Our work supports girls, women, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people to find their voice, cultivate their creativity and take up space.
Spark the Noise, founded in 2015, is an award-winning charity working at the interface of gender and social justice in music. We provide joyful, inclusive spaces to demystify and foster music-making, rooted in community-building.
We believe that music is a powerful tool for personal and social change.
This is evidenced by ten years of experience in creating joyful spaces supporting girls, women, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people to take up space, find their voice and challenge gender injustices found in the music industry and their communities.
“Taking part in a Spark the Noise programme has changed my beliefs around being a musician in an industry that can feel difficult to find a voice or place in, particularly if you are from a marginalised background”
Our Mission
Our mission is to amplify the voices of girls, women, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people through music-making and community building.
Underpinned by our culture of care, respect and trauma-informed principles, we deliver accessible music projects, gigs and workshops in safer spaces, that cultivate skills, confidence and agency for complete beginners as well as those wanting to take the next steps in their musical careers.
We offer paid traineeships to young people who want to gain hands-on experience of working in music, as well as being home to a network of more than 200 women, trans and non-binary musicians, facilitators, sound engineers, educators, mental health workers and others committed to gender justice in the music industry and in society.
This powerful community is at the heart of what we do, modelling an alternative to the harmful or exclusionary spaces often found in our sector.
53%
Over half of women working in music report being discriminated against because of their gender. A third report experiencing sexual harassment.
(Musicians’ Union Census, 2024; ISM Dignity at Work, 2022)
53% of trans people working in music experienced discrimination based on their gender identity and 39% of musicians who identify their gender in another way have experienced discrimination based on their gender identity.
(Musicians’ Union LGBTQ+ Insight Report, 2023)
Collective music-making should be grounded in healing – we want our community to feel respectful, supportive and one in which people feel comfortable to create and work together in solidarity. We are not alone in our aims and want to work with people and organisations who share our goals.
We believe that true learning, growth and liberation happens through collaboration – between young people and adults, musicians and educators, parents, activists and artists.
Our work disrupts norms, challenging expectations placed on people because of their ability, background, class, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, nationality, religion or belief or sexual orientation, what music creation and performance can and should look and sound like, and how power is shared in teaching, learning and organisational environments.
Joy is a powerful and transformative force, and one that can and should be fostered through the experience of learning and discovering music in community with others.
72%
72% of female musicians have experienced sexual harassment. (ISM report, 2023); over 75% of trans musicians report that sexual harassment has impacted their career progression or ability to work (Musicians’ Union LGBTQ+ Insight Report, 2023)
Our Vision
Our vision is of a world where girls, women, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people are powerful and can reach their potential.
Against a global backdrop of rising inequality for girls, women, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people, Spark the Noise models a radically inclusive approach to fostering confidence, nurturing self-esteem and building community through creative expression and collaboration.