Our project successfully reached and benefited the communities we identified in our application — young people in Haringey facing barriers to creative opportunities — and in fact exceeded our participation target. We set out to work with 18 young people aged 12–16, and ultimately engaged 20 young people who attended sessions regularly across the programme.

 

The majority of participants were from Tottenham and surrounding areas, and many faced financial or social barriers to accessing music-making. By delivering free weekly sessions in a safe and supportive environment, we gave these young people hands-on access to music technology they would not otherwise have encountered, from analogue synths to digital tools. The project helped them gain practical skills, grow in confidence, and experience a sense of ownership over their creativity. One participant said: “It’s a very good environment to learn, and I enjoyed being there.”

 

We also discovered an unexpected but valuable shift in age engagement. While our target group was 12–16 year olds, it was younger participants (aged 7–12) who engaged most consistently, particularly following our Easter holiday tasters. Their enthusiasm demonstrated a strong appetite for music technology at a younger age, and moving forward we plan to adapt our programmes to better serve this group while continuing to develop opportunities for teenagers.

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In total, 20 young people directly benefited, with parents and carers also noting the positive effect the club had on wellbeing and confidence. Feedback such as “I felt like a real musician!” and “The music club was super fun… I’m excited to keep making music and exploring new sounds” illustrate how participants experienced the project not only as an educational opportunity but also as a source of joy, belonging and inspiration.

 

Through this work, we delivered meaningful benefits to young people in Haringey, demonstrated demand for grassroots access to music technology, and strengthened community confidence in Pop Arts as a trusted, inclusive provider of creative opportunities.