On Feb 2015 Wiltshire Youth Arts Partnership hosted a Music Inclusion Conference at Wiltshire Music Centre

We asked some of the 60 delegates to reflect upon the day from their perspective…

To see presentation slides from the conference, please go here

Kevin Sweeney – Area Manager – Wiltshire Council Early Help Service

As someone who does not see himself in anyway musical as I do not play or sing the biggest reflection I can offer is that I felt totally involved in all the presentations and they reminded me of the importance of music in my life; Mal made me think about my own teenage experience of music and how important it was in the establishment of my friendship circles as well as my cultural and political views, whilst Kirsty was able to describe beautifully the impact that music can have on the confidence and self esteem of individual young people; her description of the young woman slowly moving her hair away from her face as the music session developed hit all the right notes. Both of these presentations underpinned the “science bit” which Alex introduced which showed not only the art of music but also the scientific evidence which is amassing which is now showing proof of something we all feel, namely that music is good for you.

Mark was able to describe the value of providing evidence of the impact of our work particularly for key partners in schools and this reminded me of the value that our customers are not only young people but also the schools. Peter, Nick, Peter and Paul provided the framework around which we currently work and also suggested some thoughts on how we can move forward to ensure that the work is not just project based, short term or seen as an add on to other work and Ruth was able to provide a flexible framework in the Arts Awards for accrediting young people’s learning.

Emma Johnson – Musician

I was a little nervous about attending the conference at first, as it’s the first time I’ve had to talk in front of a big group of people about something very important in my life. I wanted to portray the goodness I’ve experience from music inclusion and make it clear how much it means to me. I think it came across well.

Everyone who attended and spoke to me we’re very friendly and supportive. I met lots of useful people through the experience, all who we’re very helpful. The whole day was well planned and executed, definitely worth the visit! I would recommend the conference and any similar to it to any young aspiring music leaders.

Matt Griffiths – Executive Director – National Foundation for Youth Music

1. Powerful narratives this morning with great examples of how good musical inclusion practice has changed young lives for the better

2. A positive feeling that good inclusion practice is right at the heart of hub working not just in Wiltshire but in Swindon and Gloucestershire too. Collaborative leadership in evidence, which is a key ingredient.

3. I think the morning session could have done with some audience interaction in terms of having suitably placed Q&As in the timetable. There was a long list of presentations – some of these could have been replaced with Q&As instead.

4. Articulating what we do and why we do it is crucial particularly in terms of driving change and convincing others who might not agree with us. The majority of morning speakers were good at this, presenting a strong and persuasive narrative, but others were less so.

5. Emma’s story was particularly powerful – progression in action!

 Nick Howdle – Manager Wiltshire Music Service / Lead for Wiltshire Music Connect

• 60 people and it’s in half term!
• How do we ensure that CPD is accessible and not just for those who can manage to be in one place at that particular time?
• I want people to feel they own their parts of our Hub.
• Supporting the isolated practitioner to become and FEEL part of the bigger picture –  how much do we support and how much  needs the people themselves to grab the opportunity?
• How can we help practitioners signpost on to others’ provision?

 Whilst there’s still some way to go, HOW FAR WE’VE TRAVELLED IN 17 MONTHS!

Peter Tyas – Manager Arts and Archives – Wiltshire Council

The broader understanding of music inclusion has grown considerably since the last conference with more people from different agencies wanting to engage with musicians and so now is the time to think more widely about music and grasp the opportunity of the Music Hub.The Hub offers a place for musicians to exchange ideas, to build partnerships and find learning opportunities, to engage with the potential wider marketplace for music leaders and the possibilities for career progression. In many ways the Hub can be what we make it and like the conference itself, when a vibrant cohort of skilled artists come together the opportunity to inspire one another and create something inspirational becomes real.