Technology who’d use it...

Well it is the 1^st week in August, I'm enjoying a nice cup of tea and the sun is shining [the office fan is broken – but never mind- they usually give me a cricked neck anyway].  

I am busily editing some video clips from our recent early years course – Moving On [link just in case you want to check it out] http://www.musicleader.net/content.asp?CategoryID=1523

After what seems like days of trying to find some appropriate software to convert the video files, so that I can top and tail them in Movie Maker!  Dorothy very kindly put me out of my misery and pointed me in the direction of Prism Video File converter- THANKS.

Now I’m not one to get greatly excited about software – BUT – I am now a complete fan of this very handy tool, in fact I can’t really praise it enough!   I am no longer feeling the urge to scream and shout at my computer, which is a massive improvement, I think Emma is also delighted – not with the software moreover the fact that she no longer has to put up with my video related grumblings  J

Harmony is restored - all thanks to a quick download!

So my tip of the day has got to be this http://www.nchsoftware.com/prism/index.html

Best

Erika  

Erika’s Blog- Job hunting

Well hello all MLWM members, apparently the longest days of the year are upon us – pity a bit more sun is not on the menu!
In light of that, I thought it might offer the perfect opportunity for me to dedicate that extra time to some job searching for you guys – so here is the result.   

All of these jobs have been uploaded MLWM website – do check them out the close – as a few close tomorrow & in the next few days.  Click here for direct the link ML jobs in West Midlands

Enjoy,

Erika

Job　Title	Employer	Closing Date
Early Years Music Practitioner	Hillfields Childrens Centre	24/06/2011
Production Director	Lichfield Mysteries	24/06/2011
Head of Hospitality & Catering	mac	24/06/2011
Early Years Music Practitioner	Hillfields Childrens Centre	24/06/2011
Adult Education Tutor - Guitar	Coventry City Council	24/06/2011
Adult Education Tutor - Singing	Coventry City Council	24/06/2011
World Shakespeare Festival Communications Officer	Royal Shakespeare Company	27/06/2011
3 workshop leaders	3Hs - Heart Matters	27/06/2011
Customer Service Assistants	THSH	27/06/2011
SEN Music Teacher	Randstad Education	28/06/2011
Music Teacher	ITN Mark Education Birmingham	30/06/2011
Cultural Intern Scheme	Birmingham City Council	30/06/2011
Summer Music Festivals - Safety Stewards and Security Stewards	G4S Events	30/06/2011
Music Tutors	Henley in Arden High School	30/06/2011
Teacher of Music	St Thomas More Catholic School	01/07/2011
Freelance Evaluator Opportunity	Making Moves II	01/07/2011
Music Tutors: Brass, Woodwind, Percussion, Guitar	Stratford upon Avon High School	04/07/2011
Research Development Officer (Arts Impact)	University of Warwick - Research Support Services	04/07/2011
Development Manager (Trust and Foundations)	Performances Birmingham Ltd	04/07/2011
Early Years Music Leader	Munchkin Melodies	08/07/2011

Erika’s Blog spot – A Question For You...

So now MLWM has matrix accreditation– what next?? This is indeed the question which I am currently asking myself.... 

It struck me, reading our Matrix report, just how much our service users really value the service we provide.  I don’t think I really understood just how much people appreciate us, and it was a greatly humbling experience for both Emma and myself,  that not only did so many of you guys willingly turn up to say nice things about us, but what you said wasn’t just nice – it was a genuine and honest review of your engagement with us.  I am very conscious that we are particularly good in the MLWM office at just ploughing on with delivering the MLWM programme.  We are not particularly fond of blowing our own trumpet, [excuse the bad jokes!]  We’d rather be facilitating and enabling you guys to blow yours really well.    

However, with all the changes to funding taking place in the UK at the moment, and the more general economic challenge facing us all, we are really aware that we need to get better at letting folks know what we do really well.  Which we hope is to deliver quality support services for music leaders across the region.  So  a question from the MLWM team...  we would really love to know your personal experience:

What has been the impact on you as a music leader, as a result of your involvement with MLWM? 

You can let us know any way you like – email, telephone, facebook, twitter – whatever suits you best. In true music leader style, you could even put it all down in a song... (though a tweet is just as welcome!) 

Erika, 1st June 2011

Do you feel all out at sea? In need of some support? Then read on...

I have just opened a letter from EMQC who have sent us our Matrix accreditation certificate through for our Information, Advice & Guidance services J 

So I thought this might be a perfect time to get the old brain into gear and start thinking about what IAG really means for you guys... 

Well themes a few options available- all of them are accredited – so you can be sure that all our services are professional and delivered to a very high standard.

But the really great news is that they are fantastic value for money [and thanks to Youth Music – really heavily subsidised- just for MusicLeader members] so do make sure you take advantage of our services!!!!

So here’s the low down:

Coaching - not only is our service accredited – but so is our coach!

50 minute session or a series of sessions are available to  achieve a specific professional result- this is the ultimate ‘me’ time treat. 

