Published: November 4, 2021
As 2,000 young people returned to perform live at last week’s MFY REMIX Prom, we look back across our four-year partnership with Music For Youth.
As a national charity, Music For Youth works to create free performance and progression opportunities in the arts for under-21s across the UK. For more than 50 years, it has been committed to nurturing the next generation through engagement in a diverse range of events, and by providing access to professional mentors, which ensures young people can feel included and supported, regardless of their background or musical style.
At Unity Trust Bank, we share Music For Youth’s values, which focus on fostering inclusivity and diversity, and providing access to educational opportunities for all. Since becoming a charity partner in 2018, Unity’s sponsorship has been able to support all strands of the charity’s work, ranging from Regional Festivals to National Festivals, and the prestigious Music For Youth Prom, which is held each year at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Over the last 18 months, in the absence of live events, Unity’s additional financial support was integral in enabling the charity to explore and embrace new digital opportunities. Music For Youth’s first online-only event, The Future is Now, took place in December 2020 and saw 11,784 young people take part in a programme of live and pre-recorded sessions. In July 2021, the charity went on to launch the Remix National Festival, a hybrid event involving 10,334 participants.
On Wednesday 3rd November, the MFY REMIX Prom 2021 at the Royal Albert Hall brought 2,000 young musicians from across the country back together in its first live event since the pandemic began. Led by composer, Tim Steiner, the Prom celebrated how teachers, music leaders and young people have adapted, innovated, reimagined, reconfigured and rearranged the ways they make music together.
Deborah Hazell, CEO at Unity Trust Bank, said: “We recognise how important extra-curricular activities like the arts can be in enriching the lives of young people, and we believe that financial circumstances should never be a barrier to pursuing these opportunities. Music For Youth plays an instrumental role in opening the door for talented individuals, who may not otherwise have been able to pursue their musical aspirations because of their background.
“As a result of Unity’s support, Music For Youth has been able to reach and engage 160,000 young people over the past four years. We are incredibly proud to see the impact of our partnership, and have thoroughly enjoyed celebrating at this year’s Prom.”
