Meet Music Education Islington’s Young Producers
Meet our Young Producers: New Sounds Festival 2026
Since 2023, Music Education Islington (MEI) has given young musicians aged 13-25 the chance to produce their own festival, with mentoring from arts professionals.
This year, nine young producers brought the New Sounds Festival to life at Guildhall’s Milton Court on 2 July, guided by Aleksandra Tihomirova, Creative Producer and Founder of 50 For Change.
From commissioning artists and managing budgets, to live events and marketing, the group developed the festival from the ground up. We caught up with young producers Lydia (15) and Peter (16) to hear about their experiences and what they learned along the way.
Meet Lydia and Peter
Lydia: Hi, I’m Lydia! I’m 15 years old and I play the piano in an MEI Jazz band every Monday. I found out about the Young Producers programme after my dad received an email about it and I signed up immediately because it seemed so interesting. I hadn’t taken part in something like it before and I really enjoyed the experience.
Peter: Hi, I'm Peter. I'm 16 years old, and I play the bassoon. For the Young Producers programme, I received an email, or maybe it was a letter, and I thought, "Let me sign up," so I did!
What have you learned from this experience?
Lydia: I’ve learned how to create posters and social media videos to advertise events, how to curate a running order for a performance, and how to work effectively as a team and overcome time pressures.
Peter: I've learnt what happens behind the scenes. When you think about behind-the-scenes work, you think it's just the hosting people and the lighting people, but there's so much more. There are so many different roles that people do. Like the stage hosts, they have to move props, keep the timing, and keep the stage nice. It's a lot of learning!
What was your favourite part of the programme and why?
Lydia: My favourite part of the programme was working as a team, particularly when making the social media videos. We got to come up with the video themes and film and edit them, which was really fun. I also made lots of friends.
Peter: My favourite part was coming in every Thursday. We're all friends now! We had a laugh at the beginning of each session and then we got to work.
What do you know now that you didn’t know before?
Lydia: I now know about the different roles involved in producing an event, including sound and lighting technicians and how they coordinate.
Peter: You have to be organised and you have to know what you're doing. People are being delegated work so if you don't do your work, you're kind of letting the team down.
How did the experience make you feel?
Lydia: It was really exciting to be shown how to do things that normally only professionals would do.
Peter: I felt jubilation at the end, not because it was ending, but because I was looking at what we had achieved. I was proud as well. What we produced was beautiful. It was amazing.
Did the festival inspire you to create or try something new?
Lydia: Seeing the bands perform inspired me to start a band with one of my fellow young producers.
Peter: Yes, hosting. I like talking, and I can make jokes sometimes… but in front of a lot of people, trying to tell my jokes, that’s different! I remember some of them weren't even laughing! But I just told myself, "Carry on." That's what happens when you try something new.
Is there anything you would do differently for next time?
Lydia: This has built my confidence and if I did it again I would feel more comfortable expressing my ideas and suggestions.
Peter: I'd try to be a bit more on time. Coming from school, it was a bit hard. Sometimes I got on the wrong train! Also, during the hosting, I would put a few more jokes in so that it would run a bit more smoothly.
What would you tell another student about taking part in this event?
Lydia: I would tell another student to make the most out of the programme by working hard and having fun as it is such a unique experience.
Peter: I'd say just do it. It's a new experience and we need more people!
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