The young people’s music charity, Youth Music, has announced the appointment of six new trustees to its board.
The new recruits will help the UK based charity achieve its mission to equalise young people’s access to making, learning and earning in music . As the Cost-of-Living Crisis sees grassroots music projects struggle to survive, the charity recently revealed it’s having to turn down 77% of funding applications, equating to a £44m shortfall. Youth Music’s new trustees will support the charity to address this by raising its profile and securing crucial partnerships and income from the wider creative industries.
Following a competitive recruitment process, the six new trustees bringing a range of lived experience, skills and expertise to the Youth Music board are:
Andrew Lansley is innovation Manager for Cheltenham Festivals, Senior Academic at the University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham Culture Board coordinator and in his spare time performs as double bassist with Thrill Collins. He has worked in cross sector roles including events, academia, politics, broadcast and innovation, has written research and worked with young people to help them realise their own musical ambitions. Andrew is autistic and runs a neurodiverse consultancy that specialises in intersectional, regenerative projects to help make businesses and organisations more accessible and sustainable.
Berkeley Edwards is the Head of Music and a principal at Clintons – a market-leading boutique law firm. He represents a broad cross section of the most successful musical talent in the UK and Europe as well as advising many emerging artists on the pathways available in the modern music industry.
Bre McDermott-King is an International Product Manager at AWAL, a record label under Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd. With a passion for marketing, she has worked on a number of global artist campaigns. She is passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion, and was previously the Head of Sony Music UK’s first ever diversity committee, HUE UK. In 2019, she launched a collective, Women Connect UK, which works to advocate for and provide opportunities for women and non-binary folk in the creative industries.
Hanna Chalmers is a senior research practitioner who has spent her career working in, and around the media, tech, music and entertainment industries. She spent nearly a decade at the BBCworking with a wide research remit across the youth brands from Cbeebies to BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra. She then moved to Universal Music where she established and led the research and insights practice in the UK. In 2020 Hanna set up CultureStudio Research, a ‘culture first’ insights practice and collective operating out of London but working internationally.
Paul Bonham with a background in public funding, diversity and inclusion, music management and professional development, one of Paul’s first paid jobs in the industry was running a Youth Music funded DJ and Rap project in his hometown of Oxford. Paul currently leads the Music Manager Forum’s ground-breaking Accelerator supported by YouTube Music.
Sarah Brown is the national programme lead for children and young people’s mental health at NHS England. With over 20 years’ experience in public sector children’s services, Sarah has been at the forefront of developing and delivering public policy, leading strategic commissioning and driving large-scale transformational change at a national, sub-regional and local level.
They join Youth Music’s existing board of trustees – Freddie Aitken, Miri Buac, Nathifa Jordan, Sam Denniston, Sam Ross and Sophia Alexandra Hall. Chair of the board is the award winning musician and broadcaster, YolanDa Brown OBE DL.
YolanDa Brown said: “Over the past five years, I have had the privilege of working alongside some of the most passionate and creative individuals as trustees at Youth Music. It has been inspiring to witness their continued commitment to the cause even after their time on the board ends.
“The overwhelming response to our search for new trustees was heartening, and I am thrilled to announce the appointment of our new trustees at a pivotal time for young people’s music and creativity. Their unique experiences and perspectives will be invaluable as we work towards reducing inequality in access to music-making and education. We recognise the ongoing challenges faced by grassroots music projects and young people in the industry, and we are grateful for the diverse talents and skills our new recruits bring to the table. With their help, I am confident that we can create a more inclusive and equitable future for music and the young people we serve.”
