In Motion is an 18-month artist development programme, which supports 10 composers to design and undertake their own creative and professional journey. During your time on the programme, you will develop your practice, explore new contexts for your work, create new work to present to an audience and support the next generation of young creators on our In the Making programme.
You will receive an artist bursary and access a production grant to support with the development of a new creative idea or project. In Motion is an artist development programme, and the focus is on your artistic and professional development, which you will achieve by planning and developing a creative project. While on the programme, you will have opportunities to network and you will receive guidance and support from accredited coaches and our expert team.
In Motion is made possible with the generous support of Arts Council England, Jerwood Foundation, PRS Foundation, Garrick Club Charitable Trust and Creative Scotland.
Applications are now closed.
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Who are we looking for?
In Motion is an artist development programme that supports any composers working with music and sound in the UK. We use the term composer to describe anyone who creates new work using music or sound, whether you perform it yourself or write for others — and whether you work with software, use notation, improvise, or in other ways.
For this programme, you must be curious and want to experiment with new ways in how you make work and sustain your career. You must have a capacity to self-reflect and lead a creative process, and take initiative for your own learning and development in order to best benefit from the 1:1 and group support we offer on the programme.
In Motion focuses around what we call a step-change, a significant development or shift in your artistic or professional practice that will make a big difference to you as an artist in achieving your goals and building a sustainable career.
For example, you might want to:
- Develop an area of work that’s completely new to you, or create work outside a ‘pigeonhole’
- Engage new audiences and communities for your work
- Explore areas of your solo practice more deeply
- Bring together previously different areas of your practice
- Explore and understand how to work with your own access needs
- Explore what success means to you in your work
- Explore your working processes more deeply
- Develop work on a larger scale
- Take risks in a supportive setting
- Work with new collaborators or art forms
Access support
In line with our commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and as the founder of the Fair Access Principles, we want to make our programmes and processes as inclusive as possible to as wide a range of applicants as we can.
If you would like to inquire about or arrange access support with applying to In Motion, please contact Grace Bailey (Grace.Bailey@SoundandMusic.org).
If you would like to arrange a session an access support worker, you need to let us know by 18 November 2024 so we can contract our access support workers. If we receive an access support request after that date, we may not be able to book a dedicated access support worker for this application round depending on their availability.
How does the application process work?
The application is in two stages. The first stage is open to anyone. A selection of applicants will then be invited to progress and complete the second stage of the application
In this first application, you will:
- submit your personal information
- share your bio (150 words)
- tell us what step-change you want to undertake (250 words)
- tell us what will be different about your practice at the end of the programme (250 words)
- share two examples of your work
Applications close on 4 December 2024. We will inform you of the outcome of the first stage application by 22 January 2024. We offer feedback to all unsuccessful applicants upon request.
How do I apply?
We are making some changes to the way you apply to this programme, so if you have applied to In Motion or New Voices in the past, please read our application guidance carefully before applying.
The deadline for applications is Wednesday 4 December 2024, 23:59 GMT.
When applications open, you can submit your application online (Airtable form) where you will have the option to submit answers either written directly into the form, or as a short video or audio. As part of our commitment to access support, we offer alternative ways of applying. Please get in touch with Grace Bailey (Grace.Bailey@SoundandMusic.org) if you would like to discuss what reasonable adjustments we can make to the application process.
Before applying, make sure you read more about the programme, and read our Application Guidance Document carefully to make sure this programme is a good fit for you and you are familiar with the application process and our criteria.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible to apply you must:
- Be over 18 years old at the point of applying
- Not be in full or part-time education (in any subject and including PhDs) between April 2025-November 2026
- Have been based in the UK for the last two years
- Plan to remain resident, and have permission to stay, in the UK until November 2026
- Provide two recordings of your works
- Not have received a grant, fund, or been on one of our artist development programmes in the last six months
Key dates
- Monday 18 November 2024: Deadline to request access support for
applying to the programme - Wednesday 4 December 2024, 23:59 GMT: Deadline to submit applications
- Friday 24 January 2025: We will let you know the outcome of your application. If your application is progressed, you will be invited to submit a second part to your application
- Wednesday 18 February 2025: Deadline to submit the second part of your
application, if your application is progressed - Friday 21 March 2025: We will let you know the outcome of the
second application. If your application is progressed, you will be invited to do an interview with four members of the panel - Monday 24–Tuesday 25 March 2025: Interviews for shortlisted applicants (online)
- Friday 28 March 2025: We will let you know the final outcome of
your interview and application: 10 composers will be selected for In Motion, and eight will be offered the Seed Award - May 2025: In Motion 2025 induction takes place
Questions?
You can read more details about the programme to have a clearer picture of what is involved for selected composers.
We are hosting two information sessions open to all with information about the application process and the programme. If you are interested in applying and would like to find out if this is the right programme for you, then please join us for one of the sessions, which will take place on Zoom.
- Monday 11 November 2024, 12:30–1:30pm: Webinar open to all composers – Sign up for the open webinar here
- Tuesday 12 November 2024, 12:30–1:30pm: Open to composers identifying as d/Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent – Sign up for the d/Deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent session here
These meetings will be relaxed and informal, and we will have automated captions enabled.
If you have any additional questions or would like to get in touch about In Motion, you can contact Grace Bailey (Grace.Bailey@SoundandMusic.org)
In Motion is a unique artist development programme. As an organisation, we put artists at the heart of everything we do, and we continually evolve and change our approaches to best support the changing needs of artists today. In Motion is the result of over a decade of experience and we are excited to be opening up applications to a new cohort.
Thank you to our funders
See also
The 2024 In Motion cohort hail from all over the UK, working across a wide range of genres including jazz, electronic, classical, experimental, folk, soul and punk. Together their work will create a rich tapestry reflecting many of the most exciting elements of new music today. We are thrilled they have joined the programme and look forward to working alongside them on this next step in their creative practice.
The Seed Award is a support package open to composers aged 18 and over who have applied to and reached the interview stage of our In Motion programme. It includes £250 seed funding, coaching and strategic thinking sessions with our expert team. We reflect on and evaluate the Seed Award annually.
Got a question about one of our programmes? Wondering what we mean by composer? How to apply? Or how you can support our work? Take a look over our answers to some of the questions we get asked the most.