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We Need You!
Our small charity is growing fast, and we need a digitally-savvy volunteer to help us keep the tempo. We’re looking for a Marketing & Website Assistant to support our friendly Board of Trustees in amplifying our reach. The Role: Maintain our website and sharpen our digital presence on social media to help drive applications and donations. The Commitment: Just 3–6 hours per month—completely flexible to suit your schedule. The Fit: You’re confident with online tools, have a sha
May 121 min read


KaMYM Trust Support a “Make Time for Music” Event in Ashford.
KaMYM Trust were delighted to be invited to attend a “Make Time for Music” event in Folkestone on Saturday 11th April. The afternoon showcased the up-and-coming young musicians they teach and was a great success. Trustees Andy Millest and Jeannette Ward went along to judge the afternoon's competition. KaMYM Trust was grateful to receive a generous donation of £120 to support our work to help young musicians across the county.
May 121 min read


2024 Passaggio winner sings solo for The Maidstone Singers in Holy Week
On Wednesday 1st April, as part of Holy Week, The Maidstone Singers performed the Missa Deus Nobiscum by Philip Stopford as a setting of the Eucharist in All Saints Church. It was conducted by our Ambassador, Kathryn Ridgeway. The work features a Soprano Solo part which was sung beautifully by Leonie Carrette, the first winner of the KaMYM Trust's Passaggio award in 2024.
May 121 min read


SVCS Kino Cinema Outing Raises £400
On the evening of 16 February Sutton Valence Choral Society hired Hawkhurst's Kino cinema for a showing of the recently released film, “The Choral”. A good time was had by all, including several of our trustees! The event raised £400 for us for which we are very grateful.
May 121 min read


Awardee entertains guests at the Royal Albert Hall
Bobby Langfield, KaMYM Trust awardee, has told us that he entertained guests at the Royal Albert Hall last October. He was playing Elton John's red piano in the Elgar room on the opening night of the World Sumo Tournament. Bobby is studying electronic composition at the Guildhall.
May 121 min read


Awardees playing in National Youth Orchestra
The two middle girls in this photo are KaMYM Trust awardees. Jennifer Wells (in red), co-leader, and her sister Rebecca, principal viola. They were playing in the National Youth Orchestra proms last year, shown on BBC2.
May 121 min read


Maidstone Symphony Orchestra Supports KaMYM Trust
A huge thank you to Maidstone Symphony Orchestra for dedicating their January 31st concert to support the work of the Trust. It was a great evening; marvellous music and playing and a large and appreciative audience. We also held a reception for Friends and Ambassadors during the interval. All in all, it provided a great platform for us to spread the word about what we do and over £870 was raised to help Kent’s Young Musicians. We were delighted that professional trumpeter,
May 121 min read


Extracts from Nigel Barham’s address to Maidstone Symphony Orchestra’s Concert on 31 January 2026
We’re being supported this evening because concerts like the one you are about to enjoy will not be able to take place in the future without the next generation of Kent Musicians coming in to fill the ranks. Regrettably, despite the huge benefits of music education being exhaustively documented, there has been a serious decline in music education opportunities in recent times. Sadly, KCC can no longer afford the subsidies it once gave, and the musical future of many young mus
May 122 min read


2026 Passaggio Vocal Award
The third annual Passaggio Vocal Award masterclass was held on Saturday, March 28. From a field of six talented young singers, Oliver Davis was the primary awardee, singing a moving rendition of Schumann's "Ich grolle nicht." Oliver has performed in every Passaggio masterclass since its inception, with his vocal talents growing year-on-year, so third time lucky and well deserved! An additional award was made to Krish Parthiban, who wowed everyone with his spellbinding rendi
May 122 min read


Applications Open to All Young Singers Aged 16-25 For the 2026 Passaggio Vocal Award
Masterclass Saturday 28 March 2026, 14.00-16.00, GlassBox Theatre, Medway Rd, Gillingham, ME7 1FN Audience Tickets £10 (under 18s free) Deadline to Apply to Sing Friday 6 February 2026, 23:59, via online application form Please visit our website for full details and eligibility. The Kent and Medway Young Musicians Trust extends an invitation to singers of all genres, aged 16-25, to be chosen to participate in a masterclass culminating with the Passaggio Vocal Award of up to
Jan 161 min read


Awardees playing in SVCS Christmas Concert
For the second year running KaMYM Trust awardees performed at Sutton Valence Choral Society’s Christmas concert. This year there were two young soloists, Emilis Staniukniene who played the trumpet and Annika Cheung who played the harp. Both did themselves proud! After the concert SVCS posted, “To the soloists Anneke and Emilis – we were all wowed!!” It was the first time Emilis had done something like this. He said: “I really appreciate the incredible opportunity you have giv
Jan 151 min read


Some good news for music in schools in England
The Department of Education has recently published its response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review , setting out plans to 'bring the curriculum into the modern day and help young people step into the future'. Key reforms include changes to school performance measures to encourage students to study a greater breadth of GCSE subjects. This involves broadening the curriculum to include more music, art, sport, and vocational subjects . The government issued a positive res
Nov 27, 20251 min read


Awardee Feedback and Thanks
At the Kent and Medway Young Musicians Trust, we know that the true measure of our success isn't just the number of grants we give out, but the tangible, transformative impact those funds have on individual lives. Every piece of work we support—every course completed, every project launched, every dream realized—is directly fuelled by the generosity of our community. Before we dive into the inspiring stories and valuable insights we’ve collected this year, we want to start wi
Nov 27, 20253 min read


Music is more than just a leisure time activity
There is a perception among some that, when considering the pressures on school funds these days, a good quality music offering can be relegated to the “nice to have but not essential” camp. Well, a survey carried out in August 2025 by Making Music (a UK membership organisation for amateur music groups of all musical genres) may make them think again! It shows that the transferable skills members learned from studying music at school have been well used in their professional
Nov 27, 20252 min read


Awardee performs with Sacconi Quartet
Awardee Isabelle (Izzy) Nettle performed with the Sacconi Quartet in Folkestone last weekend, on a viola which KaMYMT helped her to buy....
Oct 8, 20251 min read


Trustee and Volunteer Opportunity
Due to growth of the Trust, we are seeking enthusiastic trustees and volunteers. No prior governance experience required, just a passion...
Jul 31, 20251 min read


Congratulations Annika!
Annika, one of our awardees, plays 3 instruments. Here she is with her harp on which she won Silver Prize in the Schubert International...
Jul 23, 20251 min read


Passaggio Vocal Award participants sing in community concerts
Rachel Fung, our 2024 Passaggio Vocal Award runner up, sang Faure's Pie Jesu with The Maidstone Singers at All Saints Church, Maidstone...
Jul 7, 20251 min read


2025 Walk and Sing
Sutton Valence Choral Society held their annual Walk and Sing on 28 June 2025. Four of our awardees entertained the public in various...
Jun 30, 20251 min read


2025 Passaggio Vocal Award
On Saturday 12 April the KaMYM Trust held its second Passaggio Vocal Award and Masterclass. The winner this year was Sarah Terry, seen...
Apr 14, 20251 min read
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