Youngsters from mentoring charity Breakthrough have had their songs released on a major music streaming platform.
The group of young people had been taking part in a six-week project called Track and held a showcase event at DC Thomson’s Meadowside building to celebrate their musical talent.
The project was aimed at young people who had been in care, and allowed them to express themselves creatively through music.
And five of the songs created throughout the project are now available to stream on Spotify.
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The guests at the Breakthrough event, in the Vista Room at the offices of DC Thomson Media in Dundee.
The playlist on Spotify, “Track” by Broken String Records, features Longing Nights by Ffnula Moore Hannigan, Running by Nely MacPherson, One Day by Kacey Docherty, Back to Where It Was by Dot Com, and Lost Without You by Gareth.
Laura Frood, empowerment and engagement co-ordinator at Articulate Cultural Trust, said: “It’s gone absolutely brilliantly.
“This particular group of young people have all worked really, really hard and have produced numerous songs.
“They get to engage with other people that are facing similar barriers to them, learn new skills and they also can attain an arts award to accredit their achievements, which is a recognised qualification.”
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Laura Frood, right, articulate engagement officer, with Jenny Paterson at the Breakthrough event.
One pupil, Christina, said: “Singing is my thing and it has made me more confident. I got to write my own song, I enjoyed it and it was so fun – I would love to do it again.”
Singer and songwriter Erin also created her own track, which was called Running.
She said: “The creation of music is always mindboggling to me and working with professionals has really opened my eyes up to how a song is actually made.
“Now I know the dedication and time that has been put into making a song and getting it out there. If I could, I would love to make a living out of this.”
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One of the participants, Gareth, with his album cover.
The project was formed by national arts and creative organisation Articulate who partnered with Breakthough and secured funding from Youth Music Initiative, Chance to Succeed and Awards For All.
The Track team travelled up to Dundee twice a week for the six-week project, helping the students create their own music.
The songwriting process allowed the young people to explore issues important to them and by the end they had written, performed and recorded the original tracks as well as created artwork for each.
Jenny Paterson, pictured, chief executive of Breakthrough, said she was really proud of the young people involved.
“I can’t thank the team at Articulate enough for working with Breakthrough to bring Track to Dundee,” she said.
“It’s rare for young people to get the chance to work with professional musicians to create, record and release their own music and it’s an experience they will never forget.
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The guests at the Breakthrough event.
“It was a joy to watch each young person grow in confidence as the project progressed and it’s brilliant that Track gave them a platform to explore issues that are important to them but often too difficult to talk about.
“I am incredibly proud of their talent, courage and commitment.”
