Facts and Figures
Annual Report
Chair's introduction
It is a great pleasure to introduce this year’s report, and to do so in my first year as Chair of Young Sounds UK. I took up the role in September 2025 and would like to begin by thanking our Chair Emeritus, Philip Jones, for his impressive 22 years of service and for handing over the reins of such a strong and well-positioned organisation. I would also like to thank retiring Trustees Beverley Mason and Michael Littlechild for their long and valued contributions. All three now continue to support the charity through our newly formed Sounding Board.
I first came across Young Sounds UK, then Awards for Young Musicians, in 2022 while serving as Principal of the London College of Contemporary Music. We soon began working together to host Thrive Days, studio sessions and performance opportunities for young musicians on the Thrive programme. Since becoming Chair, I have had the pleasure of seeing many more examples of the charity’s work in action: from a whole-class DJ scratching session with Connect pupils in Central Bedfordshire, to the BBC Symphony Orchestra side-by-side day with Thrive young people at Maida Vale Studios, to our autumn fundraising concert at Drapers’ Hall. These experiences reflect both the national reach of Young Sounds UK and the breadth of musical pathways we support.
I have been particularly encouraged by the launch of our EQUALIZE pilot workshops, where we are working with academic partners to explore new approaches to identifying musical potential during the crucial secondary school years. An important step in ensuring that our programmes continue to evolve in response to how young people engage with music today.
This year's report demonstrates clearly that Young Sounds UK continues to transform the lives of talented young musicians at all ages and stages, providing inspiration, support and opportunity as they progress and thrive in their musical journeys.
None of this work would be possible without the generosity and commitment of our supporters and funders. We are deeply grateful to all those who continue to invest in our mission. Alongside the continued support of Arts Council England, the Department for Education and Youth Music in 2025, we were pleased to receive significant new funding from Purposeful Ventures. This has enabled us to appoint our first in-house Evaluation Director and to accelerate the development of a new organisational Theory of Change. Work on this model, shaped collaboratively with input from staff and Trustees at our November strategy day, is already strengthening how we understand and demonstrate the impact of our programmes and will help ensure we continue to deliver meaningful outcomes for the young people we serve.
As Chair, I am excited about the opportunities ahead as we continue to expand our reach, strengthen evaluation of our impact and prepare for Young Sounds UK’s 30th anniversary in 2028.
Anthony Hamer-Hodges
Chair of Trustees
Thrive
Formerly known as Awards programme
478
Instrumentalists, singers and music creators supported by the programme
£147,500
in funding was granted across four cohorts
£19,069
Average household income of Award winners
50%
of Award winners identified as Global Majority, 6% as disabled
Our Thrive programme aims for the following outcomes for young people:
- Increased musical development as a result of the funding and experiences provided by the programme.
- Expanded musical horizons, skills, knowledge, experience and networks.
- Increased confidence and raised aspirations in pursuing a creative career, whether on or off the stage.
95% of Thrive participants agree that the programme has increased their ability to reach their musical goals.
90% say that the programme has increased their confidence in pursuing a musical career.
Our Thive team and evaluation colleagues learn from young musicians’ feedback to develop the programme further and offer new opportunities. In early 2025 we also commissioned a Needs Analysis for the Thrive programme, to help inform the next few years of its development.
Connect
Formerly known as Furthering Talent
A look back at 2025
1,054
Young people participating in the programme
22
Partnerships with Music Education Hubs
21,015
Instrumental lessons delivered
42
Get Together events held
By being involved in Connect, we’re aiming for young people to:
- have an increased sense of ownership of their musical journey and to have experienced the joy of becoming better musicians, of discovering new music, and playing with others.
- have an increased self-belief, resulting from playing an instrument to the best of their ability and seeing themselves succeed musically.
Results from our termly surveys completed by Connect students and their teachers demonstrate the effectiveness of the programme.
Young people participating in Connect
95% of young people agreed or strongly agreed that they are proud of the progress they have made in learning music
95%of young people agreed or strongly agreed that they have got better at playing their instrument
81% of young people agreed or strongly agreed that Connect has given them the opportunity to access musical activities they otherwise wouldn’t have experienced.
88% of young people agreed or strongly agreed that Connect has given them the opportunity to access musical activities they otherwise wouldn’t have experienced.
81% of young people agreed or strongly agreed playing or singing music helps them to be more confident
85% of young people agreed or strongly agreed that they did something they didn’t know they were capable of
Teachers participating in Connect
96% of teachers said they use a student-centred approach when teaching Connect students
78% of teachers said that being part of Connect has helped them to develop their student-centred teaching practice.
Discover
Formerly known as Identifying Talent
A look back at 2025
32 Training sessions
788 teachers reached
Innovate
Formerly known as Innovation and Research
We use our independent role in music education to lead new thinking and action on talent development. During 2025
we were invited to participate in key national discussions around the planned new National Centre for Arts and Music
Education, set to be launched in September 2026.
The National Working Group on Progression, convened by Music Mark as part of the Young Sounds led Music Opportunities Pilot, has the remit to articulate a shared definition of progression and progress in music. Consensus and clarity on this important topic across the sector would be a major milestone, helping to ensure that all young people –particularly those facing the most obstacles – can fulfil their potential.
Income and expenditure
Data for financial year ending 31 December 2025
We’re very grateful to our many long-term supporters, whether individuals, trusts or public funders. With their help our year-on-year revenue increased 31% to £2,528,118. This enabled us to provide sustained support for 1,532 individual young people across our programmes during the year.
Total Income
£2,528,118
Total expenditure
£2,197,655
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
In 2025 we built on the cross-organisational benchmarking survey of everyone working with Young Sounds UK and the series of focus groups that followed. We undertook a thematic analysis which enabled us to determine priority actions to take forward. These include regularly auditing representation across our workforce and governance, targeting recruitment where there are gaps, and expanding the membership and remit of our EDI committee. This process will enable us to continue to further our EDI ambitions and strengthen relationships with our stakeholders across the sector.
Hester Cockcroft
Chief Executive