Effective Support
Often in creative music-making, particularly in school settings, having someone in the space who knows the students is seen as a luxury. This project taught Music Masters what we already knew – it is a necessity.
Watch the video to hear how our composers worked with Music Masters teachers to make their workshops as effective and enjoyable as possible for everyone in the room.
Planning in advance
For Roderick Williams (Hello, hello? Can You Hear me?), the input from the children’s violin teacher, Sarah, in advance of the workshop meant that he was going into his activity with the children with a clearer idea of what to expect from them. Sarah’s input before the workshop will have no doubt improved Roderick’s confidence level going in.
Meanwhile, Blasio Kavuma (What’s for dinner?) was able to prepare games and activities that the children already knew by discussing his plan with their cello teacher, Clíona, saving valuable time at his workshop to focus on making music rather than explaining new rules. As well as this, he was able to understand what other activities may be more effective, given Clíona’s previous experience with the group. He also learned when throughout the school day the children might most positively respond – definitely not straight after lunch!
It is strongly encouraged that all activities with children unfamiliar to you should be supported by another person who does know them, which includes meeting in advance and making sure that you have their support on the day. This could be a class teacher, music teacher, teaching assistant or even a few willing volunteers from the school community. This will not only make the activities more engaging for the young people involved, but will make you a more effective composer and leader.
Sarah and I spent a good amount of time discussing the school session in advance and I am very grateful for her time and her input. Sarah was a really able teacher and facilitator and she clearly knows the pupils well. She was able to guide me in how to interact with them and gave me some valuable advice as to what might be reasonably expected from them. – Roderick Williams OBE
Talking with the Music Masters teacher in advance was a particularly useful conversation, as it provided adequate context for the learning environment. I learned a lot about the relationship that Clíona had with the students. I also had the opportunity to discuss ideas for the workshop and adapt them according to Clíona’s experience, which undoubtedly made for a more constructive workshop.
I really valued Clíona’s input, experience and presence before and during the workshop. Had she not been there to supervise it would have been a much less productive session. I learned about the notorious post-lunch lull in advanced which helped me plan. I learned some excellent games and warm-up activities. Her class-control techniques were very effective, which I will emulate in the future. Plus, she had a keen sense of what wasn’t working in the moment, which has helped me evaluate what will work for the main piece. – Blasio Kavuma
Sharing responsibility
Rūta Vitkauskaitė (The Storm) and Aileen Sweeney (The Corryvreckan Whirlpool) both worked with Music Masters teacher Pablo in their workshops and compositional process. By working closely with a teacher familiar with the school and the students, the composers were able to share responsibility for roles in which they felt less confident or able to perform, such as classroom or large group management.
Being able to share responsibility with another adult in the room also provides you with the space to sit back and observe what is happening and, ultimately, to properly engage with the creative ideas being shared. This also helps preserve your energy and maintain momentum through a workshop or entire project, which, as worthwhile as it is, can be exhausting at the best of times.
Aileen was able to understand the additional needs of children in the group based on Pablo’s prior knowledge of the students. This was invaluable in ensuring that every single child is engaged in the process and that all creative activities are inclusive. It is strongly encouraged that you ask adults in-the-know what additional needs may be present within the group in advance of activity. Some children may have specific Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) with important information. This will help you prepare and adapt your plans to create a truly inclusive learning environment for all.
The meeting with the Music Masters teacher in advance was great. Pablo was totally on board, very knowledgeable of his pupils and their interests, areas of confidence, and areas of improvement. We covered everything we needed to speak through in much detail. He responded well for all my suggestions, and gave his advice, as well as offered his help during the sessions, and specified what help he could provide.
In the workshop, I learned from him how to maintain some discipline! This is something I am not very good at, as I am generally not very bothered by children’s noise and chit-chat, but without discipline it can really go out of hand. I have my own ways of dealing with it, but I saw how Pablo just stood there silently for a good 10 seconds, till everyone finally went quiet.
Both with this discipline exercise, and with the game, Pablo tended to continue with the same activity for a while if the attention was good. I tend to swap from one thing to another quite rapidly, but a slower pace allowed me and the young people to dig more into each activity. – Rūta Vitkauskaitė
Pablo was great. There was one child with learning support needs who was a little uneasy with my presence but I just followed Pablo’s lead on how to interact with her and she was soon relaxed and able to participate fully which was great. – Aileen Sweeney
What questions should I consider?
- What do I need support with and who can support?
- What do I need to know about the participants involved in advance?
- What are the children and young people interested in and how can I bring this into the session?
- Are there specific approaches or contextual information that I need to know? If so, who or where do I gather this information and how does this inform my practice?
What does success look like?
- You are a more confident leader and assured by your plan
- You can adapt to the needs of those in the workshop and know what mechanisms or tools will help
- There is increased engagement and creativity from participants
- You engage with the wider community as well as children or young people
- The setting feels more confident with you as a leader and facilitator
- You share roles appropriately with the adults and skillsets in the room