we can all make music
key activities
For group singing leadership training days
You're preparing a day to introduce group singing leadership practices to a group of people with interest but little or no experience. Here are what we think are the essential ingredients.
- Demonstration, practical engagement, FEW WORDS, LITTLE PAPER. The event itself is designed to embody the values. The participants watch and listen, then do, then talk about it (but not too much).
- How to make a welcoming, inclusive, free and fearless space for singing together. The responsibility to create a culture that does this. What leadership behaviours promote this? From the start, participants are engaged with working it out for themselves (watching, thinking, doing, exchanging).
- Opening the mind to the idea of singing with: the everyday art that brings joy, human connection and health - for each other and for the common good. Experience this.
- The place of a warm-up, how to do it and WHY. Experience this.
- Ways to explore improvisation. Experience this.
- Teaching skills for passing on a song by ear. Demonstrate call and response and highly visual conducting; listen (and watch) then sing - no failure, no shaming, instant gratification. Watch good teaching then have a go.
- Collecting appropriate repertoire to begin (and continue). Bring a recording device.
- The importance of closure, and methods to close well. Experience these.
- The importance of breaks and/or eating together for social interaction and collaborative effort. Do it.
- Where to get help, ideas and resources to start a session/circle/group and where to tap in to on-going support. Take home lists. Sign up to the network.
- Shared team leadership/ distributed leadership. Role of leaders who are non-singing. See it happening.
- Philosophical underpinning - health and wellbeing benefits, values, early learning benefits, creativity and community. The participants describe the experience to each other.
Additional stuff for weekends or specific topic days
Weekends appear to allow for deeper formation due to more extended action/reflection possibilities
- How to establish clear boundaries, group agreements and healthy group processes.
- Self care - of voice and body and emotional resilience. Time management and financial sustainability. Not burning out
- Dealing with challenging behaviours and people who cannot match pitch
- Introducing your circle participants to introducing/leading a song themselves
- Finer musical skills - harmony, part singing, arrangement, movement.
- Practice opportunities to lead small (and larger) group of peers and get feedback.
- Legal aspects - copyright, food handling, public liability
- Sustaining circles over time. How a group evolves. How to keep the work fresh
- Publicity and ways to reach into a community
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