The Scottish Youth Music Exchange (SYME) is a network of community and youth music organisations and projects across Scotland. We bring people together to share practice, learn from one another and develop new ideas and collaborations. Membership is free, and we would love to hear from organisations and projects interested in getting involved.
What does the SYME do?
WHO WE ARE
We are a peer network of organisations and projects involved in community and youth music.
Our members work in different settings, across a wide range of musical genres, and with young people of different ages and abilities. They use a variety of approaches to provide accessible, high-quality music-making and learning.
WHAT WE DO
SYME members meet online to share updates, opportunities, ideas and practice. We also organise gatherings and events and support exchange visits between different projects.
These exchanges can involve trainees or other members of staff and may be as simple as visiting another project to share ideas. Our aim is to help members learn from one another, strengthen their work and develop new partnerships and collaborations.
WHO CAN JOIN?
SYME is open to grassroots community organisations and projects delivering music in their local communities. We want the network to reflect the huge diversity of community music across Scotland – different places, genres, communities and approaches – and would love your organisation or project to be part of it.
Interested in joining the SYME?
Membership of the network is totally free, just fill out the form below if you’re interested in joining:
If you have any questions or would like an informal chat about the SYME, please contact:
Ama-zing Harmonies
Ama-zing Harmonies is a singing group in North West Edinburgh founded in March 2017 by Ama Shallangwa. Our aim is to work in the community to enrich cultural understanding and inclusiveness by uniting people together with music and food. Through these activities we encourage networking and communal integration to break isolation and celebrate our diversity as well as what we have in common.
Articulate
Articulate uses creativity to help care experienced and other marginalised young people get to wherever they want to go. We have two music programmes: “Belters” – a singing, songwriting and spoken word group for care experienced young people to come together to share stories, culture, and heritage, and “Track to the Wall” – a participatory music programme that celebrates contemporary culture by combining songwriting, music-making and sound production with street and graffiti arts to reconnect young people to their community.
Arts in the City
Arts in the City is a project managed by Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, existing to help improve the life experiences and chances of care experienced individuals. The project does this by providing participatory opportunities in the Arts, sport and culture – developed and designed specifically for care experienced individuals; and signposting to appropriate provisions from third sector organisations. Note: Arts in the City are not available to visit as a project, but if you want to be in touch you can contact the project’s Development Worker, Deni Smith – Deni.Smith@Glasgow.gov.uk
Bowmar Soundspace
The Bowmar Soundspace is a community music and creative space based in the Bowmar Centre in Alloa and run by members of the Clacks CLD team. It is a recording studio and rehearsal space but also allows its young people and local community to explore crafts through the building and design of musical instruments and beginners coding and robotics.
Caithness Music
At caithnessmusic.com, we know that making music in a group is great for your mental and physical health, as well as being lots of fun!
We run a number of orchestras, choirs or bands in Caithness, including the Caithness Junior Orchestra and Pentland Brass Junior Band. We do lot of collaborative work and are interested in expanding our collaborations with other youth music groups elsewhere.
DD8 Music
DD8 Music is a registered Scottish charity, dedicated to promoting involvement in musical activities to people of all ages in the Kirriemuir area. We run a rehearsal and recording studio in Kirriemuir. It is a space where people can have the freedom to experiment with music, and be encouraged to develop their talent.
Drake Music Scotland
Drake Music Scotland is the nation’s leading arts organisation providing music making opportunities for people with disabilities. Our expertise in inclusive music technology and specialist teaching methods support people of all ages and a wide range of disabilities to play, learn and compose music independently.
Dumfries Music Collective
Through our links to people and organisations in the Scottish music industry, we aim to provide opportunities to young people in the region. We do this through educational events like talks and workshops, and through live showcases that are often attended by music industry figures.
EC Sessions
Based in Edinburgh College, this community music programme supports young bands to develop skills in playing, writing, recording and performing original music.
Fèis Arainn
Fèis Arainn delivers traditional music and cultural events in Arran, including a Fèis week for 8-18 year olds, weekly music lessons and Trad Band workshops for local young people and other Gaelic related talks and concerts for adults. Fèis Arainn means ‘Arran Festival’ in Gaelic and is a celebration of Scottish traditional culture and the Gaelic language.
