Week 2 Commencing 24th June 2013

Moving on from my first week as a trainee music leader and youth worker I have had time to look back on how it has been so far from my position:

It is clear to see the enthusiasm that the young people bring to each session week after week and the determination that they show in wanting to complete something that they have started. This makes doing the job an even greater experience as it shows that they have a real passion not only for music but for wanting to thrive to be the best that they can be.

I have really enjoyed working with young people in the studio whether it is engineering for them while they are overdubbing vocals to a track or showing them how to use the studio themselves so that they will be able to engineer a session. What has really amazed me is how quick some of the young people have understood how the studio works and grasped the concept of the recording process.

Something that is very special to me is to have the ability to be able to teach young people to play instruments. Looking back to when I first started playing the drum kit in particularly no one taught me how to play I learnt by watching which for many years gave me a great foundation to stand upon as I started to progress but as I started to progress but as I started to become more advanced with my playing music lessons were something which I could have further benefited from at the time. 

So because of this I take pride in teaching anyone who asks for lessons during the sessions that I work as just like any musical instrument it is important for them to build a strong foundation if they are to progress further with the instrument of their choice. 

What can I take out of the sessions thus far?

The young people are very determined and strive towards anything they set out to do which is a great attitude and mentality to have and is something I highly admire.

The energy and passion I see the young people put into the sessions which they partake in is really commendable.

Over the forthcoming sessions I will seek to help any young people that want to improve their music skills in their desired area using the most appropriate method that suits them. 

Week 1 Commencing 17th June 2013

Going into my first session working for the YMCA I was filled with optimism as this was a great opportunity for me to use some of the skills and knowledge that I have learnt over the last two years of my degree and bring them into this job role to help guide and mentor young people.  

It was a great feeling to start becoming a role model by inspiring young people and helping them to enjoy what they do. This is even greater for me because music is something that is a great passion of mine also so I see it as a blessing in itself to be able to be given the privilege to guide them on their journey.

What did I get out of my first session?

Overall, for me this was a successful first session as I was able to engage with the young people and gain a basic understanding of the ways in which they want to learn and the different approaches to doing this.

I also felt comfortable in the environment that I was working in which for me is something that is vitally important as this really helped me to relax into my job role.

How can I move forward and improve further?

From this session I saw that when working with young people there will be certain aspects that need to be  taken into consideration:

• Trust 

I found that trust is one of the most important factors if not the most important to be built between myself and the young people.

At this current stage I feel that there are no further developments that need to be taken into consideration.