We provide clients with a confidential opportunity to focus on a very specific professional issue, challenge or situation. Areas for discussion might be around professional development, leadership, communication, problem solving and decision-making.   Sessions cost £10 for members, and £25 for non members

However if you’re looking to set yourself up with a fully loaded action plan to progress your career – then a DNA is perfect for you.  Sessions cost £30 for members, and £60 for non-members.

Our other services include our free drop in sessions and our group Start Up sessions.

Just give us a bell [0121 446 3234]  or email us on

west-midlands@musicleader.net to book your session.

Erika

Monday Madness

Welcome to world of MLWM on this fine & sunny day! Only a short one today – I promise.  It struck me last Thursday, whilst I was listening to one of our early years presentations, how fantastic it is to listen to & be inspired by some fantastic music practitioners.  Em & I are very fortunate here at ML HQ as we do get to do that on a regular basis. 

We had over 80 people join MLWM & WCC early years team for a day of all things early years and all things music.  Thanks to all that attended, particularly our workshop leaders, Dr. Alyson Street, Sandra Barefoot & Sarah Moody, & Jenny Goddard – for some fantastic interactive workshops!  Also to our speakers Dr. Susan Young and Dr Alex Lamont.

There are loads of things I will take away from the day – but a few things have stuck in my mind

• Do we actually need words to tell stories – or can we just let the music do the talking?!
• That everyone needs an ideas basket and some stretchy lycra for teddy trampolining- hey this is something everyone should try!

Some great web links/ useful thoughts 

•  http://education.exeter.ac.uk/music-one2one/
• speech contours - Anne Fernald
• the ripping newspaper exercise for babies and parents

Thanks guys!

Erika

International Women’s day & Pancakes!

I really don’t need any excuse for pancakes – jam & ice-cream are sounding good to me!  Anyway here are a few things that caught my eye today.

The UN theme for International Women’s Day for 2011 is “Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women”. Thinking about this in relation to our work, if we remove the word ‘science’ then the theme is entirely fitting in terms of the aims and objectives of the MusicLeader programme. Equal access to professional development is vital to ensure we are able to keep our approach music making activity with children and young people fresh and creative! Let us know your thoughts...

On another note, the PRS Foundation has launched a new grant today to coincide with international women's day, its called “Women Make Music” The maximum you can apply for is £5000.

Finally back to those pancakes – I just read this how to guide – I might give this a go this evening – last time I made pancakes they ended up rather stodgy... here are some filling suggestions just in case - Enjoy!

Erika

words words words

Spent this morning pulling together a review of our IAG services  some cool images came out of it!!

If you have not used wordle – then check it out - its very cool 

thanks Bym for the heads up

ESCAPE the usual pitfalls of CV writing

MusicLeader West Midlands is running a whole day dedicated to in-depth CV revamping, on Wednesday 2nd March 2011 @ mac in Birmingham.   

It’s especially designed for freelance musicians and artists who have waaaaay too many jobs to fit on one CV! We'll show you how to get it down to 2 sleek pages...

Give us a call and book your place 0121 446 3234 or
drop us an email: west-midlands@musicleader.net   

ARE DNA SESSIONS A WASTE OF TIME? & CAN I REALLY AFFORD A DNA WHEN I’VE GOT SO MUCH TO DO?

Clare Smith- MusicLeader West Midlands DNA Advisor

I’ve been asked for advice and guidance for most of the 18 years of my working life as a music leader - as a community musician, instrumental teacher, project manager and consultant. In my early freelance life delivering workshops and training nationally for Drake Music I took it as normal to be taking phone calls from musicians at 10.30pm seeking reassurance, hard facts and possible directions about and for their practice. There were few ‘formal’ avenues available except the trusted Sound Sense publications, Music Teacher, formal music teaching qualifications and a handful of places to learn about community music practice or indeed opportunities to develop ‘on the job’. I also felt that it was my duty after a long working day as Director of one of the country’s leading community music organisations, Sound It Out, to stay around (unpaid) for much longer to support musicians who wanted to develop project ideas, themselves or just have a good old-fashioned moan about the lack of support available for community music and musicians.

Ah… the bad old days….?  It could be that I’m a soft touch at heart or that I have an insatiable desire to support folk full stop (in particular those who are going through similar experiences to the ones I had ‘back in the day’ or indeed currently) that makes me love my work as a DNA Advisor.

The ‘bad old days’ weren’t that at all – there was a spirit of sharing practice in the wee small hours and developing together. The difference now is the offer for musicians is far more varied in terms of ‘information, advice and guidance’. We still all need those late night conversations with close colleagues and friends about what to do next with a particular project but to understand the now dizzying myriad of ways we might develop ourselves formally or informally there are other ports of call - including DNAs.

I would not claim the quality of the offer has gone up; I have happy memories of being immersed in More Music’s excellent ‘Ways Into Composition’ long weekend in Morecambe; spending time at The Depot Studios in Coventry and at friend’s houses in London learning knob twiddling informally; training on Soundability at Kinnersley Castle in deepest darkest Herefordshire (a byproduct of which was developing my own knowledge about working with people with learning difficulties) and engaging in interesting email debate with Bruce Cole at York following a publication of both our perspectives on community music training (formal and informal routes) in Sounding Board.

