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Tomorrow's Warriors - I AM WARRIOR 2020

TOMORROW'S WARRIORS NEEDS YOUR HELP to keep its acclaimed Learning Programme £FREE for the next generation of UK Jazz musicians, to keep it accessible across cultural divides and barriers, with a particular focus on Black musicians and young women, and to get us through the Covid-19 crisis. 

“Tomorrow’s Warriors was the first place where I felt I had a place as a woman in jazz, and, crucially, as a black woman in jazz.”  Nubya Garcia | Award-winning saxophonist/recording artist  (MOJO Magazine)


TOMORROW'S WARRIORS ARTIST DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

Our unique development programme helps aspiring young jazz musicians discover their magic and achieve their creative ambitions. Free access to this programme is key and has proved crucial in nurturing the nascent talent and early careers of so many of the most exciting UK artists currently tearing up the jazz scene at home and across the world. Tomorrow’s Warriors’ alumni include Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Sheila Maurice-Grey, Cassie Kinoshi and Nérija, Femi Koleoso and Ezra Collective, Binker Golding, Shabaka Hutchings and Sons of Kemet, Eska, Denys Baptiste, Soweto Kinch, Blue Lab Beats, Mark Crown, David Okumu, Ben Burrell, Zara McFarlane, Mark Kavuma, Camilla George, Cherise, Nathaniel Facey and Empirical, Peter Edwards, Jason Yarde and J-Life, Robert Mitchell, Byron Wallen... the list goes on and on and on!

“Tomorrow’s Warriors have changed the musical landscape of Britain. It’s as simple as that.”   Cerys Matthews |  BBC Radio 6Music


 WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

"I know there are young people from a similar background to me who, if given the opportunities, can create great art. It’s not curriculum style, because what we’re dealing with is art. The individuals are artists, and I want to hear what they have to say about the world."   Gary Crosby OBE | Co-Founder & Artistic Director, Tomorrow’s Warriors and Recipient of The Queen's Medal for Music 2018

"We need your support to help the next generation  of jazz talent have a bright future across a number of cultural and economic divides. It means so much to us to provide this vital learning programme to the young people that need it most.” Janine Irons MBE | Co-Founder & Chief Executive, Tomorrow's Warriors


Based at Southbank Centre in London, Tomorrow’s Warriors (Registered Charity No: 1153613) offers a pioneering, comprehensive programme of learning and training which, in particular, champions and supports young people from the African diaspora and girls and those whose financial or other challenging circumstances would tend to lock them out of opportunities to pursue a career in the music industry.

The Covid-19 pandemic has presented a number of challenges that we absolutely must overcome if we are to continue making a difference to the lives of the young people on our programme and transforming the landscape in music education and the wider music industry.

Due to Covid-19, Tomorrow’s Warriors lost 112 confirmed live gigs between March-September 2020 alone, wiping out 100% of a vital income stream needed to keep our engines running and to continue providing the unique and extensive support to young jazz musicians, in particular black talent and young women, who are so under-represented in the scene. 


Throughout lockdown we have provided much-needed continuity to our young learning community via weekly virtual learning sessions. We've been keeping our young musicians engaged, supported, connected, helping them to continue developing their talent and keeping our music leaders and artists employed. Doing so has been incredibly important at a time when all of us - collectively and individually - have been stretched and challenged on so many levels. Learning music or taking part in group musical activity may not be high on the list of most people's priorities just now but, for a creative, dedicated young person passionate about music, these sessions have proved a lifeline.

“Thank you so much for setting up and running the zoom session. My son needs structure for his mental health, and he has just been the most communicative he has been all week (immediately after the session). Tomorrow’s Warriors is awesome, thank you.”  Warrior Parent

We want to continue providing the necessary support to young people, then hit the ground running and resume our trusted and respected Learning and Events Programme when it is safe to do so, but we need your support to survive this crisis.


