Songwriter, an online platform for young songwriters, was launched in Norfolk on Thursday 12 October 2017, with a special event hosted at Dove Street Studios, Norwich, by Norfolk Music Hub, attended by guests from the local music scene as well as music leads from Norfolk schools.
Songwriter offers aspiring young singer-songwriters aged 8-18 the opportunity to share their music, develop and connect with like-minded musicians across the country. The platform has been running in Hertfordshire since 2003, and in 2014 Songwriter expanded to include Cambridgeshire and Essex. Norfolk Music Hub is delighted to be opening up the offer to young people who live or go to school in Norfolk and to get more talent to be recognised from our county.
Access to Songwriter is free and all songs that are uploaded to Songwriter can receive professional and peer feedback. By going to the website – songwriteronline.co.uk – young musicians can upload their songs to the online chart and take part in songwriting competitions, which offer chances to win great prizes, from gig tickets to studio time. There are also opportunities to attend songwriting workshops and special showcase events that take place throughout the year. More news of Songwriter events and competitions will be announced in due course.
The launch event celebrated the talent of young singer-songwriters in our local community, featuring stunning performances by three musicians; Scott Ribbons (Lynn Grove Academy), Brooke Elley (Norfolk Centre for Young Musicians), and Megan Blair (Norfolk & Norwich Festival Artist). They all had the audience’s undivided attention and showed the variety of hidden talent in our county who are already gaining success.
They were also joined by Ije Amaechie who, based in Hertfordshire, is a great example of the progression routes that Songwriter provides; having started using Songwriter as a young musician, Ije has since become a staff member for Hertfordshire Music Service. She also shared her story and advice with the young musicians, who had impressed her with their performances.
We believe the Songwriter website will further establish Norfolk as a vibrant place for original music and hopefully tap into some yet unknown creativity. There may be also the possibility that young people do not feel ready to upload their songs, however they can still join the online community to see what it’s all about and hopefully gain the confidence to upload their songs too.
Songwriter receives funding from MusicNet East, which is a strategic partner of national children’s charity Youth Music. For more information see musicnet-east.org.uk.