Bassline Symphony®
Youth MUSIC Symposium
Music. Production. Performance.
Creative futures.
The 2026 Bassline Symphony® Youth Music Symposium will take place on Tuesday 10 November, with Bradford Arts Centre currently proposed as the venue.
The free daytime programme will welcome up to 80 pupils in Years 8–9, followed by a pathways programme for young people aged 16–25.
Schools can request places for groups of up to 20 pupils.
Expressions of interest close at 5pm on Friday 25 September 2026.
Places are subject to availability. Final timings and programme details will be confirmed with participants.
Ages 16–25
Years 8–9
A daytime schools programme featuring hands-on music workshops, creative exploration and introductions to bassline, orchestral music and music production.
The schools strand supports curriculum learning, cultural capital, confidence and creativity before pupils make their GCSE choices.
A late-afternoon and evening programme focused on progression, DJ culture, music careers, networking and industry insight.
The 16–25 strand offers practical next steps and professional pathways for emerging artists, producers, DJs and other young people interested in music and the wider creative industries.
What is the Youth Symposium?
The Bassline Symphony® Youth Music Symposium is a single-day creative engagement programme bringing together schools, young adults, artists, facilitators, music-industry professionals and cultural partners.
The programme is divided into two strands: a daytime schools programme for pupils in Years 8–9, followed by a later pathways programme for young people aged 16–25.
Why It Exists
Bassline Symphony is bigger than one night on stage.
The live show celebrates bassline culture at orchestral scale. The Youth Symposium opens up the process behind that work, giving young people access to the skills, stories and creative pathways that make a production like this possible.
For some participants, it may be their first time exploring music production.
For others, it may be their first encounter with orchestral music as something connected to their own culture.
For others, it may be the first time they see a future for themselves in music, events, production, performance or the wider creative industries.
A future built around music.
What Young People Experience
Workshops & Masterclasses
Hands-on sessions exploring music production, vocal performance, DJing, songwriting, bassline culture and creative practice, led by artists and industry professionals.
Performance & sharing Opportunities
Opportunities to share creative work, build confidence and experience what it means to make music in a professional cultural setting.
Creative Futures Panel
Conversations with artists, producers, DJs and creative industry professionals exploring music careers, progression routes and the realities of building a creative future.
Orchestral Immersion
An introduction to how orchestral music and bassline culture can work together, exploring the bridge between underground and classical worlds.
How the Day Works
YEARS 8–9
The daytime session is designed for pupils in Years 8–9. Students rotate through hands-on activity zones exploring music production, bassline culture, creative careers and the relationship between electronic and orchestral music, before coming together for a shared creative experience.
The schools strand supports learning across music, technology, creativity, confidence and cultural understanding.
AGES 16–25
The later session is designed for young adults and emerging creatives. It offers practical industry insight into career progression, DJ culture, production, performance and creative pathways.
Participants connect with music-industry professionals and explore the next steps involved in developing their skills and building a creative career.
For Schools
Curriculum mapping connects sessions with KS3 Music, Computing, English, Art & Design, Gatsby Benchmarks and cultural capital outcomes.
The Youth Symposium is designed to be more than a trip out of school.
It gives students access to real-world creative learning connected to music, computing, English, art and design, cultural capital and careers education.
Students are introduced to working artists, facilitators and music professionals, helping connect classroom learning with creative industries and future pathways.
The programme can support:
KS3 Music
Performance, composition, listening, music technology and understanding musical history and context.
KS3 Computing
Digital creation, sound manipulation, software, hardware and creative use of technology.
KS3 English
Lyric writing, spoken language, performance, vocabulary and creative expression.
Art and Design
Visual identity, creative process and design in music culture.
Careers education
Encounters with employers, links between curriculum and work, and information about future opportunities.
What Young People Leave With
A deeper understanding of bassline as cultural history
First-hand experience of music production and creative tools
Contact with working artists and industry professionals
Insight into music careers and creative pathways
Confidence to make, perform or share creative work
A stronger sense that cultural spaces can belong to them too
School-age participants: access, confidence, exploration
16–25s: progression, networks, careers, next steps
Building on
Proven Impact
IN 2025
102
1,500
92.9%
YOUNG PEOPLE ENGAGED
capacity show sold out
audience satisfaction
Why Partners Should Get Involved
Venues
Create visible public value alongside a major live event, connecting your stage with new audiences, young people and local cultural engagement.
Funders
Support proven youth engagement, creative education and Northern cultural pride with clear outcomes for skills, confidence, access and participation.
Schools
Offer curriculum-linked creative learning in a professional cultural setting, with direct links to music, computing, English, art and design, cultural capital and careers education.
Sponsors
Align with an authentic cultural movement that connects underground music heritage, young people, creative futures and large-scale live performance.
Partner with the Movement
VENUES • FUNDERS • SCHOOLS • SPONSORS • BRANDS • YOUTH ORGANISATIONS •
Help young people see music as something they can make, shape, perform and build a future around.
We are looking for partners who share our commitment to creative equity, cultural excellence and the next generation of Northern music.