Our Vision

BMA aspires to remove barriers to careers in the music industry by offering young people in Brent from all backgrounds unique access to education in a broad range of music industry experiences, devised and delivered by diverse professionals, coupled with bursary funding, and wraparound student and family support.

The Academy will:

  • Provide the highest quality performance and industry experiences for talented young people ages 6-19, including training, small and large group experiences, performance opportunities, practical project work, masterclasses and work experience.

  • Utilise an inclusive ‘Talent ID’ system prioritising aptitude rather than attainment and share widely amongst local networks to reach young people, including those not currently in formal music education or training schemes.

  • Work alongside local providers to enhance, rather than replace, existing provision.

  • Eliminate barriers to progression through dedicated mentor/key workers; financial and pastoral support; bespoke careers mapping; and family-wide engagement.

  • Demonstrate tangible pathways into continued education or employment in the industry, by prioritising links with wide-ranging working professionals, higher education and training providers, as well as wider industry partners.

  • Support the development of local industry professionals from diverse backgrounds through regular training to enable delivery by as diverse a cohort of leaders/tutors as possible.

BMA History

BMA originated as the brainchild of Brent Music Service (BMS) and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). For more than 25 years BMS has provided instrumental and ensemble tuition to more than 12,000 young people across the borough each week.

BMS and the RPO have worked in partnership for more than 20 years, delivering high-quality professional opportunities to students, from creative music-making projects to massed performance opportunities featuring 2,000 young people performing alongside professionals at Royal Albert Hall. In 2019, the RPO announced intentions to relocate their head offices to Wembley Park, and to root themselves in the borough and communities of Brent as a prime ‘residency’ for the Orchestra. This relocation and shift of priorities allowed the two organisations to plant the seeds for BMA, a new initiative that would bring together local grassroots and formal education organisations with industry professionals to provide one-of-a-kind training and opportunities for Brent’s young people.

A local Steering Group was founded in summer 2020 to assess the local context and related needs. ICMP became a key partner at this stage, bringing higher education and commercial music industry expertise and opportunities to the mix, as well as organisations such as Young Brent Foundation representing the local youth support sector and Brent Black Music Co-op, representing the many grassroots music organisations in the borough. Over the course of 18 months, the Steering Group gathered evidence on the local music education context, researched comparable initiatives around the country, defined BMA’s ethos and remit, and began to devise a programme fit for purpose.

During Autumn/Winter 2021-22, the Steering Group undertook an intensive period of public consultation led by an external facilitator to explore these ideas with local parents, young people, educators, professionals and grassroots youth and music organisations. Feedback from stakeholders was then taken forward for further development through two brainstorming groups, comprised of leading industry professionals from diverse backgrounds and parts of the industry.

The resulting structure and content were tested during two Pilot periods in June/July 2022 and Jan/Feb 2023, delivering core Academy activity to 63 young people and receiving feedback from students, parents and professional musicians and facilitators. This feedback has further informed the structure, content, referral pathways and delivery team of the Academy.