The Music is Black: Young Sounds UK to collaborate with BBC and V&A on creative learning programme 

---

We’re proud to be collaborating with the BBC Learning team and V&A East Museum as part of East Ed’s East Autumn School. This is a brand-new, free creative learning programme at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, supported by ABBA Voyage. The opportunity is available for 12–17-year-olds who live or study in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest.

Taking place over one exciting week from Monday 26 October – Thursday 29 October 2026, the programme is packed with hands-on workshops, behind-the-scenes experiences and opportunities to learn from people working in some of east London’s most exciting organisations.

---

---

Inspired by The Music is Black: A British Story at V&A East Museum, This BBC Young Composer course invites young people to learn how to write lyrics and compose and arrange their own electronic music using sampling, sequencing, and creative processing, while exploring the sounds and styles that shape Black British music. Young people will hear from industry professionals, discover creative career opportunities, and develop practical music composition and production skills through experimentation and collaboration.

These workshops build on our EQUALIZE project, a cross-sector collaboration designed to revitalise music education by aligning it more closely with young people’s musical identities and creative practices. The project served as the basis for a new teacher training model, Discover Secondary, which will equip educators with the skills and confidence to bring electronic and Black-British music into their classrooms. From Discover Secondary, we hope to inspire long-term participation in music education and creative expression by making composition more relevant and inclusive to young people. Discover Secondary will launch in 2027.