Applications are now open for In the Making 2025, a year-long artist development programme designed for young music creators and composers aged 14 to 18. If you’re a budding musician in NI – or anywhere in the UK – with a passion for composing, recording or performing music in any form, this is an opportunity worth your attention.

Run by Sound and Music, In the Making welcomes 50 young people from across the UK each year. Whether you work with a DAW, improvise, write for orchestra or experiment with sound, the programme is open to all musical styles and backgrounds. It’s built to help participants grow creatively, build confidence and develop their own unique voice in music.

Over twelve months, participants benefit from a mix of in-person and online activities, including a week-long residential at the University of Huddersfield, practical skills sessions, and one-to-one guidance from professional composers. You’ll also work on composing tasks, receive a professional recording of your work, and have your music featured on Sound and Music’s YouTube channel and Resonance FM.

The programme costs £836 for residential participants and £536 for those attending daily without overnight stays. Crucially, there is a generous bursary scheme that can cover up to 100 percent of the fee, as well as travel costs, to ensure that finances are not a barrier.

Eligibility is open to UK residents aged 14-18 by 19 July 2025 who are currently in full-time education. Those who have already attended the residential more than once will be added to a waiting list.

Applications close at 11.59pm UTC on Monday 5 May 2025. To find out more or apply, visit here.