Edinburgh College

EC Sessions

Established by part-time Edinburgh College lecturer Jess Abrams, EC Sessions provides a safe and welcoming space for young people from local communities across Edinburgh aged 12-18 to have meaningful non-formal music-making opportunities every week.

With inclusiveness at its heart and the belief that everyone deserves music, the project gives the young people who attend the autonomy to choose their instruments and the music they play, irrelevant of their level of ability. 

This is at the core of the project’s vision: a way to experience college that helps young people to see a place that is for them – a place they are welcome and feel a connection to without all the formality often associated with coming in the ‘front door’. For some, it's meant a gentle route into studying at the college, for others, EC Sessions has simply been a place to come to learn, play, compose and record music.

What the Judges Thought

The judges loved this novel initiative, the idea that one member of staff can start a small project which expands to a point where it influences the organisation to adapt their timetabling to accommodate it is wonderful.

Replicable across other instituations where skill sets / equipment allow i.e. music tutoring and instruments, this would be invaluable to pupils from more deprived areas that do not have the opportunity to take music lessons. Music is a wonderful medium for emotional expression and we should be doing more to encourage those who may feel disenfranchised to have the opportunity to take up an instrument. The ability for those who have attended to then become mentors instills a sense of worth and self respect in the participants. 

What it Means to Win

“We are delighted that our EC Sessions project has been recognised at year’s Green Gown Awards. It is fantastic and well-deserved recognition of the project created by lecturer Jess Abrams and her supporting students. It has become a vital community and support service for many young people in our local area, not only giving them the opportunity to learn a musical instrument but also somewhere they can relax, be themselves and make new friends and connections.”

Jon Buglass, Vice Principal

Top 3 Learnings

1. 70 young people have learned how to play a musical instrument.
2. These young people learned what it is like to be part of a huge community.
3. Participants have further learned that equal opportunities should be afforded to all.