In Motion - Sound and Music

Application deadline

Applications for In Motion are now closed

Thank you to our funders

What is In Motion?

In Motion is a new up to 18-month artist-led programme, which will create a space for 10 composers to design and embark on their own creative and professional journey. During your time on the programme, you will develop your practice, explore new contexts for your work, make a new piece to present to an audience and support the next generation of young creators on our In the Making programme.

You will be given a financial grant, opportunities to network, and guidance from accredited coaches and our expert team.

In Motion brings together 15 years of organisational learning. We know that each project is unique, from composer to composer, and that excites us! There isn’t one model that will or should fit everyone. Your outcome might be an event, an album, a community project, a work in progress sharing or something else entirely that will take you to the next level in your career.

For example, you might want to:

Develop an area of work that’s completely new to you, or step out of a ‘pigeonhole’
Engage new audiences and communities for your work
Explore 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

Applications are closed.

Applications for In Motion are now closed. If you're still interested in applying to future cohorts, please sign up to our newsletters for the latest information.

Who are we looking for?

In Motion is an artist development programme that supports anyone working with music and sound in the UK. We are looking for people who are curious and intrepid, and who want to experiment with new ways in how they make work and sustain their career.

Are you:

A composer or artist creating your own original music or sound?
Looking for time and space to explore new creative ideas and perspectives?
Interested in developing different contexts and audiences for your work?
Excited to produce new work and inspire the next generation?

Then In Motion might be the perfect opportunity for you!

How does it work?

As a selected composer you will join a cohort of creative artists each developing a new piece of work across a period of up to 18 months. We will support you to choose your own pathway to completing your work on the programme and what this looks like – whether it’s a finished event, piece or album, or a work-in-progress sharing.

We will be bringing composers on In Motion together with the cohort on our young composer In the Making programme, to foster a community where creatives of all ages can listen to and learn from each other. This will look different for everyone, and there is no expectation for teaching or youth work experience.

This could be:

Supporting an award winner, young composer or small group with a peer support session
Providing a task or prompt for the young composers to respond to and feedback on their work
Developing existing resources for, curating and promoting Minute of Listening
Delivering youth-led workshops in different areas of the country (either one-off or packages of up to four workshops)
Delivering sessions at our residential Composition School

In Motion is split into two phases:

Discovery Phase (six months)

You will:

Be assigned a Creative Project Leader to work with at Sound and Music
Receive a bursary of £800 for this stage of the programme
Receive a production budget of £600 to start developing your initial ideas
Begin coaching sessions with an accredited coach to support you in identifying your needs and challenges
Choose a mentor
Take part in induction and networking days with the other In Motion composers
Receive access to skills resources, based on your own needs
Start developing your creative ideas

Activity Phase (up to 12 months)

You will:

Be able to choose from a menu of options during this phase, including further coaching and/or mentoring, online skills sessions and peer support
Start creating your work
Receive a bursary of £1,000 for this stage of the programme
Receive a production grant of up to £6,000
Decide who you want to reach with your work, how and why
Develop and present the final public event for your project
Take part in project evaluation

“We’re really excited to be introducing In Motion. This new programme is designed to help you reach the next stage in your career, in whatever genre you’re working in. If you’re thinking of applying, we’d love to hear from you – take a look at our online Infrequently Asked Questions sessions or get in touch.” Hannah Bujic, Head of Artist Development

Finances

Participants on In Motion will receive a £1,800 bursary and up to a £6,000 production budget. Your travel and expenses will also be covered for any activity which we ask you to take part in, such as the programme induction and networking days.

In Motion is made possible with the generous support of Arts Council England, Jerwood Developing Artists Fund, PRS Foundation, The Garrick Charitable Trust and Creative Scotland National Lottery.

Who is eligible to apply?

To be eligible to apply you must:

Be over 18 years old
Provide two recordings of your works
Not be in full or part-time education (in any subject) for the duration of the programme
Have been based in the UK for the last two years
Plan to remain resident in the UK for the 18-month duration of the programme

If you have been on an artist development programme with Sound and Music previously you are eligible to apply to In Motion, but you will need to make a case for why you need further support.

How do I apply?

Step 1: Registration

The registration period for In Motion is now closed.

Step 2: Application

Everyone who has registered for In Motion will be sent a link to the application pack in January 2024, with a deadline of 7 February 2024 to complete the application process.

You can apply through a written form or video, and you’ll be asked about your access needs and if you need another format for your application.

In your application, you’ll be asked to tell us a bit more about you and your work, what experience you have, why In Motion is right for you right now, what kind of project you’d like to explore and who you’d like to engage with it.

We’ll also ask you to provide examples of your work for us and the panel to listen to or watch.

If you are receiving other artist development or residency support during the period of In Motion, we will ask you to tell us in your application what additional needs In Motion would support you with.

Accessibility

We aim to accommodate all access needs, so please get in touch to let us know how we can help by contacting Grace Bailey.

Together, we can establish an application process that works for you. This could include alternative application methods (such as email) or extensions for the application process. We also offer financial support for those who require additional funds for additional access support, including at interview stage.

Successful applicants will meet with their assigned Creative Project Leader to develop a bespoke accessibility plan. We strive to accommodate any reasonable adjustments needed throughout the In Motion programme.

Read our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy here.

Accessible versions of text on this page are available here:

Who is involved in selection?

We are guided by our Fair Access Principles, a code of best practice for running successful, open and inclusive artist development programmes.

All applications will be reviewed by a selection panel of experienced composers, industry professionals and members of our team. An independent and diverse panel of individuals will be involved in this process, they will listen to your work and read your application; and they will help us to find a representative and talented group of people to support.

Every year we ask different people to be a part of this panel.

The panel will select 18 composers who will then be invited to come to an interview. From the interviews, 10 composers will be selected to take part in In Motion.

For In Motion 2024 we will be looking to allocate:

Seven places to composers with less than 10 years’ non-continuous practice (supported by Jerwood Developing Artists Fund)
Three places to composers at any stage in their careers
One place (minimum) to a D/deaf, disabled or neurodivergent composer at any stage of their career

Seed Award

Composers who are interviewed but not selected to join the full programme will each receive a Seed Award – a targeted package of support including three sessions with a Creative Project Leader, an option to receive up to three coaching sessions, and a £250 contribution to support the research and development of a particular project.

For further information please see eligibility and selection criteria above.

What if I have more questions?

We will be running an Infrequently Asked Questions sessions, inviting anyone who is thinking about applying to speak to us directly about the process and ask questions.

We are running two sessions:

We understand there are many barriers to putting in an application and we want to make sure we can provide access support where we can. There will be live captions provided in the meeting and via an external website accessible via a browser. A team member will act as a dedicated access support worker during the event for any needs that arise or if you need to speak to someone. We can provide a BSL interpreter upon request.

If you have any additional questions or would like to get in touch about In Motion, you can contact Grace Bailey.

We look forward to hearing from you!