For decades, the creative arts have been synonymous with youth culture due to its expressive nature. 

A local event at Wolverhampton’s Newhampton Arts Centre prompted me to discuss the importance of music as an outlet for creativity amongst young people.

‘Live and Picking’, an event held monthly in this small yet atmospherically buzzing venue, sees many musicians, aged 13-21, take to the stage each month.

This allows local young artists the opportunity to find a platform for their music and perform to a live audience.

Partaking in arts education personally, prompted a reflection upon how the arts is embraced by the youth and its importance.

“TV and film is more infamous for misrepresenting young people”, states Kinsey Marlow, attendee of ‘Live and Picking’, “as well as other forms of art”, he continues.

Unlike many other platforms of art such as TV, film and theatre, music seems to be a more easily accessible outlet for young people.

Contrastingly, the power of record labels often means “expression isn’t as prevalent” he adds.

Social media also provides an additional platform for many up-and-coming creatives across various fields of content creation, not just music.

Ever since the punk movement in the late 70s, there has been an influx of self-taught and made musicians. 

With an illustrious list of successful artists from the Black Country and Birmingham area such as Duran Duran, Slade and of course Black Sabbath, it is no wonder they still help to inspire a host of new musicians in the area to this day.

Performance platforms like ‘Live and Picking’ at the NAC help this remain true for young musicians today.