NYOS LAB

About NYOS: LAB

NYOS: LAB is an adventurous creative project designed to explore improvised and co-created approaches to ensemble music-making. Launching with a two-day pilot in October 2023, the course combines sound palettes and techniques that draw on classical, jazz, folk tradition, and music from around the globe.

This opportunity is for enthusiastic young people aged 14-18-years who are interested in getting creative in the world of improvisation, ready to go wherever their artistic minds take them. We ask that participants have a full understanding of their instrument and are able to play them to their full extent. 

The programme provides space for aspiring young musicians to explore their musical abilities and discover their creative voice all under the artistic direction of a team of world-class artists. 

A playful and fun opportunity to collaborate and learn in the company of forward-thinking peers, NYOS: LAB incorporates multiple approaches to music-making whilst also developing knowledge of diverse genres, nurturing a range of skills, and offering a deeper understanding of how you can uniquely play your instrument to create new sounds. 

Taking Part

The first NYOS: LAB sessions took place over a weekend of workshops in Edinburgh, led by Emma Smith and a team of musicians from across the musical spectrum. These sessions explored improvisation, co-creating new music with peers, and developing new musical understanding. 

Applications for our next NYOS: LAB workshops will open in early summer. The fee for NYOS: LAB is £140, which is subsidised by over two-thirds in order to keep costs to players as low as possible. 

> Read the latest news about NYOS: LAB

“Making music is like going for a walk. In classical music, you know where you're going and you know how you're going to get there, but each time - depending on the weather for example, or time of year - you can see something new. Jazz improvising, or more accurately extemporising, is when you know where you're going, but you don't know exactly the route you're going to take to get there. Free improvising is when you don't know where you're going, you are just simply going wherever the mood takes you.” 

Emma Smith, NYOS: LAB 2023-24 Lead Artist