Youth in Performing Arts (YIPA) has been around since the 90s aimed at uplifting young people in their performing arts journey by offering funding and scholarships, as well as providing an opportunity to showcase their talent.
2024: I was chosen to perform “Your Song” with accompaniment from my music teacher Mr Muir. I did not apply for a scholarship but rather used it as a way to start my experience with performing. Despite the nerves I delivered a strong performance which got loud cheers and helped me fall in love with the stage.
2025: I was chosen to perform “Rocket Man”, this time playing piano as well as singing. This year I wasn’t signing up through school, so I went to a public audition where I managed to squeak through. I applied for a scholarship and won the Bob Pye memorial scholarship. This year I was really beginning to find my rhythm with performing, and found the best performances were the ones where I was having fun. This translated into one of my favourite performances I have ever done.
After winning the scholarship I, amongst the other winners, were invited to perform at the YIPA presentation night where we received our awards and got to meet the generous people funding the scholarships.
YIPA has been a great experience and I’m extremely grateful to the organisation for how it’s helped me discover and grow my love of performing.
