Piece of the Pie – Katie

Katie, 19 

“I joined Pie Factory Music when I was 7. My dad is a musician, he plays every instrument under the sun and I spent my childhood listening to and being inspired by him. He was the one that encouraged me to join the charity as he believed that I should have other musical influences. 

For around seven years I took part in their vocal group, learning how to sing, write songs, develop harmonies and practice performing. I learnt how to do vocal warm ups and I got studio time where I could record my own songs. I never knew I had such a passion for singing. 

I was home-schooled and spent a lot of my childhood dropping in and out of youth clubs, like swimming, drama and science clubs. However I stuck with Pie Factory Music – they had amazing youth workers that you can relate to and they always had a session that interested me. 

I now volunteer with the charity leading one of their projects called Action Community Thanet! (ACT!) It’s a weekly social action group to support the local community. We’ve held fundraising quizzes, sponsored walks, sleep outs for the homeless and a lot of litter picks.

Pie Factory Music was a place for me to build on my social skills, meet and trust other adults and interact with new people. They increased my confidence, I gained leadership skills and it taught me how to be part of a team.”

To get involved in our ACT! social action group for young people contact us here. They are doing lots of wonderful things to help vulnerable and isolated people during lockdown and would love to hear from other young people who want to join in.

To read Elijah’s story click here

Elijah, 21

“I joined Pie Factory Music when I was 15. I was new to Kent, didn’t know a lot of people in the area but I wanted a place to record my own music.

I’ve always loved listening to and playing music, I really appreciate it. It brings out a strong reaction in me.

I didn’t have much confidence and was very reserved and insecure about my music. I would rather blend in with the crowd than be the centre of attention. When I first joined Pie Factory Music, I would sit at the back, looking at other people recording their own music rather than getting involved. 

I opted to have a private workshop session with Matt, one of the music leaders, and I felt comfortable enough to record my own song. He was an amazing mentor to me, he worked at my pace and I grew in confidence. I then had the courage to get involved in the Monday evening workshops where lots of young people make music together. 

I’ve since recorded my first album, performed at gigs in Kent and London, and Pie Factory Music introduced me to another music hub that has offered me funding for a new project that I’m currently working on. 

I’m now a mentor at Pie Factory Music, running studio sessions for young people who are interested in creating their own music. When I see them grow in confidence and make progress, it makes me really proud. 

I didn’t just gain confidence and make music at Pie Factory Music, they taught me life skills, like how to collaborate with people, networking skills, how to set up my own gigs and how to approach others in the industry. 

Matt showed me how to handle myself in situations and be a better person. Whilst Zoe was another big inspiration, she showed me how to market myself, be professional but most of all she helped shape who I am today.”

To find out more about our continued support of young people during lockdown click here

By now we’re sure that you would have heard the great news that The Libertines are headlining this year’s Wheels and Fins festival at Joss Bay, Broadstairs. But did you know that Pie Factory Music has been chosen to benefit from some of the proceeds of this gig?

We’re blown away by this generous gesture and want to thank The Libertines and Wheels and Fins for making this possible. Your donation will make a difference to the lives of young people and we’re exceptionally grateful.

To find out more about the festival and to grab your tickets, click here >

To celebrate, here’s our favourite The Libertines song – enjoy!

As part of POW!Thanet we are hosting a colourful finale in celebration of the many wonderful events throughout POW! 2017. We’ve got a jam-packed programme including performances from local artists Kub and Brigitte Aphrodite, Neelam Saredia, and debut performances from the Pie Factory Music Young Female Performers Programme. There will be music, dance, poetry and general merriment.

Hosted by Brigitte Aphrodite and Amber Butchart you are in for a treat as we celebrate all things POW!

Book your FREE tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2856719

Check out our new short film created by young people to raise the profile of resilience and wellbeing and spread the love…

In June 2016 we were asked by HeadStart Kent to develop a creative product that would spread the key messages of their project from the last two years. We asked our wonderful Art31 group to come up with a concept and turn it into a product that could be shared. The group decided that they wanted to write a song to capture the key messages and then get this animated into a short film. The young people We then contacted A&C Studio’s to see if they could help. The young people had the ideas for the main characters Bounce Back Barry and Deflated Dale and A&C worked their animation magic to bring it all together.

The young people have also produced a resource pack with more information and activities to spread their messages. You can download the FREE resource pack here: Bounce Back Barry Resource Pack

Spread the Love

We want more children and young people to know that they’re not alone in whatever challenge they are facing.

You can help by:

1. Sharing our video: https://youtu.be/3K48268HZiU

2. Telling us what you think…

Do we talk about how we’re feeling enough?

Do we teach children and young people to express how they are feeling articulately?

Do people get enough information about resilience, wellbeing and support?

What else could we do to spread the message of resilience and wellbeing?

A huge thanks to A&C Studios, HeadStart Kent, all of the young people and staff who worked hard to bring Bounce Back Barry to life. We love him!

Are you 13-25?

Are you a poet, musician, dancer, comedian or performer?

Would you like to perform at the first #OURNIGHT event in December?

This is an open call for young people in Thanet who would like to perform at the first #OURNIGHT event on the 2nd December 2016. We are holding open auditions for young performers and are looking for a mix of great acts for our first event.

To book an Audition Slot please click here to contact us

#OURNIGHT Auditions – 18th November – 4pm – 6pm @ Turner Contemporary

#OURNIGHT is a young people’s creative event in partnership with Turner Contemporary where Young People will run the show from programming to performing, hosting to sound engineering.

#OURNIGHT Event – 2nd December – 7pm -10pm @ Turner Contemporary

To book tickets for the event please click here