How young people at South West Music School develop high musical and creative process awareness

SWMS places great importance on ‘process’ as well as ‘product’, because learning ‘why’ you do certain things in a certain way is fundamental to developing a self- reflective and peer-reflective practice that supports young people in their development as musicians. Developing both high musical and also creative process awareness, is therefore key.

This practice write-up comes from an external evaluation of South West Music School, which looked at what SWMS achieves with its students, and how it does so. It is part of a resource collection: How South West Music School supports musical ability.

At SWMS, enabling young people to have high musical and creative process awareness is achieved in particular through the residential element of the SWMS model and the ingredient- enabling young people to support themselves and each other.

Supporting evidence showing how the SWMS model delivers this outcome and ingredient has been extracted from the case studies,

Residentials are key for enabling students to play with peers, other young people who share the same passion for music, who may play different instruments and in different genres from them, but with whom they develop creative process awareness, learning how to support themselves and each other.

ALFIE

The significant opportunity to play with other talented young musicians is enhanced by the sense of equality between musical genres and the positive results that can emerge from this, in the context of the stimulus each particular residential ‘subject’ provides. For example, in his evaluation of the ‘Words and Music’ February 2011 residential, Alfie wrote: ‘Working in a group helps to develop ensemble skills and having an opportunity to do that is exciting. With all the different examples of approaches to creating words and music given on the residential I have a much broader range of creative skills to draw from.’

BEN

For Ben, residentials are ‘awesome’ representing for him a first time of ‘playing properly with other proper musicians’. Having been so used to playing on his own, he really appreciated being one of a number of percussionists. This enabled him to share ideas, see what the others thought about things, work out how he related to their music, explore differences, and overall, as he says, find ‘more things to bring to my drumming’. He particularly enjoys the musical tasks undertaken in a mixed (instrumental and experience) group, working with peers over a length of time in both ‘leader’ and ‘follower’ roles, and seeing what other groups come up with.

JOSIE

Josie explains that playing, writing and being with the others was inspiring and challenging, and making pieces was a real ‘highlight’. She learnt from them, gained confidence from them and had an opportunity to connect with musicians from other genres that would otherwise just not have been possible. This group experience and support for each other was so significant.