Always on
This project successfully funded on 7th April 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Beyond the Stage: Music for All in Sidmouth
Sidmouth, Devon, United Kingdom
Aim
Supporting education and outreach through the Sidmouth Jazz & Blues Festival
Sidmouth Jazz & Blues Festival is known for its world-class live music but its impact reaches far beyond the stage.
The Festival takes place from Friday 22 to Monday 25 May 2026.
Alongside the ticketed programme, we deliver a free education and outreach programme that brings people together through music, supports learning and creativity, and ensures that everyone can take part, regardless of age, background or financial circumstance.
While we actively seek funding from grant bodies and local businesses, to deliver the education, outreach and wellbeing activity we believe in, we need the support of the community.
Our Approach
Everything this Crowdfunder supports is rooted in six simple principles:
- LOVE Connection – bringing people together through shared musical experiences
- LOVE Community – creating welcoming spaces shaped with and for local people
- LOVE Learning – offering accessible opportunities to develop skills and creativity
- LOVE Listening – encouraging sharing, participation and being heard
- LOVE Opportunity – removing financial barriers to taking part
- LOVE Outreach – taking music into community, care and wellbeing settings
What Your Support Makes Possible
Free Education Programme: LOVE Learning & Opportunity
Our free education programme runs throughout the festival and offers a wide range of workshops, masterclasses and participatory sessions for all ages and abilities.
These include:
- Instrument workshops covering piano, drums, brass, guitar and more
- Masterclasses led by professional musicians, sharing skills, experience and insight
- Participatory jam sessions, encouraging collaboration and creative confidence
- Creative and music-appreciation sessions, exploring rhythm, improvisation and expression
- Movement and rhythm workshops, supporting focus, wellbeing and engagement
Whether someone is completely new to music, returning after a long break, or looking to develop existing skills, these sessions are free, inclusive and open to all.
The Big Festival Sing: LOVE Listening & Connection
The Big Festival Sing is a community singing project led by artist Melissa James, using collective singing to support connection, confidence and mental wellbeing.
The sessions are open, informal and welcoming. There are no auditions, just people coming together to sing, connect, listen and take part.
Participants feedback that the sessions help them feel more connected, more confident and more at ease in themselves. The sessions culminate in a performance on the Love Local Stage.
Sharing the Festival — LOVE Outreach & Community
Not everyone can come to the festival — so we take the festival to them.
Working with local community groups, our outreach programme brings live music directly into:
- Care homes
- Supported-living environments
- Hospices
- Community and wellbeing groups
These sessions create shared musical moments in places where access to live music is often limited, helping people feel included in the wider cultural life of the town.
Why This Matters
As access to cultural activity becomes more limited for many people, community-led music programmes help keep creativity open, shared and part of everyday life.
These activities don’t generate income. They exist because they are valued and because people choose to support them.
How Your Contribution Helps
Every contribution helps us to:
- Keep workshops and sessions free and accessible
- Deliver outreach to community and care settings
- Ensure participation is never limited by cost, confidence or circumstance
Be Part of Music for All
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made