focused research and reflection – themusicworks stories

i read about a young student, known as ‘richard’, a year 10 pupil who’d struggled with self-confidence as a result of his experience with bullying throughout school. the story details how richard began to attend afterschool clubs at SoundSpace Studios where he slowly began to grow in confidence and feel accepted. a result of consistent positive reinforcement, both from the workshop leaders as well as his peers also in attendance, richard, who was initially too shy to even join in, has now written and performed his own music, including a solo appearance at a local town. the feeling of community, the lack of judgement and the inclusive attitude within the afterschool club, will no doubt have been significant factors in his personal development. although his initial interactions were limited, slowly, through encouragement but without applying any kind of pressure, he began to engage more with the workshop, thereby strengthening the social bond between himself, his peers and the session leaders. after a number of sessions, the social cohesion within the room had been strengthened significantly, to a point where richard’s confidence had swollen and he was no longer plagued by his anxieties. i truly believe this to be a great example of the way music an evoke change, as well as the power it can have in positively developing someone’s character.