Progression Routes – Community Music
Guest blog: Iain Bruce on Youth Music in Scotland, originally posted on the Youth Music Forum of Scotland
Hello! My name is Iain Bruce and I co-ordinate ELjam, East Lothian Youth Music Forum and Strategic Music Partnership. Without getting too bogged down in detail, this role brings me in to contact with anyone and everyone that is involved in youth music provision in East Lothian, and frequently beyond.
Guest blog: Iain Bruce on Youth Music in Scotland, originally posted on the Youth Music Forum of Scotland
Hello! My name is Iain Bruce and I co-ordinate ELjam, East Lothian Youth Music Forum and Strategic Music Partnership. Without getting too bogged down in detail, this role brings me in to contact with anyone and everyone that is involved in youth music provision in East Lothian, and frequently beyond. In addition to the pen-pushing, I also teach music and perform live on a regular basis (there’s only so much fun you can have in an office!).
Last year I was involved in the development of an exciting, new National Progression Award titled, ‘Music for Wellbeing’. A need had been identified for an entry-level qualification that would harness existing musical skills and provide candidates with the necessary expertise to apply them effectively in community or wellbeing contexts. Since the award was validated, I have begun working on the course content and structure, with a view to a pilot running next academic year.
The purpose of this blog is to offer some quick-fire thoughts and points for consideration, which I hope will be useful for anyone interested in this line of work. It is not intended to daunt or discourage; rather its purpose is to flag up some of the less obvious realities of succeeding in this sector.
Over the years, I have been approached by many musicians seeking advice or support on how best to forge a career in community music.
My own story has a touch of the accidentals about it, and it strikes me as bizarre that I’m on a career path I never knew existed at the outset! Straight from school I gained an HND in Modern Musicianship. For the next ten years or so I eked a living as a working musician and was wholly focussed on performance (well, superstardom!). I had never seriously considered educating as a serious option. It was only through a combination of hard times and a chance encounter with an old student pal that it ever materialised.
I was asked to provide cover for a group guitar class as a one-off, at The Bridge Centre Music Project in Haddington. I was thoroughly unprepared and had no idea what I was doing! But something in me was compelled to succeed at this. The opportunity was repeated and the arrangement became more long-term. My confidence dipped as my student roster fell away to just one person for a time. I kept at it however and three years later I had around 60 students attending weekly, on guitar alone. Thankfully I was afforded a chance to grow in to the role. My development and subsequent further study was underpinned by fantastic support from the centre management and further up the chain at East Lothian Council’s Community Learning and Development.
So, as with the music industry, networking is key. There is great value to be had in simply talking to people about your goals and seeking support. Initiating such dialogue sounds straightforward enough, but can be a daunting proposition, especially for a young person. Significant breakthroughs can and do arise from the most surprising of situations though.
- In general, the surest way to get started is through volunteering. As we know, further and higher education establishments are churning out vast numbers of skilled music graduates, in ever-more specialised fields. For me, the numbers don’t quite add up in terms of corresponding employment opportunities available, so if you want to get ahead, get prepared to be innovative, resourceful and collaborative.
- Create a Personal Development Plan (PDP). Review it regularly and take it seriously. Snap up Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities that come your way.
- Investigate Reflective Practice. Apply experiential learning cycles to what it is that you do. What are the weaknesses? How will you address them? It’s an ongoing process of refinement.
- What are you going to do to stand out from the next guy? How can you make yourself indispensible? I’m fortunate to have worked with many insightful, inspiring and progressive people. What they tend to lack most is time. The greater your dedication to your own practice and understanding of wider, contextual issues, the greater will be your value to employers and partners. Will you, for example be able to implement an effective system for monitoring and evaluating a project? How about fundraising? Health and safety? The list goes on…
- When you do secure work, communicate readily with stakeholders, engaging with whatever management structure is in place. Be organised. Demonstrate that you are willing to do that bit extra and are comfortable undertaking essential tasks that are perhaps not so visible or glamorous! Develop an attitude of enquiry and research that which you do not know.
- Funding bodies, local authorities, host organisations and other partners increasingly require arts practitioners to be able to articulate and evidence how projects align with local and national policy and strategy. Juggling these multiple agendas can be tricky! The reach of a Curriculum for Excellence, introduced in 2012 stretches far beyond the confines of formal education, with ‘Learning Communities’ now subject to regular inspection. Savvy community musicians, mindful of these processes can use them to their advantage; informing practice and further validating their work. The days of twiddling on guitars and simply telling people that’s what you’ve been doing are long gone!
There’s far more to this stuff than people realise- you may have noticed that music-making itself has hardly had a mention!
The above ramblings touch on a handful of the areas that will be explored on the NPA. This course will represent a viable and meaningful career progression route for musicians and hopefully stimulate further study. Autonomy is a vital concept here. Frank Zappa said, “Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mundane educational system. Forget about the Senior Prom, go to the library and educate yourself if you’ve got any guts”. I must stress that I do not condone dropping out of school, nor do I intend any slight on formal education! The point being- Hone your critical faculties and take charge of your own learning. Be wholehearted, respect your chosen profession and the amazing, transformative effect it can have on lives.
The path of the community musician (as with that of any musician!) can be difficult, fragmented and fraught with uncertainty. That said, the rewards are often profoundly satisfying. So satisfying in fact that I freely abandoned performing altogether for several years to focus fully on this aspect of my craft. Incredible!
Find out more about the National Progression Award: Music For Wellbeing, by visiting – www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk
To contact Iain Bruce about this or any of the ElJam activities, you can email – ibruce@eastlothian.gov.uk