The Social Action award is sponsored by Hal Leonard Europe
Hal Leonard Europe is part of the Hal Leonard group of companies – the world’s largest source of music publications, representing many of the world’s best-known and most respected publishers, artists, song writers, arrangers and instrument manufacturers. Hal Leonard Europe publishes and distributes an extensive catalogue of printed and digital sheet music products, music education resources, instruments, gear, software and accessories around the world.
For an individual, collective or project that has made an outstanding commitment to local community and/or social justice issues.
WINNER
Pan Intercultural Arts, Amies Freedom Choir
London
The Amies Freedom Choirs support female survivors of human trafficking to find joy, belonging and community through the collective act of making music.
Many members referred to the choir start their journey with Pan Intercultural Arts at a point in life where they are struggling with confidence, self-worth, anxiety and depression and have many challenges in life which they cannot control. The challenges include housing, benefits, legal asylum processes, family and health. Most participants have English as an additional language often only at a very basic level, or not at all.
Members who have never sang before go on to performing in public, training in Opera singing and joining other choirs.
The Music Works, Knife Angel
South West
In February 2023, the nationally touring Knife Angel sculpture came to Gloucester Cathedral. The sculpture, made from over 100,000 seized blades, is specifically created to promote anti-violence and a critical need for social change. As part of bringing the Knife Angel alive, The Music Works Making It project worked with a group of 6 young people whose lives have been impacted by knife crime and violence. For three months, they wrote and produced music and sounds in response to Knife Angel, as well as take part in spoken interviews with their peers to create a small archive of stories about knife crime and violence. In collaboration with Squidsoup, the international immersive light and sound artists, the young producers helped to transform their content into an installation. The result of the project was a series of hugely thought provoking spoken word and rap pieces over tracks they produced themselves. These were performed at the launch of the installation that was hosted at the cathedral for the duration of the Knife Angel's residency. The installation had approximately 100,000 visitors across the month and the evocative performances have led to a legacy project to support the young people to continue to raise awareness of the need for change by making an album and building a campaign to promote it.
The Together Project CIO, Songs & Smiles
North West
Songs & Smiles brings together 0-4-year-olds, their grown-ups and older adults for uplifting weekly music groups. Held in care homes and retirement schemes, the sessions create an inclusive, welcoming and joyful environment in which all ages are free to learn and express themselves through music-making, dance and song.
Free to attend, Songs & Smiles offers children who might otherwise miss out the chance to participate in a high-quality music class, designed by experts in Early Years teaching. The majority of our groups within the north west operate at venues that are within the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in the country, calculated by Indices of Deprivation. Because of the intergenerational aspect, Songs & Smiles layers additional elements on top of the usual benefits that participation in music brings: the chance for young children to benefit from the friendship and wisdom of older people, to develop important traits such as respect, empathy and kindness and to make ageing and disability a natural part of life, rather than being 'scary' or 'other'.