Project
The Urban Collective™ project provides Collectives of 30 young people, aged 15-25 years and primarily from disadvantaged backgrounds, with up to 80 hours of practical education in a range of creative industry skills over an eight week period while post-project monitoring is coupled with alumni access to our network of regional job brokerage and professional mentoring services.
On a broader level, the project provides increasingly disparate local communities with an opportunity to learn, share and discover in a safe, group environment. In young people, this process has proven to increase self-esteem, reduce dependence on drugs and alcohol misuse, break down barriers of territoriality and establish a friendship network through common goals, shared experience and aspirations.
Here's how the project works:
1. Open Auditions
One month prior to the project starting, posters and flyers are distributed throughout the local youth community targeting community centers, schools, colleges, sports centers, churches, studios, theaters etc.
Auditions are open on a first-come, first-served basis, to anyone aged 15-26 playing, producing or making music across any genre. Over the course of three to four days the Urban Collective™ team will see an average of 200 people vying for just 30 places!
2. Training
Once chosen the 30-strong Collective in each city begins a week of intensive training delivered by professionals in all aspects of the music industry:
- Music campaign management
- Digital music marketing
- Vocals
- Song-writing
- Drama and performance
- Audio production
- CV / Resume writing
- Interview Technique
3. Recording
Fully trained, and having formed friendships and creative writing partnerships, the Collective moves into a professional recording studio for a two-week recording session that will see them collaborate with each other, guest artists and guest producers to create between 12 and 20 tracks of original music.
In addition to recording, the studios operate several writing / rehearsal rooms so the Collective can be on site together for the entire recording process.
4. Live performance
With a new batch of original songs created the Collective are empowered to promote themselves and play live across their city. Armed with 5000 flyers and 300 posters the Collective becomes a 30-strong street team promoting their forthcoming gigs and trying to get as much press, radio and local TV coverage as they can, as well as using the Internet and social networking sites to distribute e-flyers and links to the BUC website.
5. Recording studio
Studio: Urban Collective™ will build a start up recording studio within the community center and train up aspiring producers in Logic 9 audio production software.
6. CD release
At the end of the project Freeport Records compiles the “best of” tracks for an Urban Collective™ CD and Download release supported by a national PR, Radio campaign. See www.britishurbancollective.com
In local and national concurrent city projects, each city supports the release with regional promotion and live shows.