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In-depth interviews, first person opinion articles and investigative features I have written throughout my career. 

CYP Now •

Merseyside young people develop career skills through literary self-expression

Marginalised young people are empowered to express themselves by writing books about their lived experiences.

Comics Youth CIC, an organisation helping young people to publish comics, launched the Marginal Publishing House in Merseyside to give young people who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity a chance to share their stories.

The youth-led organisation publishes solely marginalised authors under the age of 25. Originally funded by the National Lottery and set up as a coaching and mentor
The Rodeo Magazine •

Blossom Caldarone on her London influences and Fair Play

Blossom Caldarone is set to bring her fun and expressive music to Manchester for Fair Play Festival 2024 on 6 April. I spoke to Blossom ahead of the festival to find out more about her musical journey… and her love for Manchester.

[AV]: Where did your love for music begin?

[BC]: Probably with the Annie soundtrack as a very small child – I loved the theatrics and storytelling. And then playing in orchestras, as I loved being part of something. Music always makes you feel like a part of somethin
CYP Now •

Tackling decline in London pupil numbers

A fall in children attending London schools is putting pressure on budgets and experts warn it could impact wider community support.

Latest analysis of school capacity data by London Councils has highlighted a drop in demand for secondary school places in London, which children’s services leaders fear could have a devastating impact on wider support services.

Analysis by the umbrella body for the capital’s 32 boroughs, projects there will be a 4.4 per cent decline in reception pupils and 4.3 p
The Rodeo Magazine •

Lauran Hibberd creatively tackles grief and heartbreak

Lauran Hibberd showed the world her emphatic pop-punk sound on her debut album, Garageband Superstar. Her stellar sophomore release, girlfriend material, continues to do just that while adding an extra layer of maturity to her sound.

In the time between her album releases, Hibberd unfortunately lost her father, and as a result this album is a carefully crafted cathartic release for her heartbreak. Opening track ‘I suck at grieving’ deals with the topic head-on while sticking to her light-hearte
Music Teacher •

Sally Daunt interview: star of the show

Winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Music & Drama Education Awards, Sally Daunt has played a pivotal role in shaping our understanding and policies around music and neurodiversity. MT's Amrit Virdi meets her to find out more.

AV: How does it feel to have won the award?

SD: Absolutely extraordinary. My colleague from the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) Music Committee was the person who nominated me and I knew nothing about it. It was an enormous surprise.

AV: What inspired
Music Teacher •

Readipop: the charity bringing participant-led music into schools

MT's Amrit Virdi reports on Readipop, the independent charity engaging students with music in the Thames Valley.

To most observers, music is an underfunded subject, often resulting in students missing out on experimentation to broaden their interests. Readipop, established in 1998, offers young people – from primary age up to university – in the Reading and Thames Valley area the chance to engage interactively with music.

Youth clubs, community bands, festivals, a record label and outreach are
CYP Now •

Mermaids’ chief Lauren Stoner on the future of the charity and LGBTQ+ inclusivity

LGBTQ+ charity Mermaids is moving forward after an "unprecedentedly difficult time", its new chief executive Lauren Stoner tells CYP Now.

Mermaids has been supporting LGBTQ+ young people since 1995, and most recently found itself in the centre of controversy after the Charity Commission launched a statutory inquiry into the organisation. The charity also hit headlines after it appealed a decision by the Charity Commission to register LGB Alliance (LGBA) as a charity.

Mermaids is looking to mov
CYP Now •

Resources for professionals to promote LGBT+ inclusivity

As part of LGBT History Month, CYP Now looks at some of the resources available to support professionals in embedding inclusivity into their practice.

Pop’n’Olly provides LGBT+ educational resources for primary-aged children and their parents, carers and teachers. Providing a series of original videos and books, it aims to ensure that teachers are equipped to deliver LGBT+ education.

Its most recent resource, LGBT+ Education in Primary School: Discussions with Parents is designed to help prima
Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews •

Next Wave #1154: Overpass | Next Wave

overpass are well and truly putting the West Midlands back on the music map – and they had to overcome a pandemic in the process. “We got to be a band for two months and then we were sent into lockdown. We didn’t even play our first gig for nearly a year and a half.”

