we can all make music
are we on the right track?
Looking at ourselves
- What forms of collaborative music-making are likely to have the widest and most intense positive impact on the levels of co-operative behaviour in our society? And,
- How can these forms be most effectively integrated into everyday activity?
We're convinced that informed answers to these questions will be the foundation to us being able to plan an effective way onward.
To have these, we need to know if the way we are supporting the community-based growth of group singing at the moment is the most effective it can be (given current resources), and what would allow it to become more so.
Our work is based on some fundamental criteria:
- Embedded leadership teams (we build confidence, skills, delivery and connections)
- Dispersed and diverse learning opportunities led by practitioners
- Independent activities
- An intercultural approach that embraces diversity
- A sessional approach to singing together; consequently, group formation and preparation for public performance don't figure highly in our priorities
- Continuing networking and support for leadership teams
Undoubtedly, there are other unarticulated, assumed values informing our work of which we are not conscious.
As a starting point in evaluating ourselves, we've developed a fair idea of the information we'd need in order to have some useful material from which to draw conclusions. This info is embodied in the answers to (yet another) set of questions:
- Is leadership training and ongoing support an (or the most) effective way of encouraging the growth of widespread singing together?
- Do leadership teams survive more effectively than individual leaders working alone?
- What are the pros and cons when comparing led open sessions ('group singing ') with ongoing groups ('community singing')?
- How are those that have attended CMV training sessions applying their training (ie, are the values and methodology inherent in the training manifested in their leadership)?
- Are leaders actively encouraging new leaders among the participants in their circles?
- Do the values espoused by the leaders positively affect the values (and, most important, the behaviours) of participants?
- Do these behaviours diffuse into the daily lives of participants?
- (How) could the leadership teams more effectively attract participants?
- What (else) can be done to expand and diversify participation?
- What problems do leaders encounter in their work, and are these being effectively addressed through the networking activities?
- Is the cultural similarity of the trained leaders reflected in the makeup of singing participants (ie, is the cultural diversity of participants dependent on that of leaders)?
- What is the truth of our sustainability rhetoric (ie, what has been the leadership drop-out rate, and longevity of singing circles)?
The final question then is. 'How do we get answers to this set that are real and that don't bore everyone to death in the process of getting them. This is the challenge we're faced with. Any suggestions welcome.
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making a sound world together
