The Blueprint project was a Youth Music funded programme running April- July 2022 and saw five young people (aged 18-25) work through a training programme based on the workings of a live music venue.
As part of the project, the young people took part in training with Met staff members, had talks from guest speakers involved in a range of different areas of the music industry, went on visits and programmed, marketed and ran their own live and streamed gig on 13th July.
The Group
Monica
I’m Monica but I go by my stage name, Prinny Moni. I’m an Italian and Nigerian musician from Manchester. I started making music in 2020 but prior to that, I’ve had lots of experience in the performing arts industry, such as a back-up dancer, DJ, model and actor. I’m also a Manchester City Council Care Leaver Ambassador which means I help out with the wellbeing and support of young people in care. My music spans a range of genres from dancehall and afrobeat to Latin and hip hop. My goal is to further my career in the music industry as a performer. The Blueprint project has been a great way to get more experience in this area and I can’t wait to see what happens in the future!
Waleria
My name is Waleria and I am an artist specialising in writing; whether be it a script, novel, or song. I am also a singer, and would love to pursue my music-related interests and forge myself a path in the music industry, be it as an artist or as a part of a team behind the scenes. I have taken part in many music-making courses with the Prince’s Trust and would like to further develop in this area with the help of The Met and The Blueprint Project.
Ella
My name is Ella and I am an aspiring performer. I studied GCSE music, and went on to do Music Performance in college. After that, I did a week’s course at the Prince’s Trust, which is where I found out about the Blueprint project. I am looking to broaden my understanding of events management, as I feel like I’ve only focused on performing and I’m ready to get out of my comfort zone. My end goal is to have a career that I enjoy waking up to go and do, and I’m certain the Blueprint project will help pave the way for the start of my career. I am excited to be part of this opportunity and to see where it leads me!
Daniel
I’m interested in the production of events from processing live sound to the intricacies of professional audio. Learning to create an event from the ground up through this project has been fascinating. It has provided opportunities to network, practically apply skills I’ve learnt and learn about different aspects of the creative scene. I’d like to take the skills I’ve learnt from Blueprint to work in Media City, within radio and sound for film production. I’m excited by this opportunity to further my career in the Arts.
James
I’m James, an aspiring audio engineer and a recent Music Production graduate. I have always been interested in working within the music industry. Ideally, I would like to move into a permanent role as a live sound engineer specialising in front of house mixing as well as generic load-in and set-up roles. I discovered my passion for live sound engineering through volunteering at The Met, an experience that I have loved every minute of. I am currently part of the Blueprint project which is an amazing opportunity to further develop my skills not only as a person but more specifically as an industry professional.
The group learnt a huge amount during the project including gaining new skills, developing their confidence and enhancing their employability. The project concluded with them producing a live gig at The Met.
You can also listen to the group being interviewed on BBC Radio Manchester here.
We’d like to say a big thanks to the funders, Youth Music, to the in-house team and to our external professionals for making the project such a success.
Big thanks to:
Aziz Ibrahim
Balraj Samrai
Zaffer Khan
Chris Croft
Beth Allen
Dale Coleridge
Jonathan Lewis and the Band on the Wall team
Cardboard Shoes
42nd Street
BIG in Mental Health
And our brilliant project coordinator Samina Ali.