Oswestry Youth Music Collective

Qube’s music project Oswestry Youth Music Collective was funded by ‘Youth Music’, to provide creative music opportunities for young people in Oswestry and the surrounding area.

Participants had the opportunity to develop their musical skills and build confidence through a variety of experimental music activities based on their own interests, and across a range of genres, to include: jamming and improvisation, vocal, percussion and guitar workshops, song-writing and recording, stage-craft and performance. Importantly, the project provided the space and support for young people to work creatively together, developing a musical style as part of a collective group.

All participants were invited to work towards their Discover and Explore or bronze-level Arts Award, a nationally recognised qualification. For more information – www.artsaward.org.uk

Meet the team:

Lead Musician, James Hickman was born in Shrewsbury has been performing live since the age of thirteen.

After music college, he travelled with his guitar to Ireland and then to Iceland where he co-formed the “Dan Cassidy Swing Quartet”. He then returned to England and began performing as a solo artist and formed the duo “Hickman and Quinn” and also joined the folk group “Uisecedwr” and worked with them for two years.

James has been teaching music now for many years and many of his students have become accomplished musicians themselves.

He enjoys teaching in a number of schools with Music Heroes and he leads the Music Heroes Songwriting Workshop.

James now performs in the UK and Europe as part of “Hickman and Quinn”, “Dan Cassidy Swing Quartet” and “James Hickman and Dan Cassidy”.

Youth leaders, Ian and Colleen Cruise-Taylor with a wealth of experience in education and youth work, will provide pastoral support.

Project Manager, Sarah Nelsey has worked in the music industry for over 20 years as a stage manager, tour manager, booking agent and promoter.

We also invited industry professionals and guest musicians from a variety of genres and settings to the sessions to share their knowledge and experience.

To end the project the group performed their own gig on stage at Hermon Chapel in Oswestry.