WHAT WE OFFER
 
Since inception, we have reached over 10,000 young people aged 11-25 through our unique Young Artist Development Programme, providing each student with between 1-15 years'  free jazz training and development. Our programme includes:

·       A supportive learning infrastructure for young people who might not otherwise have access to music education

·       A learning community of diverse young people who come together across boundaries to share a sense of belonging through their passion for jazz 

·       A creative place for bringing young people together to jam and develop their artistry and musicianship in Jazz

·       Performance opportunities through a variety of ensembles that are a pathway into a professional musical career

·       Our ethos is #EachOneTeachOne, where past generations give back and inspire the next generation of Warriors who aim to follow in their illustrious footsteps

·       A route into a professional network, through training, mentorship, and performance via the Emerging Artist Development programme  

“With many schools and programmes, the people who do the best are those whose parents can afford extra lessons outside the classroom. Tomorrow’s Warriors being open and free for everyone deletes the classism.” Joe Armon-Jones | Award-winning pianist/recording artist 

 
In practice, with your generous support, we are able to provide a dynamic, comprehensive programme offering:
 
·       420+ weekly development workshops and band rehearsals led by trained, inspirational music leaders benefiting around 150+ young people

·       100+ regular live performance opportunities each year in quality music venues and festivals

·       Collaborations with other artists, groups and art forms

·       Opportunities to participate in our international partners' programmes

·       Apprenticeships, work experience and volunteering opportunities to support skills development

·       Opportunities to see and meet world-class international artists in concert

·       Quality paid employment opportunities

·       Outstanding pastoral care from our dedicated Tomorrow's Warriors team

and so much more!


A FREE PROGRAMME IS NOT COST-FREE!
 
Every year, we need to raise around £200,000 to keep our Young Artist Development Programme open and free so that all talented musicians aged 11-25 can discover and share their magic through jazz, regardless of their background.

Your donations help members of Tomorrow’s Warriors rise to extraordinary heights and, year on year, empower and enable increasing numbers of talented young musicians, many of whom simply do not have the means to afford regular, quality training.

“It’s really an organisation that cares about the entire development of the artists that they support. If [Tomorrow’s Warriors Learning Programme] wasn’t free I couldn’t have done it. I had all of the heart and none of the money, but I was just as deserving. The fact that it was free changed my life and I think it could change many other people’s too.”  Cherise Adams-Burnett | Award-winning vocalist


Tomorrow's Warriors relies on donations from generous supporters like you to provide the resources needed to develop outstanding artists through our unique, free learning programme that takes our musicians on a journey to develop their art and keep the scene growing from the grassroots upwards.

Your donations will allow us to keep the UK jazz scene dynamic and fresh and grow our remarkable community of artists and audiences, even in the face of massive challenges to the cultural economy.  

Our #IAMWARRIOR 2020 appeal aims to raise £100,000, which this year we aim to match with funds from a range of trusts and foundations. 


BLACK LIVES MATTER

Black lives have always mattered at Tomorrow’s Warriors. We celebrate and support black music culture and the rich cultural heritage of jazz.  As a black-founded and black-led organisation, we play a vital role within our community and within the music industry.  We are proud to have had such a strong impact on the scene over three decades and have been credited with literally changing the face of UK jazz.  
 
“More or less every black jazz musician who has come up in the past 20 years in the UK has been a part of it [Tomorrow’s Warriors] in some way or form. It’s done a lot to try to diversify the landscape.”  Shabaka Hutchings | Award-winning saxophonist/Impulse recording artist

HOW YOU HELPED US PREVIOUSLY

Thanks to the hundreds of donations
made to our #IAmWarrior appeal in 2018-2019, we were able to secure £100,000 match funding from Arts Council England. Your generous gifts helped us to keep our core programme running and free for a year, providing over 2,000 learning and performance opportunities to a dedicated cohort of more than 140 young musicians. Of this group,  61% were Black, Asian and other minority ethnic heritage and 42% were female. We also presented 129 concerts and other public performances showcasing our young musicians in professional venues around the country, providing invaluable performance experience, quality paid employment and a direct line to new audiences for our emerging artists.


