Behind The Scenes at Signals 2023 - A Music Maker's Entry

Esther, our Events & Marketing Assistant, recounts her time as a Music Maker during the very first Signals festival here in Rotherham!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signals 2023 - from a trainee's point of view!

2023 was the pilot year for Signals; the official music festival collaboration between Children’s Capital of Culture and Rotherham Music Hub. It was also the first year the organisations brought in Music Makers (a trainee-type role) to aid in the delivery of the festival. Myself and three other young people from Rotherham gathered every week to bring our ideas and thoughts to the lead organisers in the run up to the very first Signals festival. Little did we know what a whirlwind it would be!

Our traineeships with Rotherham Music and Children’s Capital of Culture started in January. With just a few weeks to go until the festival began, we hit the ground running with brainstorming sessions. Everything from photo booths, to songwriting workshops, to the name of the festival was deliberated carefully before the team had that 'eureka!' moment with...Signals!

It was during this initial planning stage that we started to recognise what our strengths and interests were. Between us - we shared out graphic design tasks, creating a promotional strategy for social media, and planning the extra activities to be held alongside the festival events. We even got to choose which artists performed at AMP UP which was definitely a highlight of the planning stage! Being a mix of creatives and musicians ourselves, we were so excited to be in the behind-the-scenes team of putting together the live event.

What was really important to us and the team was being able to speak to those who came to the festival, gather feedback, and make suggestions for how the festival could be even better next year. We received specialist training in executing Vox-pops (pop-up questionnaires!) to gather feedback at workshops and events. This was not only important to the festival, but really key for our skills and professional development, as none of us had done anything similar before!

Festival Week

The first event I got to experience during Signals week was a Pop Up and Play performance at Rother Valley Country Park! I helped set up the equipment and set for our artist - a wonderful musician called Alice Ede - and shot some footage for social media use during the performance. Luckily, the weather held up and the sun was shining! There was a race taking place at the park that day and we were soon joined by thrilled onlookers, enjoying the music, the nice weather, and the lovely views at Rother Valley.

I got to experience and help with multiple Pop Up and Play artists that week and soon realised that my strength lay in capturing social media content! So, this quickly became my mission. Later in the week, I joined the team at Rotherham Minster to assist in running the light organ workshops taking place there. I was one of the last to see the light organ in all it’s glory, and it was absolutely incredible! Helping out on the workshops, I got to run ticketing, gather feedback, and even speak with the workshop facilitators and got them to film some content for social media!

It was also here at the light organ workshops where we were visited by the Rotherham Advertiser! This was my first experience speaking with a journalist, but I was super excited to share everything I’d experienced so far with the light organ. Workshops were open to the public and booked online, but we found a lot of members of the public coming through the door on the day were super impressed by the installation. Getting to speak to parents, children, artists, and local music enthusiasts about how wonderful the installation was was definitely a personal highlight for me!

 

 

 

At the end of the week, the event we had all been waiting for - AMP UP - arrived. We gathered at The Bridge Inn with a buzz in the air. We met tech and staging staff, learning about the crucial equipment and sound checks needed to run a live performance. Soon, the venue was filled with bands, family, and friends coming to support.

Although I wasn’t able to stay for the whole of the AMP UP event, the importance of AMP UP, and Signals as a whole, rang through to me when I was speaking to the parents of one artist. We had chosen this artist due to her talent, and she performed a wonderful set, but her parents had let me know this was the first time she had done any performing outside of her bedroom! This, along with many experiences speaking to pleased members of the public, passionate artists, and families, really proved to me what I already knew - Rotherham loves music!

More than that, Rotherham deserves a festival like Signals to celebrate this love of music!

Post-Signals

In the weeks following the festival, we wrapped up our traineeships with several rounds of feedback and suggestions - both our own and what we’d found from speaking with members of the public! We spoke about our experiences, what we’d improve, and what we’d change if Signals would be done again. We even discussed what time of year Signals would be held at. The weather in February can prove some challenges, but nothing a few weighted signs and fingerless gloves couldn’t solve! Plus, we decided that having a festival early on in the year when there isn’t much for the young people of Rotherham to do, was the best way to start off the year!

With the music industry being such a sought-after and tricky industry to get into, I and the other Music Makers really gained invaluable experience and skills through our traineeship. Mine led to my current role, where I get to help plan and organise Signals 2024! Ultimately, the festival really brought what it intended to - opportunities for performers, artists, professionals, and members of the public to get involved in music in Rotherham!