Hard work pays off for young musicians (From Haringey Independent)

Hard work pays off for young musicians

2:52pm Tuesday 3rd April 2012 in News By Hermione Wright

Six months of hard work paid off for young musicians who performed at a concert in Tottenham on Saturday night.

The free show, which kicked off at 7.30pm at Parkview Academy in Langham Road, featured young performers from musical charity Haringey Stars.

Ten young people, aged between 12 and 18, put stage fright behind them and sung their own songs and played instruments for the 100-strong audience.

The performers stood together on stage to perform a selection of songs, before breaking off into smaller groups.

The charity, which is funded by Haringey Council and Capital FM, offers young people a chance to learn music skills for free in weekly sessions.

The concert is the first of its kind, with many of the young people practising every week to get ready for the show.

Ray Kalema, 17, who is from Tottenham and played the keyboard, said: “The best thing about a concert like this is that you learn how to work together. It helps to keep children out of trouble, doesn’t it?

“It gives them something to do, instead of just hanging around with nothing going on.

"People who came along to this concert have seen a group of young people from this area getting together and doing positive things.”

At least 15 different acts were performed by the teenagers, with sets including singing, rap music and drum and guitar performances.

Councillor John Bevan (Lab, Northumberland Park) came to the show to support the local talent.

He gave certificates to each of the performers after the show to congratulate them on their hard work and dedication to music.

He said he was very impressed with the quality of the performance and was struck by the enthusiasm of the young people who took part.

He said: "All young people are crammed with potential and should be filled with expectation and excitement about what is possible in life.

"But all too often they are held back by peer pressure, family problems and lack of confidence.

"An event like this shows what can be done when our young people are given the chance to shine.”

Neil Rodger, who volunteers for the musical charity, said: “The concert has been a great success and the credit for that has to go down to the young performers who have worked so hard to get to this standard.

"It’s great to see so many local people coming along to show their support for this scheme and it’s really good for the young people involved to hear the crowd cheering after every song.

“They’ve performed brilliantly this evening and we hope this will show everyone what local young people can do when they put their mind to it and receive a little guidance.”