“Tomorrow’s Warriors provided a space for us to really train and weightlift, to ‘get our chops together’ as musicians say, so we were ready, well-rounded and versed in many styles when the time came to make it a career.”  Theon Cross | Award-winning tuba player/recording artist

We want to achieve this impact and more for our young people in 2020-21 and be in a position to continue strong support when the time comes to restore the programme to its full glory. COVID-19 has made this a herculean task, particularly now we know that Black and Asian communities face heightened risks and real danger in relation to the disease.  

With your help we can find alternative ways to keep the music coming whilst keeping our community safe. With your help, our core programme will remain free and continue to transform the lives of future generations of exceptional young jazz talent. 

“Thank you for the support you have given to our son over the years and the recent opportunities which have been opened to him. Your unfailing support, vision, belief and selfless sacrifice are all a major part of his personal development as a musician, even when so many of his music teachers during his school years refused to recognise him and believe in his potential. You were there for him then and continue to support him to this day. Thank you for providing the solid foundation in TW which he and so many other young people need to become the musicians of today and tomorrow.”   Warrior parent


PUTTING YOUR DONATION TO WORK

PLEASE DONATE TODAY
to bring inspirational artists within touching distance of aspiring young musicians and provide them with transformative learning experiences in a safe, inclusive, creative space. Here are just a few of the ways your donation can make a difference:

 £5 can provide a young person with a subsidised ticket to see international artists perform on stage
 
£10 can cover a teenage musician for travel and subsistence incurred attending a live concert in London

 £20 can provide one day's travel and subsistence for a young musician on our programme who is not in education, employment or training

 £50 can pay a young music leader apprentice the London Living Wage for half a day supporting younger Warriors while learning invaluable teaching skills from an experienced music leader

£100 can pay for a music leader to attend a faculty meeting to review student progress and plan ahead

 £300 will pay for a development session led by an inspirational Tomorrow's Warriors music leader for up to 25 young people

£500 will enable us to invite a visiting international artist to deliver an inspiring interactive masterclass

£1,000 can pay for a showcasing opportunity for one of our rising star ensembles

£2,500 can cover the cost of a Tomorrow’s Warriors band recording, filming and livestreaming an exciting live music session safely distanced in a professional studio, ensuring our emerging artists can continue to gain performance experience

£5,000 will pay for one term of weekly ensemble development sessions and rehearsals and up to three performances for our extraordinary Youth Ensemble when we are safe to return to performing in front of a live audience

£10,000 will pay for the production and marketing of six themed concerts by Warriors bands featuring the future stars of jazz when it’s safe to restart our monthly live jazz programme


We are SO grateful for your donation today.  THANK YOU  FOR  SUPPORTING! We cannot do this without you!   
 
MAKE YOUR DONATION STRETCH FURTHER

Here's the really easy bit...Tomorrow's Warriors is a registered charity so, if you are a UK taxpayer, please remember to GIFT AID your donation as this can increase your gift by 25% without costing you a penny more! Over the course of each year, the collective gift aid from donors can bring £'000s extra back to our charity from the UK tax authority, enabling your donations to have even greater impact.

CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEY WITH US

If you’re interested to walk alongside and continue your journey with us, then you may be inspired to join our wonderful community of supporters who have made an ongoing commitment to Tomorrow’s Warriors by becoming regular donors. A regular gift, no matter how large or small, will enable us to plan ahead with greater certainty and help secure our future. As a regular donor you’ll have access to a range of exclusive offers and opportunities, plus the comfort of knowing your support is helping young musicians to thrive and grow. To find out more, please head over to our website at https://tomorrowswarriors.org/regular-giving/   

THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU ARE WARRIOR! 

 #IAMWARRIOR

Donations 

  • Nick Baker
    • £100 
    • 1 yr
  • Frank Kindred
    • £100 
    • 1 yr
  • Dominic Gunn
    • £10 
    • 2 yrs
  • William Kemble-Diaz
    • £10 
    • 2 yrs
  • Jonathan Perugia
    • £5 
    • 2 yrs

Organizer

Tomorrow's Warriors
Organizer
England
Tomorrow's Warriors Trust
 
Registered nonprofit
Donations eligible for Gift Aid.

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