Fèis Rois
Based in Dingwall, Fèis Rois enables people of all ages to access, participate in and enjoy the traditional arts and Gaelic language through a diverse programme of activities in Ross & Cromarty, across Scotland and beyond. Central to Fèis Rois’s activity remains our annual programme of residential fèisean (music schools or festivals). The residential fèisean are supported by a busy year-round programme of music-making activities in both the formal education and informal education sectors.
Fèis Phàislig
Fèis Phàislig is an arts organisation that promotes interest, education and participation in the traditional arts and Gaelic culture across Renfrewshire.
Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra (FYJO)
Founded in 1976 by the energetic, award-winning jazz musician and composer Richard Michael OBE. Following his philosophy that “Mistakes are cool!” and that FYJO rehearsals are where it’s OK to get it wrong, FYJO has introduced hundreds of youngsters between the ages 8-24 to the particular musical freedom that jazz with its emphasis on improvisation offers.
Girls Rock Glasgow
Girls Rock Glasgow is a volunteer run, grassroots, DIY organisation.
Our mission is to promote girls and non-binary kids making music, art, change, new pals and space for themselves. We run a 9-day long rock music summer-school where girls come and learn instruments, form a band, make art, make merchandise, meet new pals, gain confidence and play a gig! We also host showcase gigs in Bar Bloc+ every second month where you can hear some of the bands formed on our projects, alongside other women in the music scene.
Givin' it Laldie
We are a grassroots community music charity based in the Gorbals Glasgow. We bring people aged 9 – 99 together to build community and connections; improve health and wellbeing and increase access to arts and culture. Our Youth Music team works with young people in the area through a number of different sessions where they learn guitar skills, GarageBand, sound production, bass, drums, playing in bands and much more.
Granton Youth Mixtape Club
An open access and free of charge introduction to playing, singing, song-writing and performing for young people aged 11+. Youth work staff and music tutors work with young people learn a variety of instruments/vocal coaching/song-writing; as well as learning about the music industry. They also provide young people with the opportunity to visit an industry standard recording studio, as well as guide them into the world of love performance, and releasing their own music when they are ready for this. A friendly and supportive group using peer education to build and support skills and performance.
Hear My Music
Hear My Music is a charity enabling people with complex needs and/or Autism to express themselves as individuals through inclusive participant-led music making.
Hot Chocolate Trust
Hot Chocolate Trust is a youth work organisation which works to engage, build relationships and grow community with young people in Dundee city centre. Our music work includes open drop-in sessions, access to equipment, individual support, bookable practice time, song-writing, jamming, performing, creative residentials, collaborative summer projects and opportunities to connect with wider cultural experiences as audiences, makers, and curators.
Intercultural Youth Scotland
Intercultural Youth Scotland (IYS) is Scotland’s leading charity for young Black and People of Colour (BPoC).
Love Music
Music inclusion and education charity Love Music inspires and empowers people to be curious, creative and adventurous with music regardless of their skill base or background. Working with communities and young people, it offers a number of participation opportunities and projects including its Junior Choir for 8-12 year olds and Community Choir for all ages.
Lyra Young Company
We are a contemporary performance company made up of an ensemble of performers aged 12+, working collaboratively with professional artists. Together, we work side-by-side to make original and dynamic dance theatre productions with live music. Artistic integrity is at the centre of the Company’s ambition – we believe in processes and productions that are approached with vigour and vision, blurring the lines between the youth and professional performance sector.
Make/Change Collective - Soundwave
Make/Change Collective brings people together to explore their creativity and use their voice to make a difference. Soundwave, our youth-led music project, is a space for young musicians to jam, collaborate, make music and run music events and projects. We hope it will expand to be a self-sustaining, supportive and collaborative environment for young people interested in making music. We are based in Moffat in Dumfries & Galloway.
Make Music Day (Scotland)
International celebration and one-day festival of music! “Music will be everywhere and the concert will be nowhere!” Maurice Fleuret
Make Music Tayside
Free music-making workshops in Tayside. Supporting local community libraries with the development of instrument lending schemes.
