Sheffield Music School’s new youth organisation has encouraged young people to get involved in modern music production at last Tuesday’s event.
Tracks, which runs every Tuesday at Mary St Live in Sheffield City Centre, gives young people the opportunity and platform to engage in music production.
Last week’s event featured special guest AJ Sutherland, a production manager from Sheffield, who has previously toured with artists such as Tate McRae, Dave and Foals.
He taught the 11-18-year-olds how to mix music for live performances and gave them an interactive and unique experience.
Mr Sutherland said: “Tracks meets people where they are and provides what people want to do, and that’s why I think it’s been so successful and I think that’s really important.
“Music is creative, it’s constructive, it’s productive: it’s a really enriching, nourishing thing.
“Sheffield really has its place in music history and it might have hibernated for a while, but it’s definitely its time again.”
Volunteers and staff of the youth group also said the events give them a chance to teach the children about their specialties and learn about music for themselves.
Latifah Makuyi, musician, staff member at Tracks and youth worker, said that music benefits a lot of the underprivileged children she works with and it can change everything in their lives.
She said: “I think a lot of people think they can’t afford to do it, they can’t do it, they’re not good enough.
Having creativity in your life is massive, it does a lot for you, it’s a very calm non-judgemental space.”
Lucas Ashman, 22, a volunteer at Tracks who has been attending Sheffield Music School events for about two years, said that growing up he didn’t know what he wanted to do, but that Tracks gave him the opportunity to explore his music.
He said: “It’s almost like a family organisation: it’s just the way everyone welcomes you in, it doesn’t matter what stage of musician you are.”
The younger attendees said the group is a community where they felt connected, like they could take part in music without any judgement.
Picture credit: Jade Sellick and Lucy Revis
