De Viggiani, N., Daykin, N., Moriarty, Y. and Pilkington, P. and ...

Establishing Rapport
Establishing good rapport with participants was an essential prerequisite for successful working.
The musicians used various techniques to do this, including use of ice-breakers and musical games,
introducing themselves and their instruments, and performing their music for participants, before
offering instruments for them to examine or use. These instruments and music genres were often
unfamiliar to participants. The musicians generally came from very different backgrounds from the
young people; finding a point of contact from which to build rapport was sometimes difficult,
especially for the less experienced musicians and those working with the youngest participants. As
the sessions progressed, musicians relied on banter and humour, as well as discussions about
shared interests, to generate rapport. This was more successful with some groups than others.
Setting Realistic Expectations
It was important to set realistic expectations for each group. Musicians working with the youngest
groups and those relatively new to working in youth justice settings had to readjust their
expectations in relation to participants’ motivation and ability to learn. Some young people were
interested in learning and were keen to understand notation and music theory, although the
musicians needed to adapt to varying levels of experience and interest.
The musicians introduced the concept of how to read music through boxes and grids. It was
a really effective way … They picked it up really quickly. (Site D)
For some, lessons and theory seemed to go ‘over their heads’. Some participants seemed to give up
easily, especially with activities and techniques they found challenging or physically uncomfortable.
In successful sessions, the musicians set realistic expectations from the beginning, and they
constantly reviewed progress and goals to keep pace with participants. They were able to find
meaningful things for the least engaged or least able participants to do.
Balancing Conflicting Needs
A significant challenge facing the musicians was that of balancing the different needs of participants
with varying levels of interest, experience and ability. On occasion, progress had to be slowed to
allow everyone to keep up, with the risk that more able participants would get bored. At the same
time, competing pressures meant that it was sometimes difficult to give attention to quieter or
more passive participants.
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Brett picks up a guitar and sits next to the musician, saying “you’re going to teach me
guitar”. The musician doesn’t pay attention because he’s trying to organise the order of the
song they are working on. Brett puts the guitar down. Later, he picks up the guitar again and