Youth
Projects

The Oh Yeah Music Centre is proud to support the next generation of musicians, creatives, and music industry professionals through a series of inspiring youth programmes. Whether you're dreaming of running your own gig, writing your first song, or taking to the stage, there's something here for you.

  • A group of seventeen teenagers and their mentor on a rooftop, all wearing black T-shirts with a green and white volume control graphic and text, smiling and standing in a semi-circle.

    Volume Control

    An award-winning programme for 14–17 year olds where you run the show! Learn how to book, promote, and host your own gigs, and earn a qualification to kickstart your career in the music industry.

    Find Out More
  • A young girl with curly hair sitting behind a drum set, holding a drumstick, in a room with walls covered in handwritten notes, musical notation, and posters.

    Elevate

    A weekly after-school club for 11–17 year olds - perfect for writing songs, jamming with new mates, and building confidence. Whether you're just starting out or already making music, our expert mentors are here to help.

    Find Out More
  • Young person with long dark brown hair playing an acoustic guitar on stage, with microphone stands nearby, under stage lighting.

    Youth Open Mic

    A monthly opportunity for young singer-songwriters and duos to perform, build confidence, and share original music in a safe, supportive space.

    Find Out More
  • Group of students sitting around a round table at a conference or event, with banners and promotional materials in the background.

    More Volume

    More Volume takes our Volume Control programme on-the-road,  giving young people the skills to plan and promote live gigs in their schools or communities with the help of experienced mentors.

    Find Out More

Calling All Teachers!

  • Display of a mannequin dressed in a pinstripe suit with barbed wire pattern and a blue shirt, in a museum exhibit about Johnny Cash, with artwork and photographs of Johnny Cash on the wall.

    School Trips

    Looking for your next school trip? We are the home of the NI Music Exhibition featuring memorabilia from NI’s music greats. We also offer our Belfast Music Bus Tour that takes you on a journey through the city with a music-loving guide.

  • A young male DJ wearing headphones working on a DJ mixer and laptop at an outdoor event.

    Put Your Students Centre Stage

    Want to help your students run a gig? More Volume is a community-based events mentoring project which takes the Volume Control programme on the road! Our team of mentors and music industry experts will put your future music promoters through their paces, giving them the skills they need to put on a gig to entertain your school community.

  • Young boy in a gray blazer excitedly looking at a wooden block tower at a music event, with a large sign behind him reading 'Opening Door to Music'.

    Supporting Music In Schools

    Your students are the Future Sounds of Belfast. Our youth projects are expanding into schools to help us ensure that potential is met, from after school clubs to bespoke partnership projects.

Get In Touch
Icon of a bar graph with increasing green bars above the words 'VOLUME CONTROL' in white, stylized letters with circular sound icons inside the letter 'O's.

An award-winning programme for 14–17 year olds where you run the show! Learn how to book, promote, and host your own gigs, and earn a qualification to kickstart your career in the music industry.

dream of working in the music industry?

Are you 14-17 years old?

Volume Control is an award-winning youth programme that gives you hands-on experience of developing, planning, and delivering your own live music events. Our expert mentors are on hand to help you develop skills to set you up for a career in the music industry, from how to book artists and promote shows, to stage management and sound engineering.

You’ll even get an Open College Network qualification.

Each year we welcome 15 young people to the programme with recruitment opening in July. Applications are via a simple form and a short informal interview. So if you’re passionate about events, full of good ideas and have a passion for music, why not get involved?

£350 for a 40 week programme, payable monthly.
Funded places and concessions available.

A logo with a red circular arrow orbiting a green location pin, with the word 'elevate' in lowercase white letters across the center.

A weekly after-school club for 11–17 year olds - perfect for writing songs, jamming with new mates, and building confidence. Whether you're just starting out or already making music, our expert mentors are here to help

Drop in
Tune up
Rock out

Wednesdays
5-7pm

Are you 11-17 years old?

Elevate is a weekly after-school club for 11–17 year olds - perfect for writing songs, jamming with new mates, and building confidence.

Whether you’re picking up an instrument for the first time or fine-tuning your own songs, Elevate is a fun and supportive space where you can learn, collaborate, perform and meet like-minded people who may even become your future bandmates!

Each week our expert mentors will be on hand and happy to offer advice or feedback, whether you need tips on songwriting, help to master a tricky technique, or encouragement to help you take the next steps with your music.

Drop-in charge £8.50.
Money saving options available through subscription.
Funded places also available to ensure everyone can take part.

Logo for Youth Open Mic featuring the words 'YOUTH OPEN MIC' in white text, with a red microphone icon on the right side.

A monthly opportunity for young singer-songwriters and duos to perform, build confidence, and share original music in a safe, supportive space.

Showcase your talent

All ages welcome.
Performers must be under 18.

Launched in 2022, our monthly Youth Open Mic sessions are a safe, welcoming place for you to showcase your talent.

The event is suitable for solo artists and duos, with two performers per slot being the limit. The stage will be set up with two vocal mics and two DI boxes for guitars and keys, however we welcome musicians from all genres and are happy to discuss any ideas you might have!

Slots last for approximately 15 minutes (about 3 songs) and we would love to hear at least one original song, if you have one.

Next Session

A young person with curly hair playing an electric guitar on stage during a performance.
Text graphic with the words "More Volume" in bold white and yellow font, accompanied by a yellow zigzag line resembling a sound wave, on a black background.

More Volume takes our Volume Control programme on-the-road,  giving young people the skills to plan and promote live gigs in their schools or communities with the help of experienced mentors.

Turn Up The Volume

Outreach programme for under 18s.

In 2018, with valued support from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Oh Yeah launched More Volume – a community-based extension of our award-winning Volume Control programme which aims to take live music mentoring out of the city centre and into the heart of local communities. Our current and past community partners include Shankill Alternatives, East Belfast Partnership, New Lodge Arts, and An Droichead.

More Volume is a 12-week programme but can be tailored or bepoke to your needs, for your project. More Volume gives young people the chance to plan and deliver their own live music events, right in their own neighbourhoods. With mentoring and support, participants learn practical skills such as event planning and management, marketing, stage management and sound engineering.

At the end of the programme, the team stages a real live music event in their local area, creating something exciting, inclusive, and all their own. From Halloween gigs on the Falls Road to packed-out indie nights in Shankill cafés, DJ sets at CS Lewis Square, and rock shows in vintage cinemas – More Volume events have been as creative and diverse as the young people behind them.

The aim is simple: make the arts accessible to all, no matter where you live, and give young people the chance to lead, create, and be heard.

Two young women performing music on stage, one singing into a microphone and the other playing an electric guitar, with colorful stage lighting.

Start
Your
Music
Career

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