Nature Beats Musical Collaboration (course 11)
During a particularly productive Music session the aim was to continue collaborative work on a track which started a couple of weeks before. To get things going at the start we decided what direction to take the loops we had, so divided up the roles into song writing, loop editing and sound finding (from outdoor recordings). Its worth noting that the participants all had little or no experience with recording or production of music, but they all love music in their own way across all sorts of styles.
Nature Beats Musical Collaboration (course 11)
We have just returned home from the final outdoor day of the Positive Pathways / Nature Beats Course 11. It was an amazing day, all over again, with the young people all very emotional about this being the last day of the course. Some of the participants’ reflections at the end of the day looked back to previous weeks’ music sessions and the positive impact they had.
During a particularly productive Music session the aim was to continue collaborative work on a track which started a couple of weeks before. To get things going at the start we decided what direction to take the loops we had, so divided up the roles into song writing, loop editing and sound finding (from outdoor recordings). Its worth noting that the participants all had little or no experience with recording or production of music, but they all love music in their own way across all sorts of styles.
Before long there was a list of words with a positive focus, then some sentences, and a block of lyrics. At this point Gen, who wrote the lyrics didn’t want to sing them so we passed them to a keen bass player who had never recorded her voice, but really wanted to (even though was reluctant to get on the mic). After some quiet practice in a corner of the room it was time to record. This meant everyone had to leave, as a room full is just too much pressure! But it worked; we started quietly, and gradually with the building of confidence, picked up the sound and volume until we got a few great sounding takes – result!
Not wanting to stop here, a lad in the group, Kearan who ‘wasn’t a rapper’ more an MC, hadn’t written his own lyrics but was keen to get involved. He spent some time with the lyric sheet, practising to the beat, and then grabbed a pen and decided to add a few edits to put his personal stamp on the track. Before we knew it, headphones on and we’ve got some bars recorded. To finish things up for the day someone suggested everyone got in on the last lyric as the whole group would sound better all together. This was a brilliant way to bring in those on the periphery while at the same time reinforcing the individual roles that played an important part in the production of this completely original track.
During the final circle today, the participants shared just how much the course meant to them and how it had impacted on their lives, and their general well-being and confidence. One young man spoke up towards the end, to say ‘This is the most amazing course I’ve ever been on. It’s the first time I’ve ever enjoyed a course, and the first time I’ve found it so easy to make friends. I don’t want it to end. I’m definitely coming back as a mentor!’ And this was the general feeling echoed by the group. All the young people want to keep the connection going both with each other and with the course, seeing each other socially, and coming back as mentors in September.