Yamaha Education Projects

Make It, Break It

(Photo: Natalie McCool, one of the past MIBI winners, performing at the MIBI Awards at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts)

The Make it Break it Awards, founded in 2005 by Yamaha and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA), is a unique award scheme to help songwriters, aged 14 to 19, to showcase and develop their music to get to the next step. In 2009 we announced major new promotional partnerships with EMI publishing, HMV retail and XFM Radio, who have all joined the annual MIBI programme to vastly increase the prize and awards fund.

The addition of these new industry partners reinforces the position of 'Make it, break it' as the UK's leading showcase and industry platform for outstanding young songwriters.

Judges include: Chris Martin (Coldplay), Guy Moot (President, EMI Publishing), Steve Levine (producer), Dawn Joseph (singer-songwriter), Melanie Armstrong (HMV buyer) and other industry professionals. This means the participants' music will be heard by people who can help them take it to the next level.

(Pictured here: Chris Martin, Coldplay.)

The 2009 competition evolved to give young songwriters more opportunities to develop their songwriting skills. The prizes included:

• The MIBI boot camp at the LIPA – taking part in masterclassesled by professional musicians and industry officials on how to excel in the music business, ending the stay with a gig for press, industry and your friends and family in LIPA's Paul McCartney Auditorium.
• A recording session in the EMI studios with an A&R present
• Possible gigs in the HMV flagship stores in Liverpool and London, with radio play in the in-store HMV channel
• Yamaha prizes for your school, rehearsal studios or youth club

Competition winners and details of the judging panel, including Coldplay's Chris Martin, and general information, are all available from the MIBI website.

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(Updated: October 2009)