Evolve - Music Assistant Leader Progression

An account from one of our Assistant Music Leaders on the Evolve project and how they progressed initially over the Music Residency week and accreditation and then over the course of the programme.

An account form one of our Assistant Music Leaders

AH:

I began my journey as a music technology professional with no experience in educating young people. Upon applying to become an assistant music tutor I had no idea what I was about to embark on, nor did I realise how much I was about to learn.

I am a music technology graduate who opened a recording studio in the Leicester city centre 2 years ago, I mix, master, record, track and produce music every hour of the day and run the administration and business side myself. When I applied for the position I had all of the credentials to become an assistant tutor and make a difference in young people’s artistic development… or so I thought.

On my first day of training I was taken back by the amount of variables that have to be taken into consideration when educating young people, especially vulnerable or “challenging” ones. Safeguarding, learning styles, group engagement and assessment styles were all new concepts that were essential to my development as an educator, as well as attributes I had to be familiar with before I even considered interacting with a young person.

Fast forwarding to my first day of evolve, I encountered many young people with a range of characteristics that had I not been properly trained, I would have had no idea how to manage. There was a very withdrawn young person who had been involved in a few criminal misdemeanours, a group of young lads from neighbouring villages who had the complete opposite musical taste to me as well as some young inner city girls who had never created music before. A very mixed bag, with unique characteristics that needed adhering to in order to engage them in their tasks, for my first delivery it was tough to hit the deep end straight away, an experience that set me up to tackle any delivery.

I love evolve, you never know what you are going to get, and having something to work towards is always fulfilling, whether it be an arts award or the learners personal targets. It allows me to share my skill set in the best way, to learners that really want to learn. Getting to be inventive with my deliveries in order to tackle any barriers I may face with the learners personal/unique characteristics is probably the best part.

As time went on I found my feet, each evolve delivery was successful (with all targets and contracted duties fulfilled) and I found myself being offered more and more deliveries across pedestrian’s various initiatives, and eventually becoming a lead, setting my own standards, lesson plans and goals instead of facilitating a lead tutor. My personal target was to climb the ladder and begin to deliver my own sessions, this has now happened and long may it continue.