BRIT Trust Diaries: Lucy Ellis-Howell from The Music Works

Lucy Ellis-Howell, Head of Fundraising at Gloucestershire-based charity, The Music Works, tells us about it helps to transform young lives through music, including by reaching into the heart of its rural communities with its BRIT Trust-funded Music Bus. 

The Music Works is an award-winning Gloucestershire based charity that transforms young lives through the power of music. We break down barriers through creativity, and help young people build confidence, self-belief, and motivation, enabling them to re-engage with learning and life. 

We cater for everyone; from first access through to talent and career development, delivering one-to-one music mentoring, small group work, accredited training, apprenticeships and internships, festivals and events, artist and career development and business incubation.

Since 2021 The Music Works has developed two state-of-the-art studio spaces in Gloucester and the Forest of Dean, where we deliver the majority of our programmes. However, we recognised that many young people in Gloucestershire, particularly in under-served rural areas, face barriers in being able to access these spaces, so we launched our Music Bus scheme to take The Music Works on the road and directly into the heart of communities.

We’re delighted to have received funding from our partners at The BRIT Trust to support the Music Bus this year, helping us reach young people with the least access to making music.

The Music Bus is a mobile recording studio and engagement hub staffed by music leaders who specialise in youth engagement, and provides high quality music-making provision in areas that lack community resources and/or are hotspots for antisocial behaviour. It serves as a first entry point of contact for young people, giving them hands-on access to create the music they’re into and want to make.

Since we launched the Music Bus initiative in 2022, we’ve reached around 500 young people annually across Gloucestershire, building trust with them and their communities.  Working in partnership with community safety teams, we have engaged with young people at risk of becoming marginalised and involved in criminality. The Music Bus has become an important local resource and is now embedded as one of the primary prevention and early engagement tools in our three-tiered approach to youth violence intervention and prevention, undertaking proactive outreach in hotspot areas.

At The Music Works, we believe everyone possesses creative potential, and we strive to ensure that young people in challenging circumstances have equitable access to opportunity. Through the Music Works’ integrated approach, we have created progression routes that start with antisocial behaviour interventions and culminate in young people undertaking youth leadership roles and launching creative careers. 

It's wonderful that our Music Bus has the backing of the music industry through the support of the BRIT Trust, demonstrating our shared belief that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not.  We’re thrilled to have them on board this journey with us, and we’re grateful for their commitment and support.

Learn more about The Music Works here.