In Nov 2007, Forest Bus was awarded £13,800 from youth music for a unique project to tour around to their county wide sessions consisting of laptop based music recording technology and tuition for young people to create their own rhythm based songs. This was very exciting however, the project leader realised that the scene had somewhat changed since the grant application went in, and that the young people we were working with now might want different things musically.

Forest Bus has learned through many years of experience of providing activities for young people that to stir and maintain young people’s enthusiasm, it is always best to first find out what it is they want to do. With the aid of questionnaire/information leaflets Forest Bus workers asked young people what they wanted to do musically. The young people responded with a variety of requests including wanting to make their own karaoke CD’s, learning how to DJ using decks, making their own MCing track, creating their own rhythm based tracks using music software, and making a recording of themselves playing the guitar.

In many respects this exemplifies Forest Bus’ work which is about bringing resources, opportunities and unique experiences to isolated and disadvantaged communities, communities where young people are otherwise unlikely to ever have these opportunities. Though the project is much more than just giving young people musical experiences, it is about Forest Bus sparking an interest and helping young people further that interest.

The project has so far been taken to Bury Brickfields, New Milton Calshot and Milford and has proved very popular with the young people with 80% participation rates.