Kate Green
Creative Music Programme for Young People
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (UK)
The Creative Music Programme is run by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG). It gives young people the chance to create music inspired by the composers featured in BCMG’s concerts, exploring the inner workings of music by experimenting with sounds and ideas themselves. BCMG believes that all young people have the capacity to compose and, given the right support and guidance, can make progress with their composing—a philosophy developed through 25 years of supporting young composers.
Workshops are divided into three age groups: Music Maze (8–11), BCMG Young Composers (11–14), and Creative Composing Lab (14–18). Participants work alone, in small groups, or with professional musicians, trying out instruments, developing ideas, and creating pieces that musicians sometimes perform. The sessions are inspired by concert repertoire—from György Kurtág to Steve Reich to Katherine Balch—giving young people imaginative starting points for their own music. Each workshop ends with an informal concert for family and friends, in which participants introduce their pieces. The Creative Music Programme encourages experimentation, collaboration, and reflection, guiding young people through the whole composing process—from first ideas to performance—so they can develop their skills and bring their music to life.
The Creative Music Programme is supported by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.
Further Information:
bcmg.org.uk
Dates
March 22, 2026
Oozells Square, Birmingham
May 10, June 28, & September 20, 2026
CBSO Centre, Birmingham
June 7 & July 12, 2026
Winterbourne Gardens, University of Birmingham
