I’ve had a great year at Yorkshire Young Musicians (YYM).

I was lucky enough to be selected as part of a team of 8 musicians from YYM to work with dancers from Yorkshire Young Dancers on the ‘excellent!’ project. This was a piece made up from our own ideas and put together with ideas created by the dancers to be performed at Sadler's Wells Theatre, London alongside performances by other musicians and dancers from specialist schools and Centres for Advanced Training. It was amazing seeing a project evolve from composition through to a polished performance.

Another fantastic experience with YYM was performing in a trio with clarinet and piano at the reception for Prince Charles and Camilla at the Howard Assembly Room at the Grand Theatre in Leeds.

A new experience this year has been page turning at two Sowerby music Society concerts. Rather nerve-wracking, but I haven’t knocked the music on the floor – yet!

I have had several successes at local music festivals, including winning the Rotary Young Instrumentalist of the Festival 2008 at Middlesbrough (final for winners of instrumental classes aged 15-21).

I continue to play in the folk group at school, now on piano as well as flute, and we hope to compete in the National Festival for Music for Youth this year.

At Christmas I passed my grade 8 piano, and will be playing at a masterclass taken by Sarah Beth Briggs in Darlington in March.

I played in the North Yorkshire Schools County Wind Band and Symphony Orchestra last summer, both involving great music making, very little sleep and culminating in atmospheric concerts in Selby abbey.

I have successfully auditioned for the National Youth Wind Orchestra so I am looking forward to attending a residential course in Oxford at both Easter and in the summer.

I am very grateful for the continuing financial support of The Peter Chase Award.