A large part of our work in the wider community happens out of the studio, offering music based workshops and projects to the younger age groups. Initially through Making Waves, this strand of Youth Music Projects encompasses such opportunities as African and Samba drumming workshops, songwriting groups and projects, even creating new musicals and music-theatre and creative experience of music technology.

Through after school and youth clubs, and significantly with Special schools and other institutions, we are able to offer a first class experience, delivered by highly qualified and experienced musicians and workshop leaders to a great variety of groups and individuals throughout West Yorkshire.

As always, the emphasis of our work is on creativity, through practical hands-on involvement. We target especially groups who would normally have little or no access to such opportunities, who may be deprived of this by social or economic disadvantage.

In some cases this is ongoing work, over several months, where developing the social and learning skills that musical activity encourages is the main objective. In other cases, a series of workshops or a project leads to performances, gaining a sense of achievement and pride for all the participants. Some of these last include, for example, the performance in May 2002 by groups from 8 Special Schools in Kirklees at the McAlpine Stadium, in a project in partnership with Kirklees Music School, led by Sue Walker and Jo King (of Whitewood and Fleming) and Hugh Nankivell.

Or a group of young African drummers working with Saliou Bah, from Guinea, who were invited to perform at Bretton Hall College for a national event organised by the National Foundation for Youth Music. Or a group from Thornhill Lees after school club who wrote and recorded their own song on to CD. Or another group at St John's Primary School, Brighouse, working with composer Graham Coatman who wrote their own musical about social and environmental issues to do with water. And more . . . .