Chandra was BCMG’s learning trainee in 2012-13. Since leaving us she’s taken an MA in Music Therapy and developed a career working across a variety of settings including dementia care, special schools and hospices.

She writes:

"The traineeship gave me hands on experience of working with a huge range of young people, it allowed me to practice leading skills in a safe, supportive environment. BCMG allowed me to observe and learn from the planning processes involved in creating learning experiences for young people. This gave me a lot of confidence in working musically with people and some of the skills I use now come directly from BCMG workshops that I helped run during the traineeship. 

The administrative side of the role honed my office working skills and helped to develop on previous experience in arts administration. I also met a huge number of composers and musicians through the traineeship who were always there to listen to the latest ideas I would have about what I was going to do in my career, it also allowed me to become comfortable with the idea that my 'career' could be fluid and include a wide variety of things."

 

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I was fortunate to gain the traineeship post immediately after graduating from University. When I graduated I had an idea that I wanted to work with music making and people, I wanted to work specifically with composition projects as this was my specialism during my degree. The traineeship allowed me to explore many possibilities of career and modes of working. It gave me a further space to ease into working life without closing any doors to me. It was important that I continued to learn after graduation as I had a strong sense that I had not finished working out where my experiences were going to take me. 

The traineeship gave me hands on experience of working with a huge range of young people, it allowed me to practice leading skills in a safe, low risk, supportive environment. BCMG allowed me to observe and learn from the planning processes involved in creating learning experiences for young people. BCMG also allowed me to observe and help with the evaluation of projects. This gave me a lot of confidence in working musically with people. 

The administrative side of the role honed my office working skills and helped to develop on previous experience in arts administration. I also met a huge number of composers and musicians through the traineeship who were always there to listen to the latest ideas I would have about what I was going to do in my career, it also allowed me to become comfortable with the idea that my 'career' could be fluid and include a wide variety of things. 

Straight after I finished the traineeship, I was appointed as festival administrator for Sound festival with a one month run up into a very busy and complicated festival schedule. The experience of the traineeship allowed me to take the bull by the horns in the role and establish good working practices and to work as effectively as possible. I was able to maintain the festival schedule and look after artists, audiences and workshop participants. Had I not had the continuous experience of working in the BCMG office prior to this role I feel I would not have been able to have been as effective. 

Subsequently I have been working as a teaching assistant in a variety of settings. Firstly I worked in a special secondary school that allowed me to teach piano, I worked with a music group regularly and used many techniques I learnt in BCMG workshops with these young people. I now work in a Autism Special School with 5 year olds, every day I sing and make music with the children I work with to help communicate with them, the skills I use come directly from BCMG workshops that I helped run during the traineeship. 

The traineeship gave me the space to explore what could be possible for me as a career, throughout and beyond the traineeship I have been able to talk to a huge number of people who have given lots of advice and support. I am currently applying to train as a music therapist and firmly believe had I not done the traineeship I would not be travelling down this pathway.

 

So I finished the traineeship and then worked as TA for about 2 years as I've already written. I then did my MA which I finished last June. I'm now a fully qualified music therapist and I work across a variety of settings including dementia care, special schools and hospices. I am now trained to use music making to reach non musical goals and much of my work involves improvising and composing on the spot! So I've managed to marry the music and the people together into a practice that really suits me! My experience working for BCMG means that as a music therapist I'm interested in looking at how we might work with arts organisations as this is something that is less common and potentially a really rich area - However this is a future plan and I'm spending the next few years establishing myself and gaining as much experience as a therapist as possible. 

 

 © Chandra Chapman

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