Training students is a brilliant way to ensure the future of music education and community music fits with our mission. We love working with the next generation of musicians, giving them the tools to lead accessible and inclusive sessions as they embark on their careers.

Last Monday, Drake Music Scotland led a workshop for the BA(Hons) Community Music course at Edinburgh College. With a cohort of about 45 students, we managed to cram a lot in. The most valuable aspect of our training is always the hands-on learning. We firmly believe in learning by doing, so naturally, we built our famous 5-minute band.

A percussion section used body percussion to keep a beat, while the rest of the room divided into groups playing various instruments – bass, adapted Figurenotes guitar, switches with Notion, iPads using Thumbjam and GarageBand, as well as a chime bar choir. Figurenotes scores helped keep everyone on track, especially people playing instruments they had never tried before. Everyone loves a Figurenotes bass! Pink Pony Club has never sounded so cool.

We finished with a beautiful improvisation using an image of colourful houses in Tobermory harbour as our starting point. Everyone coming together in a creative vision was the perfect end to the session, and everyone went home very relaxed. Twinkling sun rays on the water played out over moving chords underneath, all led by a volunteer conductor with a chime bar. Figurenotes colours make improvisation and composition easy, taking away the anxiety of the ‘blank page’.