Becoming a trainee with Fairbeats!

At Fairbeats we work with three early career music leaders each year to give them the opportunity to develop the skills needed to work in Fairbeats settings. Trainees shadow leaders, receive training with the team, are supported to take on leadership within sessions and offered advice about what and where next at the end of their time with us. We are delighted that one of the trainees from 2018-2019,  Kaia McTernan, is taking on the role of Music Relationships Coordinator from summer 2019. We asked Kaia to tell us about her experiences as a trainee and her thoughts about the new role. 

'I worked with Fairbeats as a trainee workshop leader for 6 months. This role was perfect for me as I had always desired to work for a music charity and with young people. As a singer/songwriter I found that I could balance my music work and also feel really involved with the workshops and  a part of the team. What I enjoyed the most during this time was watching the young people perform music that they put together for some weeks. It was really lovely to see the joy in their eyes and see all their hard work pay off.

I learnt new skills, warm-up songs and ice-breakers, a few chords on the Ukulele that I can sing along to but most importantly I found a deeper meaning of patience. I watched how other colleagues deal with the young people.  So now I have the ability to be even more patient in every area of my life and really listen and be attentive. 

As my contract was coming to end, a new role within Fairbeats became available and I am now the new Music Relationships Co-ordinator! I applied for this role because I believe that I still have so much more to learn, I feel I was starting to make more of a bond with the children and actually forming a relationship with them. With this new position I can still be involved in their growth, hopefully see them enjoy their time with Fairbeats and develop personal skills as well.'  

Next year we'll be looking for three new trainees, positions will be advertised in September so keep checking our website for updates.