MARGINALISED young people are producing their own music CDs and videos under a new project.

Rock musician Simon Bailey, 43, from Consett, is working with disaffected youngsters, teaching them how to express themselves.

A musician for more than 30 years, playing in domestic bands and in the US, he set up the project after a back injury forced him to give up touring.

"Playing in bands and recording good music has been my life, working with some great people," he said.

"I wanted to turn this experience into something really exciting and engaging for young people in this area."

Mr Bailey established the business with the help of an Emerge start-up grant from Derwentside District Council.

He works with 16 to 19-year-olds in music CD and video production, with the aim of giving them their first qualification.

A pilot course set up last year, with the support of Craghead Area Partnership and the Include programme, proved a success and it is now operating full-time.

Lester Crawford, Derwentside's schools regeneration officer, responsible for identifying new ideas and approaches in education to help local youngsters re-engage with learning, said: "Simon's work is really innovative and he is a very experienced musician.

"He is also a person who can relate to young people who have been disaffected with school.

"He quite literally turns them on to music and the learning starts immediately. It's very relevant and very exciting."

Mr Bailey said: "This region has a long history of some excellent musicians who have made their mark in the halls of fame.

"There's no reason at all why some of these young people can't go down that path.

"I've always found music inspiring, so it's great to get these youngsters tuned in and enjoying the process."

Published: 03/01/05