offering year-round weekly sessions focused on composition, production and performance, the course is open to musicians aged 11–18 from the northwest, regardless of grades or ability. Those involved don't require experience in performance or composition, or grades; they just need a passion for their instrument and an eagerness to learn.

The cohort is chosen from a workshop day on-site, where the tutors run a couple of activities to see if the programme is right for the students. From there, those involved are invited to attend creative sessions every Saturday in term-time. The scheme fits into RNCM's Engage – the segment of the school that runs initiatives and opportunities for families and young people to collaborate with the school and its facilities.

© Robin Clewley

Fehintola and singers in a RNCM Young Artists session

‘We have all kinds of students, from bedroom musicians to students who are performing in schools where there is no provision for them,’ says Henley. ‘The studio facilities we have here are fantastic, and the tutors are extremely accommodating.’

As part of the Young Artist programme, participants spend the first semester learning about doing covers in bands and how to collaborate. They're now moving onto original music, which can then be released at the end of the course on the RNCM's record label. ‘It is just brilliant to see them develop,' says Henley, who sits in on some of the Young Artists sessions to see how they are getting on. ‘It is amazing to see the bands coming together – some of the students are just bouncing off the walls.’

Peer-to-peer collaboration

Led by two tutors and a group of senior college students, the young artists are split up into three bands that naturally form after those involved share their musical interests. ‘It's very active and very dynamic,’ says Henley. ‘It is kind of like being in a band room – the singers might go off into a different studio to work on some bits, a student mentor might be doing some one-on-one work, two drummers might be rehearsing or collaborating.’ By the end of the session, the young artists might record things on their phone to work on the following week, or leave with a notebook full of possible lyrics. At the end of each semester, the students perform in a showcase, which for many is the first opportunity they have had to perform in front of an audience, let alone as part of a band.

Hanley tells me that peer-to-peer collaboration is a huge part of the RNCM's work – something they called their ‘side by side pedagogy’. Professional musicians and postgrads will come in to tutor senior students, who will tutor undergraduate students, who will in turn tutor young artists, and so on. ‘It is absolutely vital, because then students can see the next step. They are closer in age and can be fantastic role models for the kids. It is not like “dad rock” – it is relatable.’

Creating musical futures

One student from the September intake, singer Fehintola, tells me that the programme has helped her ‘hone and craft [her] musical ability and be ready for the music industry in the future.’ Prior to the course, Fehintola was not used to performing in front of an audience or collaborating with other creatives – especially creating new works as a band. Now, halfway through the programme, this is no longer a foreign thing to her: ‘I feel so comfortable and at home, there is no place I'd rather be’, she says.

Fehintola's favourite part of the programme was the showcase performance the young artists did in December. ‘The atmosphere was so charged with energy; everyone was so supportive and lovely that I would one hundred per cent do it again!’, she tells me. Moving forward, Fehintola wants to stay on a musical career path – something that the RNCM has helped her decide.

Funding

Funded for the next three years by the Sony Social Justice fund and the River Reeves Foundation, the course has a target of providing a minimum of 50 per cent of students with full coverage of fees. This year, despite being its first iteration, closer to 80 per cent of the students involved in the programme are receiving full funding, from travel bursaries to providing them with a snack and a drink upon arrival. ‘I come from a background like these students on the Young Artists programme, and I know what it is like to feel uncomfortable in a queue while everyone else is buying chips at lunch or something,’ says Henley. ‘We have tried to take away all of that and provide complete coverage for the students that need it.’ The scheme has also partnered with schools and multi-academy trusts to help the young people that need these facilities and training to further their potential.

Stepping forward

Currently, the Young Artists scheme is split into age groups: Years 7 to 9, Years 10 to 11, and Sixth Form students. However, Henley says that this could change to avoid excluding those who have picked up instruments at a later age than others. On the pop undergraduate degree at RNCM, they purposefully recruit six bassists, six drummers, six guitarists, six keyboard players and 12 singers, so that three full bands can be placed together and nobody is left without a group. Moving forward, the leaders of the Young Artists programme aim to do a similar thing. There is also talk of them rolling out the programme further afield by working with partners in Greater Manchester.

Despite only running for six months, it is clear that this course fills a wide gap in popular music provision for young people in north-west England. With brilliant facilities, excellent tutorage, and the chance to release music on a reputable record label, this is the perfect opportunity to kickstart a young person's musical career. I am excited to see how this programme grows, and I, for one, will be keeping an eye out for their next showcase performance – a show that (by all accounts) should not be missed!

Find out more about the Young Artists programme online.