Talented Gloucestershire musicians who have benefited from support offered by The Music Works charity will be performing at The Cavern in Gloucester this Friday.

The Music Works, a charity that runs open access and educational music workshops to youngsters across Gloucestershire, has made a massive impact on the music scene here in the South-West.

This Friday youngsters who have worked with the charity will be showing off their musical talents at The Cavern, in what has become a regular performance venue for Gloucestershire’s up-and-coming musicians.

Anita Holford, part of the senior management team at The Music Works, says the benefit that music has had on the lives of youngsters across the county is enormous.

She said: “Lots of young people face barriers to making music – it may be because they’re experiencing challenges such as additional needs or mental health problems; or it may simply be because the sort of music opportunities that are on offer don’t match their musical interests.

“This is particularly the case with some of the young people performing on Friday – a number who are making their own music using technology, but didn’t have many opportunities to develop, share or showcase their skills.”

“Ultimately, our mission is to transform lives through music. We’re specialists in working with young people and helping them reach their full potential in music, in learning, and in life.”

The charity works with around 3000 youngsters a year across Gloucestershire, offering opportunities they might not otherwise get were it not for the team of talented music leaders who use modern music, music technology and informal music teaching to complement the more formal music education at primary and secondary schools.

Anita continued: “We feel that music is a tremendously important tool in helping young people achieve their potential. We don’t teach music, we’re focused on bringing out the creative side of our students, allowing them to make music that they’re passionate about.

“It’s about getting an understanding of the types of music our students enjoy and giving them the confidence to go out there and make their own music. A lot of young people engage in rock, pop and urban music, so that makes up a lot of what we do.

“We aren’t interested in one-off projects that don’t have an ongoing impact. We want to make a significant difference to young people’s lives in Gloucestershire.”

To find out about opportunities for young people and those who work with them, see www.themusicworks.org.uk