We've Still Got the Beat

We’ve Still Got the Beat was an online music project responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, for young people from Northumberland feeling isolated from their friends. The programme ran in June & July 2020 and was made possible with thanks to support from the Northumbria Police & Crime Commissioner Corona Response Fund.

Young people & young adults co-created a piece of music with professional musician Paddy Villers-Stuart - deciding on the theme of ‘quarantine’ and spending 6 weeks generating music through gathering found sounds, creating rhythms with household objects, discussing their favourite styles, playing their own instruments for each other, singing together & writing lyrics.

We Make Culture’s Laura Brewis also visited with Sunderland Young Musicians project participants Ami McGuinness & Lottie Willis, who played for the group and took part in Q&As about their experience of performing and music-making.

If you’d like to find out more about the project, or would like to run something similar for a group of young people you work with, email Beth. Alternatively, you can message us on Facebook or text/call Beth on 07988115427 (9am-5pm, Mon-Thurs).

Young people on this programme were given the opportunity to complete their Discover’ Arts Award by taking part in the project. Find out more about Arts Award here

WSGTB flyer FINAL

Like and subscribe to our socials for latest updates to hear music produced:

• Facebook page Latest project updates and other opportunities
• YouTube See films of earlier youth music projects
• Soundcloud Hear We’ve Still Got the Beat participants’ tune ‘Lockdown’ and creations from previous projects such as Offthebeat.

Helix Arts will continue to build connections with partners in Northumberland to best reach out to young people they work with - especially those most at risk of isolation and disconnection, including young carers, young people at risk of offending and young adults with disabilities.

We’ve Still Got the Beat builds on Helix Arts’ long history with Cramlington Voluntary Youth project and the previous successes - Youth Melody’ (2013-2015), and digital music-making project ‘Off the Beat’ (2016-18) and more recently ‘We got the Beat’ (2018-2019), which involved a music residential with artists Paddy Villiers-Stuart. Beccy Owen and Georgia Turnbull in Kielder.