Outstanding Project Award sponsored by Levi's

The West Midlands Inclusive Choir welcomes children and young people of all abilities up to the age of 25 and their families, and celebrates that everyone has their own way of sharing their voice. Members take part in whatever way suits them best, which can include using makaton singing, making sounds with an instrument or sound maker, using technology such as an iPad or EyeGaze and through movement and dance. The choir has successfully developed a community of inclusive music making, positively challenging the stereotypes of the traditional choir, what they should sound like and who can access them.

Kay Greyson and Kema Kay have led this project for Northern Roots part of their Martin Luther King legacy work, continuing work inspired by Dr King's visit to Newcastle in 1967. They have recruited six young Black managers to each work with young rappers and singers. Each manager has had individual sessions with Keith Harris and Keith Armstrong and have been supported to promote live concerts featuring the artists they are supporting. They have also been funded to take their artists into the studio, record and release tracks and videos.

Vocal Beats transforms the lives of hundreds of children and young people, from newborns to young adults, hospitalised with cardiorespiratory conditions and/or cancer at Royal Brompton and Harefield Clinical Group and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Professional singer-songwriters and world champion beatboxers deliver improvised person-led music sessions on hospital wards based on participants’ unique contexts and personal interests. The sessions provide crucial moments for positive distraction and a sense of agency for young people who take part, developing their musical skills, boosting confidence and reducing loneliness.