Granton Youth receives funding to launch mixtape music club

Granton Youth have managed to secure funds in order to run a mix tape music club that they hope will light a musical spark in disadvantaged youths in the north of Edinburgh.

Madison Gardiner, 15, recording a song she wrote.

The project follows a successful pilot trial in December 2019 that saw six individuals partake in a music workshop teaching a variety of skills from vocal to instrumental and even production.

This year's project hopes to double in size and welcome as many as 15 young people from the surrounding marginalised areas.

Cash Back for Communities and the National Lottery Community fund awarded a grant to Granton Youth in order to make the youth work activity possible.

Mark and Ryan working with the young people in the studio

All potential candidates are encouraged to fill out a form explaining why they’d be a good fit.

Ryan McGlone, 32, volunteer project leader, has been working with Granton Youth for well over a year and introduced the idea of a music workshop after discovering that a lot of teens attending the youth group on Friday night had a passion for music.

Ryan is a talented singer and spoke about the progress that he saw within the youths who took part last year when they performed in a professional studio run by Mark Murrow.

He said: “We are not looking for kids to come out of this as pro musicians. Music allows them to learn to collaborate with others and to build confidence individually or as part of a team.

“Previously we have had groups learning to sing in harmony and we even had Madison Gardiner, 15, make her debut on Spotify after writing and performing a heartwarming song about her baby brother.

“Besides keeping the kids off the street the idea is to give them an experience of the music world and to light that fire. Thanks to the grant we have been able to buy proper equipment that will have a lasting influence on the young people in the area.

"Those taking part can also look forward to workshops run by guests who specialise in varying disciplines within the music industry.”

The project is set to begin at the end of November and anyone wishing to take part is advised to visit Granton Youth on Facebook and drop them a message or email: [email protected] to find out more.

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.