Nature based music making - Transferable Life Skills
Music practice linking to transferable skills in life
The practice of music making as part of Nature Beats; recording, playing or jamming with others isn’t simply all about the end sounds that everyone hears, it is about the process. And of course there are lots of other benefits tucked away within this process: real life skills! As a music leader (and recording engineer) who has worked on many collaborative projects over the years i can confidently say that i have developed personally and seen many life skills develop in young musicians first hand through being a part of collaborative music making. Here a just a few examples:
Interpersonal and collaboration skills are built through communicating across a drum circle and playing in sync with a group; peer learning / teaching often comes into play when the good nature to help others kicks in, enabling the whole group to perform better and enjoy the whole experience that little bit more; when things don’t work quite right away and the beats are a bit messy, dedication and focus helps young musicians eventually get to the point where the groove is good, and the proof can be seen in smiles around the circle when everyone knows something is working because of the group effort; for those wanting to take a basic idea and run with it into interesting territories, applying a little creativity and trial and error to a recording session often returns some impressive (and unexpected!) results, not to mention building confidence in musical ability, making experimentation all the more exciting the next time round; and lastly, nothing beats good old perseverance and hard work when it comes to getting a track finished or taking some time to learn a new production or playing technique. Hard work not only gives a great impression to others, but will help build a solid set of transferable creative skills even quicker. Never underestimate the power of collaborative creative activities!
- Mike Rucinski, Music Technologist, Wild Earth: Nature Beats programme