Help support Powerjam!
We are a not-for-profit, multi-genre band initiative for 11–18-year-olds, which has been run on a volunteer basis for the past 10 years. As we celebrate milestone, we want to bring your attention to the growing need for support to sustain what has become an incredibly vital service for young musicians in our community.
You may not know that Powerjam offers young people the complete band experience, with the necessary safeguarding measures in place. We match like-minded young musicians to form bands, then mentor, rehearse, and guide them weekly. We provide songwriting support, performance opportunities, and even professionally record and release their original music as part of the Powerjam label, ensuring young people retain full copyright over their songs. Alongside being tutors, we serve as mentors, roadies, booking agents, social media managers, and more.
We do all of this for 10 youth bands each school year, and also run tutor-led jam sessions weekly for young musicians on our waiting list. Last year, 40% of our members came from disadvantaged backgrounds, and an increasing number face learning challenges or mental health issues. You can imagine the level of care and customisation this requires.
What makes Powerjam stand out is how our bands are out there gigging, averaging 55 public performances a year, providing high-quality entertainment at festivals, fairs, and community events. Often, we’re not paid for these gigs, but we do it because it gives our young musicians a tangible goal, a sense of purpose, and builds their confidence both on and off stage. In fact, one of our bands recently had their track featured on ITV’s Love Island.
Some of you may even remember one of our early bands, whom you helped get to New York to represent the UK at an international teen band festival. That same band later won a nationwide competition and just this year headlined at the Royal Albert Hall.
Powerjam has been recognised for our work:
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We were just named Music School of the Year 2025 (London/South East Prestige Awards) for our personalised, service-driven focus and our commitment to excellence in youth music education.
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We were also voted a Big Issue Changemaker 2025, thanks to a public vote celebrating our social impact.
However, like many of you working in the youth or arts sectors, we’ve been hit hard by funding cuts. The waiting list continues to grow, but without outside support, we can’t expand, and we risk having to downscale.
With your help, we can keep going. Your support could allow us to hire another tutor, take on more young musicians, and continue providing a safe, inspiring, and transformational experience for young people through music.