The Glasshouse

 Imagine introducing your little one to the joy of live music from the very start. That’s exactly what you can do with the new Music Pass, announced by The Glasshouse International Centre for Music. The innovative Music Pass initiative is a pioneering programme aimed at introducing the magic of live music to every newborn in the North East.

The Music Pass, developed in collaboration with public health authorities and Children North East, provides families with free access to live music for every baby born in the North East between 1 September 2023, and 31 August 2024. A £25 voucher can be spent on family-friendly concerts, gigs and music classes, offering families the opportunity to bond over live music experiences. The Glasshouse hopes they can grow the Music Pass to be even more generous in the future and are looking for supporters of the initiative.

Abigail Pogson, Managing Director at The Glasshouse said: “Music has the power to inspire, connect, and uplift communities, and we believe that as many people as possible should have the wonder of music in their lives. Through the Music Pass, we hope to provide families with the resources they need to nurture a lifelong love of music in their children.”

Partnering with public health authorities and Children North East further highlights the importance of music in supporting child development and improving lives. Through the partnership, The Glasshouse aims to harness the transformative power of music to create positive change in the community. Research shows that participating in musical activity in early years can help physical development, ability to learn, building social skills, and family bonds.

Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health for Gateshead and Newcastle said: “We’re thrilled to partner with The Glasshouse on this important initiative. Music plays a vital role in supporting early childhood development; it creates new human connections and can make our lives better, and we are proud to support efforts to make it accessible to every child in the North East. Ensuring all children have the best start in life is fundamental to addressing inequalities. Listening to or playing music and singing can have positive effects on behaviour, self-confidence, emotional regulation, relationship building, and a sense of belonging, contributing to resilience and mental wellbeing. This initiative plays an important part in opening this opportunity up to all communities, regardless of income.

The Glasshouse is encouraging families across the North East to sign up for the initiative via their website. More details can be found here: theglasshouseicm.org/musicpass

-ENDS-

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About The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

The Glasshouse International Centre for Music is a home for live music lovers.

It’s a place where you can hear rock legends or pop icons on the same night as folk trios or string quartets. Where new musicians are nurtured and showcased on the same stages as platinum-selling performers. And where youth choirs and tambourine-shaking toddlers practise in the same spaces as its acclaimed orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia.

Because as an international centre for music they’re focused on creating and celebrating outstanding music – whether that’s unearthing or growing talent from the region or bringing the world’s best artists to their stages. And as a charity they’re focused on making sure all of that is available to anyone – no matter where you’re from, how old you are, how much money you have, or what challenges you face.

Which is why every year more than 2 million people are able to join for top-notch gigs, concerts, and classes – in their venue at Gateshead Quays, out in communities across the North East, and through livestreamed performances and digital lessons.

Whether you’re making it up or taking it in, you’ll find music lives and grows there.

More about The Glasshouse International Centre for Music

• From global stars to artists starting out, The Glasshouse has hosted 10,022 performances, totalling 4.7m tickets. To have seen every performance would have meant seeing one show every day for 27 years.
• It’s hosted over 220,000 music lessons for North East folk. The region’s young people have learnt to play, sing or produce with us, on over 1.7m occasions.
• Royal Northern Sinfonia perform at The Glasshouse, tour the region, and have played to international audiences on four continents, with livestreams reaching people across five.
• Like stepping stones, artists like Ward Thomas have worked their way from their free stages to selling out its big hall and getting global recognition.
• The Glasshouse regularly opens its doors to a wide range of conferences and events. Since 2004, they’ve welcome over 400,000 delegates from the likes of Greggs, NHS and British Engines, and many, many more.
• The charity is one of Gateshead’s biggest employers, and so far it’s generated £500m of economic value to the region.
• The charity has been the proud guardians of The Glasshouse for almost 20 years, safeguarding it when live music was put on hold during the pandemic.
• The centre has 630 panes of glass and stands 40m tall.