What has happened is serious investment in musicians, young people’s musical development and developing the leadership skills of musicians and young people in particular. Thanks to dedicated lobbying by high profile figures as well as those at the grass roots, we’d never had it so good. Disinvestment of key organisations, austerity measures and the up and coming October spending review have been and will be painful. There is less work, more people chasing it and even less time for those vital informal and formal developments or even spending a couple of hours reflecting on ‘which way now?’ which is what a DNA offers you

My colleagues and I have supported hundreds of Music Leaders through DNA sessions in reflecting on their skills, thinking about the ones that are missing or need developing, provoking questions and moving to action. I am proud to be part of this and proud we as a sector have found a way to formalise and improve what we were already doing in non-existent time squeezed out of an already hectic schedule.

Now DNAs are not just a confidential space to discuss hopes, dreams, aspirations and fears but have a shape, organisational support at a regional level and access to a national network. The sessions are bespoke as I always used to offer back in the day, but are now better researched and developed as they are paid for.

And MusicLeader West Midlands will follow up your DNA, if needed, 6 months down the line to see how you’re getting on. Can’t say better than that.

In these times of change you can’t afford not to.

CPD the final instalment- the MusicLeader sat nav!

Erika - Director
We all know there are plenty of good reasons to undertake professional development.  However, it’s worth taking some time out to reflect on the WHY, WHAT & HOW, before embarking on the road trip – most importantly to ensure it’s the right road for you.  

So what maps can MusicLeader West Midlands sat nav offer you?

We promise not to make you drive through a river, what we offer is a range of information, advice and guidance services. 

From our Start Up sessions for those who are relatively new and just want to get to grips with all things music leading, to our individually tailored DNA service and our Action Learning set.   The thing that these services have in common is that our focus is about providing you with the space to reflect on what is the most appropriate road for you.

So why don’t you explore the journey’s you could embark on with MusicLeader West Midlands. 

Value & Benefit of CPD... HELP!!!

Erika - Director

A very good friend once explained the theory of selling the value of something, compared to selling the benefit. 

If we think of a mug – what is its value?

Well we can carry boiling water from A to B without it leaking. 

So what is the benefit of that mug?

Well the main benefit has to be that I can enjoy my delicious mug of coffee without it burning me.  

So let’s expand this a little, if we think of our continuing professional development in relation to music leading– what is the value and benefit?

Value = what does it do? 

The value of CPD is that it makes you better informed – specifically that you maybe more proficient in your chosen area of development. 

Benefit = what does that mean to me?

Well in this case you can take that proficiency and make the decision to put that into practice and act accordingly.  This may mean that you are in a position to offer a more professional service to clients, for example.  

A by product of this value and benefit system, may be that you are in a better position to increase your work base and generate more income, but this is not a direct result of undertaking CPD – ultimately it’s comes down to how an individual or organisation chooses to implement that learning, and how they convert that change. 

So this takes me back to my original starting point from my 1st blog


If we are not sure about the value and benefit to ourselves of undertaking CPD – how can we expect others to make that link?

Back to the digging - what are we doing & why...

A colleague, who has worked within the music education sector for quite a while, once introduced me to the phrase ‘clarity of purpose’ - essentially it requires us to ask ourselves the million dollar question - what are we doing and why are we doing it? 

It’s a really useful check point for anything we do – if after asking the questions, the answers are still unclear – maybe that’s when we need to take the time out to reflect. 

In the context of my discussions with our membership, the desire to access information was in the most part about improving the work delivered and the quality of experience provided.  But whatever your motivation it is worth bearing in mind, that any time we choose to commit, is just like any other investment. 

Erika

How do we decide what professional development is right for us?

Erika - Director
“If we are not sure about the value and benefit to ourselves of undertaking CPD – how can we expect others to make that link?”

When thinking about the content for this blog I started reflecting back on some of the conversions I have had with music leaders from the West Midlands region over the past twelve months, there have been a number of common themes.  One of those is recurring themes is access to, and use of information. 
There is so much information available on the internet, so we all know it’s very easy to get information overload!  Obviously you can use the MusicLeader website [and that has a handy search function] but those discussions with music leaders raised an interesting point for me.   My inbox is inundated daily with newsletters I have willingly signed up to, in order to keep me up-to-date with all things music leading, not to mention all the booked-marked websites on my internet browser that I try to visit regularly.  But sometimes it can just get a bit too much to actually take in.  So how do we fight our way through this information jungle?

We have to have access to information, and there are numerous ways to access information, whether that’s on or offline.  However, for me there are two questions which really help me decide whether to proceed with accessing the information... Why do I want that information? And furthermore what am I going to do with the information when I find it?

If the answer to either question leaves you scratching your head then it’s worth doing a bit more digging. 


Read my next blog to follow the digging...

Erika