Mull Music Makers
We run a free, year-round programme of violin/fiddle workshops for young people across the Isle of Mull, a remote island community with limited access to music tuition.
Music for the Purpose of Joy - The Joyful Urkestra!
Group music making based on an improvisational model that values participation, simplicity, humour and fun. So far, the workshops are taking place with primary school age children as well as young people and university age students. The model is in its infancy and looking to develop. The area mostly covered are Perthshire and Angus.
Music Space
Music Space is an alternative educational programme for young people aged 16–25 who are based in Glasgow and interested in exploring sound and music. It launched in 2022 and is produced by AC Projects alongside Counterflows festival. The programme currently includes bursaries, mentoring, residencies, practice-based workshops, and projects.
Oi Musica
Oi Musica uses the music of street bands to bring people and communities together. Youth and community Street Bands with brass & Drumming, Schools workshops. Based in Edinburgh.
Sound Lab
Face-to-face or online tuition workshops in any creative discipline. Always fun and always free – Singing, songwriting and vocals, DJ skills and production, Guitar Drums, Keyboard, Digital technology, and anything else you might want to learn!
Soundplay Projects
Soundplay uses technology, sound and art to make accessible interactive installations, objects and events. We work with people of all abilities to build in accessibility and inclusion using cutting edge technology, sensory materials and sound to create serious engagement through play.
Sonic Labs
Sonic Labs is a monthly music workshop based in Dumfries. As well as our regular meetings, we offer free and accessible music making workshops and performance opportunities to various community groups & youth groups
Pump Up The Jam
A song writing and band workshop which runs during school term time, guiding young musicians and songwriters and to create fully-fledged bands with their own set of original music. During each 8 week block the young people write and rehearse their songs in bands before recording them in the Tolbooth Studio and then delivering a full live final performance in the Auditorium.
Soundbase & Music Development Dundee
Music Development Dundee aims to bring a clearer focus for the creation, development and presentation of live music in Dundee, including Soundbase – a music-making project open to young musicians (of any genre) aged 12-18 supported by a team of professional musicians and guest artists to develop skills in song creation, guitar playing, drumming, keyboard, collaborative music making, playing with a band and performance and having fun!
Scottish Culture & Traditions (SC&T) Youth
SC&T Youth provides high quality opportunities in Scottish traditional music for young people aged 6-26 in the North East of Scotland.
With a year round programme of free activities, SC&T Youth brings together a vibrant community of young folk for classes, workshops, a Youth Camp, performances, taster sessions and more!
Stove Network
The Stove Network is an arts and community organisation in the heart of Dumfries High Street. Diverse programme stretching across music and literature, visual and public art, film and theatre, to town planning, architecture and design.
We use arts and creativity to encourage, to gather, learn and bring life back to our town centre. We see the arts not as something solely for an ‘arts audience’ but rather as a vital contribution to society on all fronts.
Tutti Music
Tutti Music is a community project which aims to offer local people the opportunity to learn a musical Instrument through attending organised classes/groups, and to encourage participation in the community through music. Group attendees are afforded the chance to loan an instrument from West Lothian Council’s Blackridge and Armadale Library for leisure at home. This project is a partnership between Blackridge & Armadale Management Committees, Greenrigg Community Council and West Lothian Council’s Customer & Community Services.
St Andrews Music Participation (STAMP)
St Andrews Music Participation (StAMP) is a newly-created music education project in Fife run by the University of St Andrews Laidlaw Music Centre. Our main project is StAMP Brass which aims to support and invigorate the cultural heritage of brass playing in schools, in the community, and across the world. This project is a partnership between Fife Music Service, Fife Brass Bands and The Wallace Collection.
Tinderbox Collective
A creative community of young people, musicians, artists and youth workers based in Edinburgh. Alternative Orchestras, Youth Clubs, Music in Hospitals, Game Design & Creative Technology projects. Based in Edinburgh.
Where's the One
Where’s the One? is a community music company run by drummer Mat Clements. Projects include “The Big Drum Adventure” with primary level workshops for all ages, “Street Band” beginner brass and drums, and “Makey Makey” an innovative new programme combining digital music, sampling and live drums.