A Music Leader's Journey by Sofia Jones (Creative Coalition).

Where do we start….

I always knew from an early age that I wanted to show other people that performing was fun!  Being the child that was always happy to sing songs to anyone that would listen, had its ups and downs. Having an extrovert personality that was off the scale when it comes to 1-10, provoked different feelings in different people, but I didn’t take any notice of that because I just wanted to perform.

You might be wondering why I’m writing all this? It’s because now as a ‘grown up’ (although I don’t ever think I’ll ever truly be a proper grown up!), I always attempt to recreate that ‘feeling’ in everyone I teach or mentor. The ability to love the job you’re in (well actually it’s jobs!), is a privilege that not everybody is fortunate to have. I’m what they call in the industry, a portfolio musician which basically means ‘jack of all trades, and master of none’.  I get to perform, teach and anything in-between.

So…. being a music leader for the ‘Creative Coalition’ project has given me the opportunity to work with vocal groups and allow them to build confidence and progress with their personal journeys. Having the support of junior music leaders on the project has been special and hopefully they will have at least one positive personal experience to take away from the project. Working one to one, is very different from working in a group not only because of different abilities and tastes but also, because there are so many ideas that can be thrown into the hat at any one time. With this in mind, my advice would be to make sure that everyone in the group feels that that their ideas have been heard and considered. Making sure the group knows the working environment is a safe space is vital. Have you ever made a suggestion in a group setting, and felt like no one’s paying attention to your idea? How did that make you feel?

Although everyone in a group might not agree, there might be a way to compromise or come to some mutual agreement…….but if not, and a decision has to be made….that’s ok too :)

I’ve found that the way to get young people engaged is to be honest, explain why we’re doing what we’re doing, and use positive language. There have been many times (when warming up), that some exercises seem ‘strange’ or where I might be asking the group to make ‘silly faces or sounds’. I’ve found that explaining the reason behind the exercise or warm up, not only provides knowledge but also gives the group the confidence that you (I), know what you’re(I’m) talking about.

The best compliment I could ever receive as a mentor to the young people, or as a leader to the emerging music leaders, is for them to say or do something that indicates they’ve learned a new skill. Whilst we all like a verbal ‘thank you’, for me seeing is believing.  It’s a fine balance between telling people what to do (directing) and helping them to find the best thing for them to do (coaching), and as music leader sometimes its required to do both within 1 session.  No-one’s perfect and everyone makes mistakes (including me), but the trick is to learn from them and build on the knowledge you already have.