Principles for musically-inclusive working

At NYMAZ we recently agreed a set of "principles for musically-inclusive working", and we wanted to share them with you. What do you think of them? Does your organisation have a similar set of princples? Comments happily received!

NYMAZ's "principles for musically-inclusive working" were proposed collectively by members of the NYMAZ Music Partner Network (including partners, music leaders and staff) in an afternoon, and have since been refined before reaching the final list below.

NYMAZ: Principles for Musically-Inclusive Working

Written by members of the NYMAZ Music Partner Network

Statement

NYMAZ believes that everyone has the right to make music and to participate in shared cultural experiences

Our working principles

In delivering musically inclusive activities, we as musicians and organisers aim to:

Engage participants through experiences that are culturally, socially and personally relevant
Understand and respond to the unique needs of individual participants
Encourage participants to have shared ownership of sessions
Nurture in participants a desire to explore and develop their own creativity
Provide a supportive environment, encouraging participants’ individual voices and building individual and group confidence
Value and promote all musics equally – including different genres, styles and ways of making music
Strive for quality of both process and product across varied models of delivery
Be flexible and adaptable to allow everyone to take part in ways that can interest and empower them
Encourage personal and social development through our music practice
Identify and respond to areas of demographic and geographic need
Work in partnership with others to strengthen an inclusive offer