UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 14 JULY 2023
This year’s cohort of She Don Did It, an award-winning music business programme backed by charity Music for Youth in collaboration with BIMM Birmingham, B:Music and Symphony Hall, joined Birmingham City University staff for a BCU Takeover Day recently.
The She Don Did It group was made up of young women aged 18-30 years who identify as diverse and non-binary emerging music curators. The programme was created by Girl Grind UK to equip aspiring music professionals with industry skills, knowledge, and experience.
Staff across Youth Work and Communities, Music Industries and Radio, and Media and Communications courses gave talks to the group providing a skills-based learning environment, while raising the aspirations of women who may never have considered Higher Education.
Lecturer from Youth Work and Communities Michelle Thompson kicked off the day in Birmingham City University’s The Hive in Curzon Building with a seminar on social change, social justice and social impact, and how these can be applied within the music industry from a youth and community work perspective.
During this session, the group were able to analyse their own talents and skills, and align them with different roles within the music industry.
As part of a wider tour of BCU Head of Music Technology Associate Professor Simon Hall took the group on a tour of the performance suites, concert halls, studio spaces and media rooms at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
The group also created pages for a music fanzine based on the music industry, new insights and themes they had learned throughout the day.
Senior Lecturer in Music Industries and Radio Dr Matt Grimes and Lecturer in Media and Communication Dr Asya Dragonova encouraged the group to consider what they have gained from the day and what they could do with this knowledge in the future.
Michelle said: “She Don Did It Programme: BCU Takeover Day is a fantastic example of BCU's commitment to widening reach and participation for the benefit of tackling class, race, disability and gender disparities, as well as identifying innovative solutions to the attainment gap in Higher Education.
“The cohort of 2023 were grateful for an experience where they were able to be their authentic selves and have fun as they stepped into unknown territories, ready to learn and find out about all the different things BCU has to offer in and beyond the classroom. This is what being an educator is all about and the more we open doors for access to young people with big dreams, the more lives we support in making dreams become reality.”
As part of Birmingham Festival ‘23 and a final celebration, Girl Grind UK will be showcasing the work of the cohort in a free two-hour music production called ‘What if’ on Wednesday 2 August, 6 – 8.00pm in Centenary Square, in partnership with Eloquent Dance Company and Vocalnova Academy.
Pictured: Cohort 2023 outside Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.