Budding musicians get boost from sound engineer who helped Sam Fender sound his best on Seventeen Going Under album

The sessions were led by Mark Broughton (second from right).

People taking part in the project, a partnership with AutismAble, got to experience what it is like working in a recording studio in sessions led by recording engineer and mixer Mark Broughton, who has also worked alongside Sting, Take That and James Bay.

AutismAble, which has a base in Sea Winnings Way, South Shields, works to enable, empower and enrich the lives of young, neurodiverse individuals aged 16 and upwards.

Andrew Forster, head of service development at AutismAble and Future Collaborations lead, said the sessions aimed to unite neurodivergent and neurotypical people over a shared passion for music.

“Everyone involved in the Future Collaborations project was excited when Mark agreed to become a programme partner,” he said.

"It is a fantastic opportunity for the young people to develop their music production skills with a renowned producer who has worked with some of the UK's biggest artists.”

Over the week, Mark delivered five workshops to people from AutismAble and the others in the community, giving a rare glimpse into how a recording studio works, exploring the different music software, microphones and studio equipment used to bring a song to life.

They worked together to identify their unique style of music and, of course, got the chance to create, write, record and produce their own songs.

Mark said: “Music really is a leveller – no matter your background, individual needs or previous experience – and this week has been proof of that.

"We looked at how you can make recordings with some basic equipment and everyone got involved in helping engineer the sessions and perform something for us to record.

"The quality of what we put down was fantastic, especially given that some learners were just starting out at playing an instrument or using Logic or Garageband.

"The Introduction to Recording Music workshops have been hugely inspirational for me to be a part of and I want to thank everyone for their hard work and dedication”.

The Youth Music Charity-funded Future Collaborations Group works to give young, hard-to-reach people aged 14-25 the chance to change their lives through music, regardless of their background.

To find out more about the Future Collaborations project and how you can get involved, please visit https://autismable.com/future-collaborations.

Future Collaborations is backed by Youth Music, thanks to the National Lottery via Arts Council England.