OSJ Soundynamics, a partnership between Orchestra of St John?s and the creative arts charity Create, was developed from the work we do through our OSJ Offstage education and community programme, writes Matthew Swann.
The projects we have done with schools, hospitals, prisons and community groups have always been about using music to enhance participants? life skills, such as communication, presentation and teamwork, rather than just music for music?s sake. We realised that the outcomes of these community projects could also be beneficial to our corporate partners as all the skills developed in OSJ Offstage projects, such as non-verbal and verbal communication, negotiation, innovation and creativity, are highly prized by employers. We knew that music would also be something unfamiliar, interesting, enjoyable and challenging to OSJ Soundynamics delegates, making it far more memorable and effective than more traditional training methods.
OSJ Soundynamics is constructed around a series of interactive and observational modules, led and facilitated by our musicians and tailored to each company?s individual needs. Delegates may find themselves watching a quartet rehearsing previously unseen music in real time, with learning points being drawn from the way the musicians negotiate, communicate and present to deliver a world-class performance in a matter of minutes. In other modules delegates create a new piece of music using a variety of percussion instruments. Through this process, they explore ways of sharing ideas to realise their visions, learn to focus on their creative skills, and develop their teamwork, leadership and communication skills. None of the exercises require musical knowledge and all are equally beneficial to the experienced musician and novice alike.
We launched OSJ Soundynamics only a short time ago and are already working with a variety of employers from financial institutions, management consultancies, telecommunications companies and business schools to local government and other public sector bodies. We are developing courses ranging from graduate training and management development to large-scale conferences and away days. We have also decided to hold events to give potential clients the opportunity to experience the programme for themselves. Such a new and innovative programme can seem intangible, so we thought our prospective clients would like to take part. This month more than 30 senior human resources and training professionals will attend the first such event, giving them the chance to get their hands dirty and learn how powerful creative music-making can be in the workplace.
Creative training and development will become increasingly important to arts organisations as a source of extra funding. It is estimated that while traditional arts sponsorship in the UK runs at just over £100m per year, employers spend over £10bn per annum on training. We hope that as well as providing essential funds for concerts and OSJ Offstage projects, OSJ Soundynamics will further strengthen important relationships with our corporate partners and communicate the joy of music-making to new audiences.
Matthew Swann is Development Director of Orchestra of St John?s. t: 020 8857 8579;
e: matthew@osj.org.uk