Guest blog by Jon Whittaker, Dawsons Music & Sound
We are proud to announce that Dawsons Music & Sound are getting involved in Make Music Day 2021 on Monday 21 June with an exclusive virtual event. As part of their commitment to encouraging everyone to get started on their musical journey, Dawson Music & Sound aim to capture the joyful spirit that comes with making music together whether amateur and professional. On the day they will host a feast of music as they showcase a myriad of talent that includes Dawsons Music & Sound colleagues, customers, and collaborators.
Dawsons Music & Sound will also shine the spotlight on mental health charities, music-related youth organisations, and music educators from across the UK who they believe deserve our love and support for everything they do to educate, facilitate, and motivate us: from discovering how a tailor made his journey back into DJ’ing; a disconnected youth group get empowered by a visionary youth leader; and how we can all improve our mental health.
Why are Dawsons Music & Sound getting involved in Make Music Day?
Dawsons Music & Sound believe that there is no better way to celebrate the joy of making music than by throwing themselves behind the Make Music Day initiative. Their ethos is to encourage, inform, and inspire all musicians from amateur to professional, beginner to expert, no matter the budding artist’s age or ability. Their belief is that music should be inclusive and as a family of musicians they want everybody to share in the excitement that comes every time a musician picks up and plays their instrument.
Dawsons Music & Sound x Make Music Day ’21 Virtual Event
Event Info: Date, Time, and How to Watch!
When is it? Monday 21 June 2021
What time do you need to tune in? 6:00pm ‘til 7:30pm
Where can you find it? Dawsons Music & Sound YouTube and Facebook channels
To coincide with the Make Music Day ’21 festival, the Dawsons Music & Sound team across the UK are joining forces to curate a 90-minute Livestream that will include live performances from artists, bands, DJs, and Producers – some of whom are members of the Dawsons Music & Sound family.
We can expect to hear music from a variety of artists ranging from indie rock to classical, DJ to singer-songwriter – there is truly something to suit all musical tastes. Alongside in-store recordings from their Belfast and Manchester teams, the Livestream will comprise interviews, acoustic sessions, and live performances with footage from BBC Music Introducing LIVE and our DMS Presents Leeds Live event. There will even be a special performance of the Make Music Day ‘21 Anthem, “Stand By Me”, by a very talented young choir from NACN (Newtownabbey Arts and Culture Network).
Dawsons Music & Sound are delighted to feature in-conversation the driving forces behind charities and organisations that are close to their hearts such as Education & Bass, Keep Real, and Oh Yeah Centre.
Education & Bass
Education & Bass is the brainchild of Andrew Ferguson (Nomine aka Outrage), who recognised a growing audience of enthusiasts eager to understand how he crafted his music and how he embraced and integrated evolving technology, just as much as they loved his sets. Prior to gigs, he would provide Q&As, workshops, seminars, etc., to bridge the expanding gulf in music and music tech education.
Taking that idea online in 2017, the Education & Bass platform has been embraced by clubs and educational establishments across the globe with an ever-growing audience eager to take advantage of their carefully curated content covering a vast range of topics from creating arrangements to overcoming writer’s block.
Education & Bass boasts a treasure trove of content along with their unique mentor-led support system, which is designed to provide a holistic learning experience for anyone interested in learning about the music business, music theory, music production, and so much more.
Find and follow Education & Bass on: Facebook |Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Soundcloud | Mixcloud
Oh Yeah Music Centre
Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast is a dedicated hub for all things music from supporting music makers to music businesses. At the heart of the ‘Oh Yeah’ philosophy is that “music is a valuable agent in Northern Ireland, a catalyst that changes lives for the better”. Oh Yeah provides an affordable rehearsal space, a live venue, a music exhibition, a café space, a recording studio, a song-writing room, and workshop spaces.
The Oh Yeah vision was born in December 2005, from a conversation between Stuart Bailie, Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, and some of Belfast’s dedicated music industry people. Since then, Oh Yeah has welcomed 180,000 visitors through the doors while more than 6,000 artists, musicians and DJs have used their facilities.
As well as providing office space for several dynamic projects and businesses within the building, Oh Yeah also offers a wide range of programmes that foster talent development, promotion and celebration, industry mentoring, youth development and community outreach, as well as arts and older people projects, music industry incubation, and music tourism and heritage.
Find & follow Oh Yeah Music Centre on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Keep Real
Keep Real was formed in 2017 by founder, Kimberley Robinson, following successful completion of her degree in counselling and as a direct response to the growing concern of mental health issues in the community.
Keep Real embraces the arts to promote better understanding of mental health, as well to proactively aid recovery and support longer lives lived better.
Utilising her background in counselling alongside her passion for arts and music, Kimberley delivers creative mental health workshops, talks, and events with musicians and makers, which aim to support better mental health and wellbeing through a variety of interventions.
Find & follow Keep Real on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
NACN
NACN (Newtownabbey Arts and Culture Network) deliver workshops to young people aged 8-25 years old who are interested in the creative arts industry. NACN also supports young people across a wide range of platforms such as DJing, singing, performing arts, and even film/multimedia production.
Based in one of the most deprived areas of Northern Ireland, NACN Coole Studios aim to develop and enrich the lives of young people through active involvement in creative activities to promote well-being, quality of life, and health.
Find & follow NACN on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter |YouTube | Mixcloud
