This month the sessions have improved dramatically by a great degree (these sessions have always been well attended but now they are even better!) and this is something which is great to see as it clearly indicates how individuals are improving as the weeks go by.
One of the main reasons I think that the sessions have become even more successful this month is that between Nina Smith and myself we now have an adaptable structure that allows us to work with a lot of individuals to create performances/music that requires them to be involved using the maximum of their musical ability as they are the key focus in the sessions not ourselves.
The importance of this structure that we have devised is that what we do
individually does not over shadow or impact other individuals
performance thus making the sessions more enjoyable for individuals
irregardless of their musical knowledge or experience. This is vital to
every session as this means that all the individuals involved within it
can go home feeling that not only did they contribute towards the
sessions but they also contributed in the right way.
Something that really inspired me to think about this and improve the way in which people learn in general but in particularly music and the individuals I work with is a Ted Talks video with musician Victor Wooten (see link below) One of the key aspects I took from this talk is music in itself is a language and as baby's we are trying to learn our native language, when we speak and pronounce words incorrectly our parents never correct us for that. Therefore the same should apply to teaching music particularly at the early stage as this not performing in a sense we are learning amongst advanced performers so that we can then go and "perform" with little or no mistakes in the future.
After watching this video this really made me think about the individuals that I work with and what I am trying to achieve with them and how I am trying to inspire them. I can't make them a perfectionist as that is something that only they can do themselves and requires a lot of discipline. However, through a more adaptable structure I can help prepare them for their individual musical journey's and inspire them to be the best that they can be musically and that is my aim through:
Focusing on what individuals get right - This is one of the most important elements when preparing anyone for their musical journey and vital for keeping motivation high. I am not trying to say that everything they will do is correct but as musicians we strive for perfection but it never starts out like this as many will say that. However, if I focus on the effort and the things that the individuals get right this helps to maintain motivation, interaction effort and performance. If I tell them that they have played x,y and z wrong that is more likely to decrease all of those attributes. Therefore focusing on the positive is the right way to go, the negative is still important but instead of bringing it into the light we let the light shine over it and in time these negatives will become positives.
Enjoyment - Regardless of level or ability music is about enjoyment the great quote from Bob Marley, "The good thing about music is that when it hits you you feel no pain", is the essence of what music is about. Music is an enjoyment process that is another reason why at this stage I am not too interested by the mistakes that individuals make but rather on the importance of the enjoyment factor and the connection that the individuals make with one another.
Involvement - No matter how big or small your roll (instrument/ only play during section a, b or c etc) within the band for that session just like a football match a band is like a team. Musicianship is about teamwork there may be an overall leader but there is no "I" in team.
