EXPELLED from mainstream education, the one thing I had going for me growing up was that I played the guitar. Often, when I should have been at school, I would practise day and night with dreams of becoming the next Jimi Hendrix. With little importance placed on music tuition in the curriculum – not to mention the fact I wouldn’t have been caught dead in a community centre – my musical ambitions were something I was left to explore alone.
Down the line, a chance encounter with a community worker changed the course of my life. Where teachers saw defiance, he saw determination and a drive to do things differently, which he encouraged me to use in the service of others. Some years later, I co-founded Reeltime Music with the goal of giving young people like me a space from which they could learn new skills, increase their aspirations and develop healthier, more active lifestyles. I’m proud to say we’ve worked with well over 20,000 young people since the charity started in 1997.
Researchers unanimously agree that participation in music-based activities are a cost-effective way of delivering powerful benefits for young people. Community music mediates against poverty's effects; increases wellbeing; reduces loneliness and social isolation; helps deal with anxiety; builds confidence, self-worth and optimism; shapes identities; and provides purpose and direction. I witness this first-hand daily and can confidently say that it’s never been more important than it is now.
Dr Briege Nugent puts it best: "The arts are increasingly under threat and having to prove their long-term impact, as poverty rises and austerity continues…these projects are life-changing and more necessary than ever. Setting aside the positive impact on young people’s lives, it is worth bearing in mind the costs and financial consequences of the paths they might have taken, had these initiatives not been in place."
The introduction of Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative (YMI) – a programme which not only recognises the benefits of community music but commits considerable money and resource to delivering them – 20 years ago was a sea change for organisations like Reeltime, opening new chapters for the charity. The Scottish Government recently awarded £1.17m, allowing us to create a local music and learning hub, providing music rehearsal and recording studio services, as well as a small grassroots music venue.
We’re often asked if any Reeltime participants have gone on to be famous. We prefer to focus more on success, which we define in terms of each community member’s personal aspirations. While some choose to pursue careers in the industry, we've also had young people train to be teachers, join the police, manage Apple Stores and run events for big music promotion companies. Some even stuck around and are working with us at Reeltime.
Maybe I didn’t become the next Jimi Hendrix but, with a passion for music, encouragement from a community worker and belief in my vision from YMI, I have found success on my own terms and am working every day to help the next generation find theirs.
Ryan Currie is Co-Founder of Motherwell-based Reeltime Music
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