The More Music Mentorship is an annual programme which has been running since 2021 and has supported 11 musicians in that time, each year taking a different focus for skills development. Taking place from January to July 2026, this year’s mentorship provided a structured programme of shadowing, mentoring and training based around More Music’s in-house SEND music projects and our work in special schools, providing a hands-on insight into community music practice in these settings. A funded bursary is available to help reduce any financial barrier to participating in the mentorship. The mentorship is supported by Lancashire Music Hub and Youth Music.

Charlie Brown is a Lancaster based musician, songwriter and producer who has worked on More Music youth sessions for several years now, notably leading the Sing It Out group and as a key part of the Girls Can team.  When the opportunity of a SEND music focussed mentorship came up, Charlie was keen to take part to expand her skillset into a new area of inclusive musicmaking for her.

Charlie was able to learn from More Music’s team of music leaders experienced in SEND music making and take part in our sessions Unique Beatz and On The Beat with disabled participants.  She was also able to shadow and deliver sessions in SEND schools across Lancashire, which included a climate action themed songwriting project with Morecambe Road, The Loyne and Bleasdale Schools which culminated in a live performance at More Music’s Three Degrees Festival on 27 June 2026.

We talked to Charlie about her mentorship experience and what she had gained from participating.

Q: What has the mentorship experience been like for you has it been what you expect it has it been different for what you expected?

The mentorship been a valuable and rewarding experience. I tried to not go into it with preconceptions, so it was more than I expected.  My eyes have been opened to the different types of workshops that are delivered in a variety of spaces and locations.

It’s been interesting to see how music technology is used, which was not something I thought about or expected before starting doing the mentorship.

Working in several schools with children and young people with various levels of abilities, it’s been really insightful to see what approaches and sessions work well with different people.

Q: Do you think having the opportunity to observe and participate in a variety of sessions was helpful to you and if so in what ways?

Absolutely invaluable. Having the opportunity to shadow other music leaders that are very experienced in this area gave me the new skills, new approaches and the confidence that I needed to be able to take that and then run with things on my own.  When you work as a freelancer delivering sessions, a lot of the time you work in quite in an isolated way and there is the danger that sometimes you fall into redoing or rehashing the same few things.  If I hadn’t had that opportunity to observe other people and participate like I did with Unique Beatz, that would have been something that would be definitely lacking so I think it was really helpful.

Q: What new skills do you think you have learned as a result of the mentorship, what have you gained?

I think I’ve learned to use my skills in a different way, responding to what’s going on in the room.  Obviously, you have a plan before you go into deliver a session but it’s also about being responsive and flexible, getting that immediate feedback from people if something isn’t working and moving onto something else. On the flip side of that, you need to be prepared to stick with something if it is really working, especially if staff are giving you the impression that a positive interaction with a pupil is quite unusual for them.

It’s important in these setting to have the confidence to slow it down, knowing it doesn’t matter if you don’t get to the end of your plan and to make the most of the interactions that you’ve got with the people in the room.

Q: What have been the highlights of your mentorship experience?

There’s been loads to be honest. I really enjoyed going into the Loyne School recently and doing the assembly performance there.  It was great seeing the rest of the school watching and listening to the original pieces of music that the two classes had worked on with (More Music musicians) Ben McCabe and Maja Bugge, which were sessions I has shadowed. It was wonderful seeing that all come together.

I enjoyed the culmination of the projects with Unique Beatz and at Morecambe Road School.  The vibe at the school is wonderful and the teaching staff are amazing. The children wrote an original piece with us that was incorporated into the Three Degrees Festival at More Music, it was amazing that so many of the children were able to come and perform their song at the festival too.

I also really enjoyed going doing the shadowing at Coppice School, where I saw how music leaders Ash Murphy and Ben McCabe were incorporating music technology into their sessions. It was useful to learn how music technology can be used in an accessible way.  I’ve got skills and experience with music technology but I’ve never really flipped my thinking around before and looked at how it can be made more accessible. It was interesting to see how they were using it.

Q: What are the next steps for you after the mentorship, are you hoping to continue to develop your practice in SEND settings?

I am definitely up for doing more of it, I have enjoyed it and found it really rewarding.  I’ve seen in relatively short amounts of time the difference that it can make to the children and young people that you’re working with. I’ve got different ideas now about how I could incorporate music technology into these settings.

Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into community music or might be interested in a mentorship programme like this one?

For somebody that wants to get into community music, I would say get some experience by volunteering and spend time with other people at work in the sector to find out if it’s for you.  It’s probably more important to be good at communicating with people than it is to be a virtuoso musician, to be good on the community side of things. It’s important to get the balance right between developing music skills and being positive and enthusiastic when you work with people.

For anyone interested in doing a mentorship, you should definitely give it a go if you get the opportunity. It gives you experience before you throw yourself in and means you can learn from experienced music leaders.

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Find out more about Charlie Brown and her other music and community work here