First partnerships with Beacons Cymru, BIMM University and the Roundhouse, will work with young people to improve mental health outcomes in aspiring music industry professionals.
Tonic Music, the national registered charity establishing good mental health within music
communities, are delighted to announce the launch of a new programme, Tonic Futures on June 24th, 2024. The news comes as Tonic celebrate their twelfth anniversary and demonstrates the continued growth and impact of their work.
Tonic Futures will provide a comprehensive programme of mental health support for young people aged 18-25 taking their first steps towards a career in the music industry, whilst also offering bespoke training for youth workers and wellbeing officers supporting them.
The programme builds on the success of Tonic Music’s ongoing programmes; Tonic Rider, which provides mental health support for music artists, crew, and music industry professionals, and Never Mind The Stigma, which provides mental health support for music fans and audiences.
The first phase of the programme will be delivered in partnership with three key music organisations, Beacons Cymru, the Roundhouse and BIMM University.
Tonic Futures will work with participants to improve mental health outcomes through a comprehensive programme that combines therapeutic sessions, peer groups and preventative workshops, along with training courses for staff, plus access to a dedicated online portal full of resources and guides.
The need for the programme is evident. Tonic Music’s work to date has revealed that we are facing a crisis of mental health within young people in music.
Of the 18- to 25-year-olds Tonic Music has supported who work in the music industry:
34.5% have been formally diagnosed with anxiety and another 60.4% have personally experienced without a formal diagnosis.
38.5% have been formally diagnosed with depression and another 43.8% have personally experienced without a formal diagnosis.
20.8% have personally experienced problems with substance use (either drugs or alcohol).
27.1% have previously self-harmed and 13.5% have previously attempted suicide.
6.3% have personally experienced psychosis and 5.2% have been formally diagnosed with another severe mental health disorder.
Tonic Futures is designed to tackle this problem at source, creating better mental health for the next generation in the music industry, embedding a better mental health culture, and destigmatising the issues encountered by music artists, crew, and industry professionals.
Following the initial phase of the programme, Tonic Futures will look to develop further with new partners.
Tonic Futures has been made possible through funding from The Christopher Meredith Foundation.
Steph Langan, Founder and CEO of Tonic Music said:
“The team at Tonic Music have long recognised the gap of specialist mental health support for young people embarking on their journeys within music. We are both delighted and humbled to receive the support of the Christopher Meredith Foundation who recognise Tonic Futures can create meaningful long-term change, both for young people starting their careers within music and as a catalyst for positive change within the entire music industry. Tonic Music are excited to announce our first three partner organisations who already inspire and provide incredible support to young people. We look forward to supporting the next generation in music and the incredible people working within the organisations selected.”
Jeordie Shenton, Programmes Lead at Tonic Music said:
“The Tonic Music team are delighted to be launching the Tonic Futures programme. It is essential that everyone working in the music industry, particularly young people at the early stages of their career, are provided with mental health support to reduce and even prevent the onset of poor mental health. A big thank you goes to the Christopher Meredith Foundation for supporting the programme. We look forward to working with Beacons Cymru, BIMM London and the Roundhouse to create a culture of good mental health for the next generation in music.”
Sadie Meredith, Trustee at the Christopher Meredith Foundation said:
“As Tonic Music continues to deliver good mental health practices within the music community, we at The Christopher Meredith Foundation are delighted to support Tonic Futures. We continue to be impressed with the dedication of Steph and the team at Tonic Music.”
Spike Griffiths (Director) for Beacons Cymru said:
“We are extremely grateful to Tonic Futures for selecting Beacons Cymru as one of the three organisations to receive this vital support. Wellbeing has always been a core tenet of Beacons Cymru's mission, and this timely package of care will significantly bolster our efforts to prioritise and promote wellbeing among the young people we support. Additionally, it will allow us to upskill our staff, equipping them with a deeper understanding of the importance of good mental health within the industry.”
Rebekah Westgate (Student Wellbeing Manager) from BIMM University said:
“The opportunity to work in partnership with Tonic Futures on this initiative will provide valuable learning about mental health for a core group of our students, as well as specialised mental health in the music industry training for our staff wellbeing teams. The power of this programme is that it is designed for young people who are working towards embarking on a career in the music industry; an industry that is already known to be a source of vulnerability for mental health issues due to various factors such as the competitive nature, the lifestyle, and the lack of security. We see this as just the start of enhancing our wellbeing provision to not only be excellent in our focus on preventative mental health support, but to tailor what we offer to support our student's preparation for creative careers.”
Nathan Tuft (Senior Youth Support Manager) from the Roundhouse said:
“We're absolutely delighted to be selected as a partner for the Tonic Futures programme. The support package will make a significant difference to the breadth and depth of mental health support we provide to young people working with the Roundhouse and will mean our team can respond to immediate needs as they present themselves. By accessing enhanced mental health support, young people can more confidently and happily explore their creativity with us. This partnership will also enable our youth work team to grow the necessary skills in-house, and in the future, we will be able to promote this more widely and have it as part of our core offer to young people.”
