change:matters music

“I’ve always thought that music and rhythm are a fantastic way to remember ideas, and music and numbers sit really well next to each other.”

Mike poyser, create musician

In our change:matters music workshops, young carers learn about saving, budgeting, interest, borrowing money and debt by making music together.

Led by professional musicians including Mike Poyser (who can be seen in the video above), the participants explore these themes by writing and performing creative songs and raps. Each piece of music helps to explain tricky financial concepts and ideas, breaking down some of the complicated language that people use when talking about money so that they become easier to understand.

Scroll down to listen to examples of the young carers’ work. 

change:matters rochdale

change:matters cheshire (Crossroads together)

Young carers in Cheshire wrote and performed three tracks with Create artist Mike Poyser. Two of the songs reflect what the young carers learned about financial literacy, and the third is a letter to their future selves in musical form.

“Loan shark zack”

“Aldi”

“Futures”

change:MATTERS BRISTOL

Young carers from Bristol wrote and performed these songs with Mike Poyser. This first track is about having money in their pockets, and how it makes them feel.

This second song is about the difference between what we need and what we want.

On this final song, the young carers talk about where they see themselves being in 15 years.

CHANGE:MATTERS DORSET (MYTIME)

Young carers from MYTime in Dorset worked with musician Mike Poyser to write and perform these two songs. This first track is about taking out loans and getting into debt. 

On this second track, the young carers record messages for their future selves. 

CHANGE:MATTERS EALING & HOUNSLOW

Young carers from Ealing & Hounslow worked with musician Mike Poyser to write these three songs about money. This first track is about money in all its forms, interest and debt.

For this second song, the young carers wrote messages to their future selves.

For their final song, they rap and sing about working and saving money.

change:matters enfield

In April 2022, young carers from Enfield worked with musician Mike Poyser to write some songs about money. Have a listen to “Best Money” and “Wants Needs”, both performed at the sharing to a live audience.

CHANGE:MATTERS ENFIELD & SCARBOROUGH

In their first song, the young carers from Enfield and Scarborough talk about what money means to them. 

In the second song, they send messages to their future selves.

CHANGE:MATTERS ESSEX

Young carers from Essex sing about the differences between needs and wants. 

CHANGE:MATTERS LAMBETH

Young carers from Lambeth worked with professional musician Mike Poyser to write a rap sharing what they’ve learnt about managing money. 

In their second piece the group rap about the future and how being financially literate can set them up for all kinds of opportunities.

CHANGE:MATTERS MERTON

Young carers from Merton rap and sing about debt. The music deals with the social stigma around debt, how debt can spiral and the difficulties of talking about it. 

Their second song is about their future selves. 

CHANGE:MATTERS NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Young carers from Nottingham wrote and performed two songs about money and their hopes for the future. 

The first song captures the important lessons about money that the young people learnt during this project. 

The second song features messages from the young carers to their future selves. 

CHANGE:MATTERS UXBRIDGE

Young carers from Uxbridge worked with Mike Poyser to learn about money management and budgeting, expressing their newly-acquired knowledge through original music.

The first song deals with money and key lessons in everyday financial management. 

In their second piece, the young carers addressed their future selves through song and spoken word.