Support Mental Health In The Music Industry

 

 

 

This is Ali Taylor.  

I met him personally through our mutual background in Music/Mental Health Charity work.

 

Through an array of chance encounters, what had started as a business meeting in a café to discuss how we could work together blossomed into a 3-year (and counting) friendship full of memories, deep and meaningful conversations, powerful mental health music events, and a mutual love of karaoke.

 

It's easy to describe Ali. He is witty, hilarious, selfless, and kind. He puts his whole heart into everything he does and has such a positive air and energy no matter where he is or who's around.

 

But my favourite part about Ali is his dedication to his work in the Mental Health Music field and more importantly, the adoration he has for his gorgeous wife Liv and 5 children/step-children.

 

Ali is also the CEO of Mental Health Music charity Listen Up Music.

 

In 2008, Ali and Liv were work colleagues when Liv was suffering the grief of having lost her ex-husband, best friend and father of her children to suicide.

He left behind 4 young boys between the ages of 3-10 at the time. Ali shared his story with me of how helpless he had felt witnessing her going through this unimaginable tragedy. 

Over the years, Ali and Liv's friendship turned into an unexpected love and with that came the birth of a new family unit with all the trials, tribulations, highs, lows and unconditional love you could imagine to come out of such a difficult situation. 

Fast-forward 14 years and Ali has not only found (and married) the love of his life in Liv, he's helped this incredibly strong woman raise 4 amazing boys (and the addition of one gorgeous girl) and started a mental health/music charity in honor of those lost to suicide. 

Listen Up Music's mission is to build community, facilitate storytelling and promote positive mental health through the power of music.

It has done so officially since 2018 through events like The Songwriting Prize, (Australia’s only dedicated mental health songwriting competition), Torch Fest and their Mental Health Music Course, and has made a positive impact on the face of mental health all across Australia and the UK.

They are an award-winning registered Mental Health Music Charity that go beyond "raising awareness" and run events to empower individuals to practice positive mental health. 

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During the COVID-19 outbreak in Australia, crisis calls through Lifeline were at an all-time high : 

 

“Over the course of the COVID-19 outbreak, Lifeline has responded to record numbers of contacts with calls to the 13 11 14 crisis line surging to almost 90,000 a month, that means Lifeline is receiving a call every 30 seconds.”

According to the ABS, in 2020-21, 3.4 million Australians aged 16-85 years saw a health professional for their mental health.

One in five (20%) Australians aged 16-34 years experienced high or very high levels of psychological distress, more than twice the rate of those aged 65-85 years.

 

During the pandemic, the Events, Hospitality, Entertainment and Tourism industries were hit the hardest. 

In a time where mental health awareness and action are paramount, the ability to put on these events for our most at-risk demographic has become a near impossibility. 

 

Despite their best efforts, 70+  grant applications, hundreds of sponsorship requests to keep them up and running, the sad reality is that at a time when the world needs mental health support more than ever, another initiative is going to have to fold as it simply cannot continue to put on these events without the support of the community in such a dire time. 

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For some perspective, the cost of putting on a Mental Health Music event is anywhere from $2,000-$10,000 per event. This pays for the cost of location hires, sound, lighting, talent, keynote speakers, crew, photo/video services and marketing just to name a few. 

You can find more in-depth information on their programs/events at : https://www.listenupmusic.com.au/events/

To break it down a little further  :

For $250, 1 x music industry professional can be trained in pick:Up.
For $1,000, 1 x TSP event can be put on with 15 new artists joining the community and performing at one of the events.
For $5,000, 20 x music industry professionals can be trained in pick:Up.
For $6,000, a full year of The Songwriting Prize competition can be run.
For $10,000, 1 x Torch Fest event can be run.
For $40,000, a full year of Torch Fest events can be run in four different States.
For $100,000, Listen Up Music can be funded to deliver everything in its Strategic Plan.


I have set a goal of $5,000 to start. This will begin to assist with ensuring that these events are still possible as we start to transition to "living with the pandemic". 


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It's time the community gave back to a charity and a family that has time and time again put their whole heart and soul into going beyond simply "raising awareness",  and providing for a safe haven for people to share their most vulnerable moments, stories, and start to heal through the power of conversation and music.  

If you have ever lost someone to suicide, known someone with anxiety, depression or perhaps have suffered with these yourself (as I have), I implore you to help me keep this incredible charity alive by spreading the love, sharing this story and contributing anything you can. It all counts and we CAN make a difference for those who need it most.