After the pandemic made the band’s beginnings unconventional to say the least, vocalist Max Newey shares, from his childhood bedroom, the journey the band has been on to get to the point where they’re set to embark on a headline to
Music Teacher •

Q&A: Christina Lydon

Music therapist Christina Lydon works with Early Years pupils to ensure they have the best start in life, developing their confidence, communication and social skills. MT’s Amrit Virdi finds out more.

AV: What was your route into music therapy?

CL: I had always studied music growing up, and I worked in different, related areas until I qualified in 2007. At that point, you had to be 25 to start the music therapy course, so that you had gained life experience and done clinical training, though t
CYP Now •

Care-experienced children in Reading share their views to break down barriers

Brighter Futures for Children’s Care2Listen group has won the participation prize at the A National Voice Awards after encouraging looked-after children to share their views.

Engaging young people and putting their views at the heart of its work was a key factor in Reading’s children in care council (CIC), run by Brighter Futures for Children, the trust that runs children’s services in the borough, winning the participation category at the recent A National Voice Awards.

Reading’s CIC was firs
Music Teacher •

Getting in the mix: becoming a studio assistant

Former music tech student Tom Coath is finding his way in the recording industry at British Grove Studios. MT's Amrit Virdi meets him to find out more.

Music is a varied subject which can open doors to many careers. Numerous specialist courses have emerged in recent years, particularly when it comes to music tech and vocational pathways. One of the more established courses at university – specialising in sound recording and combining science and music – is the Tonmeister course at the Universit
Music Teacher •

Beats Bus Hull: the mobile recording studio bringing hope to young people

Amrit Virdi reports on the not-for-profit music bus that is changing young lives.

Youth crime in England and Wales is declining, according to government statistics. There was a 79% fall in the number of children receiving a caution or sentence between 2012 and 2022. But with 13,800 children still cautioned or sentenced during this period, it's clear there's still some way to go.

Beats Bus Hull is meeting part of the challenge by using a mobile recording studio to divert the city's most vulnera
CYP Now •

Youth ambassadors make case for better epilepsy healthcare and education services

Charity has been accredited by Hear By Right for actively increasing the participation of young people in the organisation through its Youth Voice Network.

Young Epilepsy has achieved the flagship status of accreditation from the National Youth Agency’s Hear By Right scheme after successfully increasing youth participation in epilepsy campaigning.

Through their Youth Voice Network, Young Epilepsy has increased young members from just two in 2020 to more than 100. The network is a group of 13-
CYP Now •

The case for social prescribing

Barnardo’s and experts call for a national social prescribing strategy to improve mental wellbeing.

Charity Barnardo’s says the creation of a national strategy for social prescribing could help turn the tide on rising levels of children’s mental health problems.

In its report, The Missing Link – Social Prescribing for Children and Young People, Barnardo’s calls for social prescribing to be more widely used as a preventative intervention “to help children and young people with their mental heal
Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews •

Behind The Scenes With Talia Mar | Features

27-year-old Talia Mar is no stranger to the internet, having made a name for herself online via gaming, makeup and of course singing. After making a name for herself in the dance genre, being featured on chart-topping singles from the likes of Sigala, her fans are intrigued to see the direction which her solo music will take her in.

Chatting to Clash writer Amrit Virdi, Talia shares some behind-the-scenes pics from her new video ‘Bored’, before delving into the past, her hopes for the future, a
Clash Magazine Music News, Reviews & Interviews •

Dirty Nice - Surrenderland | Reviews

UK and Lisbon based two-piece Dirty Nice thrive in their own cartoon world on ‘Surrenderland’, a record which plays to their unique creative strengths. The sophomore album from the duo goes on a musical journey, exploring everything from experimental synth to slower love songs – all of which consist of the band’s individual spin, something impressive for a band only on their second record.

‘This is Gonna Hurt’ opens the album with a jumpy and upbeat intro, and sets the tone for the record that
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