Vibes urban music project

The Herbert ran the Vibes urban music project in the summer of 2004. It was based around a temporary exhibition looking at the history of urban music. The project gave 17 young people the opportunity to work with a range of musicians and artists to create their own CD and display.

The Herbert worked in partnership with the 8 Project to find young people who would get the most benefit from the project. Eight specialists were recruited to deliver sessions ranging from rapping and DJing to lyric writing and painting. With support from youth workers, the young people took part in eight days of intensive discussion and activity over the summer. The result was a high quality 14-track CD featuring songs written and performed by the young people themselves.

The Vibes exhibition was created through a partnership between the Herbert and Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery. It traced the movement of musical traditions between West Africa, the West Indies and the West Midlands. The young people based their work on the research done for the exhibition. Their finished CD featured in a 'sound booth' which formed the centrepiece of the display. The young people decorated the booth with lyrics, artwork and photographs created during the project. Their work added an extra dimension to the main display and attracted many positive comments from visitors.

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